Brazil and Italy determined to avoid upsets in Rio

The first spots at next year’s Paris Olympics were already taken on the women’s side and now it’s time for the men to decide which will national teams will be the first to join host country France at the 2024 Games.

With Volleyball Olympic Qualifying Tournaments set to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tokyo, Japan, and Xi’an, China, from September 30 to October 8, soon the six national teams qualified (two in each pool) will be known.

• Watch all matches of the Men's Volleyball Olympic Qualifying Tournament on VBTV

Pool A will be headed to Rio de Janeiro, with the iconic Maracanãzinho stadium hosting Olympic-level matches for the first time since the Rio 2016 Games, and here’s all you need to know about the event:

The participating teams

Hosts Brazil lead the way in Rio de Janeiro, with reigning world champions Italy also standing out among the favorites to book their tickets to Paris on October 8, but their qualification is far from a given. Iran and Cuba both have long-lasting tradition in international volleyball and have the potential to cause upsets if their star players are on a good day. Ukraine and Germany have also displayed they can be tough opponents to anyone in the world, while Czechia and Qatar are probably one step below, but have been steadily progressing and could be on the verge of a breakout performance. Pool A will have national teams from four continents.

The opening day

Favorites Brazil and Italy will be involved in the first two matches of the event, on Saturday, facing Qatar and Czechia at 10:00 local time (17:00 UTC) and 13:30 local time (20:30 UTC), respectively. The other two encounters – Iran vs. Germany, at 17:00 local time (00:00 UTC, Sunday), and Cuba vs. Ukraine, at 20:30 local time (03:30 UTC, Sunday) – could have massive implications as two of the potential dark horses of the event will begin their campaigns with an upset, making their path way more complicated right from the start.

Volleyball Olympic Qualifying Tournament - Match Schedule

The big stars

There will be no shortage of talent in Pool A as some of the top teams in the world are set to bring their main stars to try and book their tickets to Paris 2024. Brazil won’t have outside hitter Yoandy Leal, who’s dealing with an injury, but will count on talismanic captain and setter Bruno Rezende, veteran middle blocker Lucas Saatkamp and star outside hitter Ricardo Lucarelli. Italy also have a ‘Big Three’ of their own with 2022 FIVB World Championship MVP Simone Giannelli, star outside hitter Alessandro Michieletto and high-scoring opposite Yuri Romanò. Cuba have a pair of explosive outside hitters in Miguel Angel Lopez and Osniel Melgarejo while Iran have their own bombers in opposite Amin Esmaeilnezhad and outside hitter Amirhossein Esfandiar. German opposite Linus Weber and Ukrainian outside hitter Oleh Plotnytskyi are elite-level players as well and will have key roles with their teams.

The key matches

Brazil and Italy will only get to play each other on October 8, the last day of the event at the Maracanazinho, in what will be their first encounter at the iconic stadium since they met at the gold medal match of the Rio 2016 Olympics. However, with two spots in play, things could already be settled when they face off. For that to happen, though, South Americans and Europeans will need to take care of business in their first six matches, especially against Cuba and Iran. The hosts will play the Caribbean on October 6, at 10:00 local time (17:00 UTC), and the Asians the next day, at the same time. Italy will have the opponents in reverse order, battling Iran first, on October 6, at 13:30 local time (20:30 UTC), and then Cuba, on October 7, at the same time.

How to watch

Every match played in Rio de Janeiro (and also the ones in Tokyo and Xi’an) will be streamed live on VBTV to subscribers around the world. Official merchandise can also be found online, at Volleyball World Store.

Quick links:
FIVB Road to Paris Volleyball Qualifiers
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