OKBet Volleyball: Men's Volleyball Championship 2022 quarterfinals: Preview, Schedule, & How to watch.

Olympic gold medalists from Tokyo 2020 While France takes on the current European champions Italy, Slovenia and Ukraine battle it out to see who will advance to the historic semifinals. As Poland and the United States play each other in a game that counts as a South American derby, Argentina and Brazil square off against one another.

Following the completion of the Round of 16, just eight of the greatest men’s volleyball teams are still alive in the competition for the 2022 World Championship title.

A little over a year has passed since the conclusion of the competition at the Olympic Games, and the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship Poland Slovenia 2022 has reached the quarterfinal stage. Two exciting matches will take place on Wednesday, September 7, in Ljubljana, and another two will take place on Thursday, September 8, in Gliwice.

Against Wednesday, the defending Olympic and VNL champions France will take on their neighbors Italy at the Arena Stozice. Italy won the European title last summer and is their next opponent. It will then be followed by a match between Slovenia and Ukraine, with both teams competing for a spot in their very first semifinal of the championship.

On Thursday, a traditional South American derby will take place in Gliwice, featuring Argentina and the winners of Pool B, Brazil. Meanwhile, co-host Poland will take on the United States in their pursuit of a third consecutive World Cup crown and a fourth overall.

Men’s World Volleyball Championship 2022 Quarterfinal Schedule

Wednesday 7 September

18:00 – Quarter-finals, Ljubljana – Italy v France

21:00 – Quarter-finals, Ljubljana – Slovenia v Ukraine

Thursday 8 September

17:30 – Quarter-finals, Gilwice – Argentina v Brazil

21:00 – Quarter-finals, Gilwice – Poland v United States

After the outbreak of war in Ukraine, the location of the event was moved from Russia to Poland and Slovenia, which volunteered to take over hosting duties. Originally, the event was scheduled to take place in Russia. Poland is serving as the competition’s host for the second time, having previously done so in 2014; Slovenia has never before been responsible for organizing the event.

Co-hosts Poland now holds the title of reigning champion after their victories in Katowice, Poland in 2014 and Turin, Italy in 2018. They finished first in Pool C with 9 points after competing in all three group matches, and they are still considered to be among the favorites to win the championship.

The ranking points that are achieved during this tournament are credited towards qualification for the 2023 Olympic Qualifier Tournament. That tournament is scheduled to decide several of the 12 spots that are available for men’s teams to compete at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Men’s volleyball group stage final rankings, venues, and teams to watch in 2022

In the first round of the competition, there were a total of 24 teams, which were distributed among six groups and hosted by three different host cities in the two countries.

After the single-round-robin round, the top two teams from each pool advanced to the single-elimination direct knockout Final Stage. In addition, the top four teams that finished third in their respective pools also advanced. The final eight teams did not make the cut and were eliminated.

The previous format, which in 2018 consisted of three different round-robin group rounds followed by a semi-final and a final, has been replaced with this new one, which makes it more simpler for fans to follow the action.

With a capacity of 12,500 people, the Arena Stozice in Ljubljana played host to four groups, namely Pools B, D, E, and F, as well as four matches in the round of 16 and two in the quarterfinals.

In the meantime, the eight teams competing in Pools A and C were welcomed to Katowice by the flying-saucer-shaped Spodek indoor arena, which has a capacity of 11,000 spectators. The World Championships were held in Poland for the final time in 2014, and Spodek Arena served as the venue for those championships. During this event, it will also serve as the location for the semifinals and the medal matches.

The Gliwice Arena, which is one of the largest indoor venues in Poland, will play host to two quarterfinal matches in addition to the other four matches in the round of 16.

Final group positions. Each squad played three games:

Pool A (played in Katowice)

Serbia	9 Points	Automatic qualification for round of 16
Ukraine	6 Points	Automatic qualification for round of 16
Tunisia	3 Points	Qualified for the round of 16 as the best team in third place.
Puerto Rico	0 Points

Pool B (played in Ljubljana)

Brazil	8 Points	Qualified for round of 16 automatically.
Japan	6 Points	Qualified for round of 16 automatically.
Cuba	4 Points	Qualified for round of 16 as a best third-placed team.
Qatar	0 Points

Pool C (played in Katowice)

Poland (co-hosts)	9 Points	Qualified for round of 16 automatically.
United States	6 Points
Mexico	2 Points
Bulgaria	1 Point.

Pool D (playing in Ljubljana)

France	8 Points	Qualified for round of 16 automatically.
Slovenia (co-hosts)	7 Points	Qualified for round of 16 automatically.
Germany	3 Points	Qualified for round of 16 as a best third-placed team.
Cameroon	0 Points

Pool E (playing in Ljubljana)

Italy	9 Points	Qualified for round of 16 automatically.
Turkey	6 Points	Qualified for round of 16 automatically.
Canada	3 Points
China	0 Points.

Pool F (playing in Ljubljana)

Netherlands	8 Points	Qualified for round of 16 automatically.
Iran	5 Points	Qualified for round of 16 automatically.
Argentina	4 Points	Qualified for round of 16 as a best third-placed team.
Egypt	1 Point

Due to the fact that Poland is the current two-time defending champion, on paper they are the favorites to win a third consecutive world title on their home turf, which would make it their fourth world title overall. But they have to do it without their talismanic force Wilfredo León, so it will be difficult for them. It has been determined that the outside hitter who was born in Cuba cannot participate since he has not yet fully healed from knee surgery that he had in June.

The United States of America triumphed in Group C and earned the bronze medal for the 2018 competition. However, throughout the past few years, the fortunes of the United States have fluctuated tremendously, and at the Olympic Games held in Tokyo, they came in a disappointing tenth place.

France came out on top in Group D, which also included Slovenia as a participant, and they are the current reigning Olympic champions. They have finished third in 2002 and fourth in 2014, when the World Championships were hosted in Katowice for the final time. They have made it to the semi-finals of the World Championships twice. Will they be able to keep up that streak during this year’s competition?

Both Italy and Brazil are consistent powerhouses in the sport, and they both finished first in their respective groups. It has been since 2002 that the Brazilians have been in each of the last five finals of the World Championship, thus it would be surprising if they did not make it to the same level as before.

Men’s World Volleyball Championship Poland Slovenia 2022: Knockout Schedule

All times are displayed in Central European Summer Time (UTC/GMT +2 hours).

Saturday 3 September	Tuesday 6 September
17:30 – Round of 16, Ljubljana – Slovenia beat Germany 3-1	17:30 – Round of 16, Gilwice – Argentina beat Serbia 3-0
21:15 – Round of 16, Ljubljana – Italy beat Cuba 3-1	21:00 – Round of 16, Gilwice – Brazil beat Iran 3-0
Sunday 4 September	Wednesday 7 September
17:30 – Round of 16, Gilwice – USA beat Turkey 3-2	18:00 – Quarter-finals, Ljubljana – Italy vs France
21:00 – Round of 16, Gilwice – Poland beat Tunisia 3-0	21:00 – Quarter-finals, Ljubljana – Slovenia vs Ukraine
Monday 5 September	Thursday 8 September
17:30 – Round of 16, Ljubljana – Ukraine beat Netherlands 3-0	17:30 – Quarter-finals, Gilwice – Argentina vs Brazil
21:00 – Round of 16, Ljubljana – France beat Japan 3-2	21:00 – Quarter-finals, Gilwice – Poland vs United States