The 2023 FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship is set to take place from December 13 through 17 in Hangzhou, China, once again with the participation of six teams.
In addition to hosts Tianjin Bohai Bank Women's Volleyball Club, the battles for the world title will be joined by Türkiye’s Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul and VakifBank Spor Kulubu, also of Istanbul, representing Europe, Brazil’s Gerdau Minas of Belo Horizonte and Dentil Praia Clube of Uberlandia, representing South America, as well as Vietnamese newcomers Sport Center I Women's Club of Hanoi.
Led by arguably the world’s most successful player in 2023 so far Melissa Vargas of Türkiye and some of China’s top international players, reigning Chinese national champions Tianjin Bohai Bank will host the tournament, marking their third appearance at the Club World Championships. They also participated in 2012 and in 2019. Four years ago, Tianjin achieved their first win, but are still chasing their first breakthrough beyond the pool stage of the competition.
VakifBank and Eczacibasi are the two most decorated clubs in the history of the women’s Club World Championships.
VakifBank have so far collected four world titles (2013, 2017, 2018 and 2021) towards a total of eight podium finishes, which means they medalled every time they participated, including all editions of the tournament since 2016. Last year they reached the final, where they lost to Italy’s Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano to settle for silver. Then they went on to triumph in the CEV Champions League and earned the right to compete for their fifth club world title in December.
Eczacibasi qualified for their seventh Club World Championship appearance as 2023 CEV Champions League runners-up. In 2022, they hosted the world’s premier club event in Antalya and finished on the podium with bronze, their overall fifth medal in the history of the competition. That count includes the two back-to-back titles the Istanbul powerhouse claimed in 2015 and 2016.
Dentil Praia and Minas booked their spots at the Club World Championship as 2023 South American Women’s Club Championship finalists. The team from Uberlandia triumphed as continental champions, while the squad from Belo Horizonte settled for silver.
The two Brazilian clubs return to the Club World Champs for the fifth consecutive time, after participating together in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022 (in 2020, the tournament was cancelled). In 2018, Minas made it to the Club World Championship podium with silver, their second, after 1992 when they had their debut in the competition and finished runners-up. Dentil Praia are still after their first podium, with a 2018 fourth place as their best result so far.
For the first time in history, a Vietnamese team earned the right to participate in the women’s Club World Championship. In 2023, Sport Center I Women's Club became their country’s first team to win the Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship and qualified for the global event.
