Lausanne, Switzerland, August 27, 2018 - The world's top 24 teams are on the final straight ahead of the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship, due to start in just under two weeks in cities across Italy and Bulgaria.
The lineup of participating teams was decided already by the end of last year, with ten teams qualifying from Europe, plus five from North & Central America and the Caribbean (NORCECA), four from Asia, three from Africa and two from South America.
Poland, as defending champions from their 2014 triumph and hosts Italy and Bulgaria were automatically assured of their participation. But the remaining seven European spots were allocated after three gruelling rounds of competition, with France, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Russia, Serbia and Finland all topping their second-round pools and Belgium following suit from the third round of European qualifiers in July 2017.
In NORCECA, USA, the Dominican Republic and Canada finished 1-2-3 at the Continentatal Championship to take the first three tickets to the World Championship. Then Puerto Rico and Cuba followed suit in a special qualification tournament laid on in the wake of devastating Hurricane Irma.
Canada celebrate win over Mexico in the 2017 NORCECA Championship that earned them a ticket to the 2018 World Championship.
In Asia there were two qualifying pools to advance four teams to the international federation's flagship event. Iran and China claimed the tickets from one pool, with Japan and Australia joining them from the other.
Tunisia, Egypt and Cameroon finished in that order at the 2017 African Nations Championship to fill the African spots at the World Championship.
And from South America powerhouses Brazil and Argentina advanced to Italy/Bulgaria - the former as 2017 continental champions and the latter as winners of a South American Qualification Tournament.
All 24 teams will now get the chance to prove themselves before a world audience, once the World Championship begins on 9 September with the opening match in Rome's iconic open-air Foro Italico where Italy will host Japan.
The 2018 World Championship runs through to September 30 when Turin will host the grand final at the Pala Alpitour.
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FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship 2018
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