Regional rivalries to spark excitement in World Championship pools

With the world’s 24 best national teams in action on the courts of the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, Netherlands-Poland 2022 is bound to grab the attention of sports fans around the world. But let’s take a look at some interesting rivalries in the first round pools, as set up by the draw conducted on Thursday.

Co-hosts the Netherlands and reigning European champions Italy are the clear favourites in Pool A. The match between those two teams will be the highlight of the pool, but it will also be exciting to see how the Dutch clash with their neighbours from Belgium in a game set to attract numerous fans from both countries to the stands at the GelreDome. The two African participants in the World Championship, Cameroon and Kenya, also feature in the pool and the match between them will certainly set the scene for an exhilarating continental derby.

The top four teams from Pool A will cross ways with the top four from Pool D in the second stage of the tournament. And if we can call the former the “African” group, then the latter will certainly be the “South American”, with three representatives from the continent all featured.

While reigning South American champions Brazil are the highest ranked team in Pool D, and favourites in their encounters with neighbours Colombia and Argentina, the three-way continental rivalry is certain to stir excitement in Arnhem. An edition of the “All-Asian Classic” between China and Japan will be the cherry on top of the cake in this pool. These two powerhouses, together with Brazil, are expected to battle it out for the first place in the final pool standings.

There will also be a thrilling all-Asian duel between South Korea and Thailand in Pool B. After playing a first set of matches in the Netherlands, the members of this group will continue their race in the city of Gdansk, where hosts Poland will enjoy the support of their famously enthusiastic home crowd. And they will probably need it the most when they go up against Turkey, one of the best European sides at the moment.

Whichever four teams advance from Pool B, their lives are likely to get harder in the second phase, when they will have to take on the best four teams from Pool C. And that pool could be dubbed the “group of death”, as it features six very strong teams.

The Pool C programme (starting in Arnhem too, but then moving to Lodz in Poland) also offers some interesting neighbourly rivalries, like a North American clash between United States and Canada or a Southern European derby between traditional Balkan rivals Serbia and Bulgaria. However, the head-to-head encounter between defending world champions Serbia and reigning Olympic champions USA, with squads featuring some of the brightest stars in women’s volleyball, will arguably be the most anticipated game not only of this pool, but also of the entire pool stage of the World Championship.

The 2022 World Championship will take place from September 23 through October 15. Matches will be streamed on Volleyball TV, so get your Premium Pass now.

Quick links:
FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship Netherlands Poland 2022
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