Sir Sicoma Perugia look to defend their title, as Sada Cruzeiro of Brazil chase record-equaling fifth gold medal in India
The 2023 FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship will get underway from 6 to 10 December in Bengaluru, India, with the country hosting the competition for the first time ever.
Clubs from Brazil, Italy, Japan, Türkiye and hosts India are set to battle it out for the coveted world title over the five days of competition. The six teams have been split into two pools and the action at the Koramangala Indoor Stadium will start with one match in each pool on Wednesday.
FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship – Match Schedule
CEV representatives Halkbank Spor Kulübü of Türkiye will take on Asian Club champions, Suntory Sunbirds of Japan, in the opening match of the competition. Both teams are making their debuts in the competition.
Türkiye’s Halkbank Spor Kulübü will see French Olympic MVP outside hitter Earvin Ngapeth and Dutch star opposite Nimir Abdel-Aziz competing for the world title.
Suntory Sunbirds, who will be making history as the first Japanese team to compete at the Club World Championship, will call on Olympic champion opposite Dmitriy Muserskiy to provide leadership for the talented group of players, which includes middle blocker Taishi Onodera, setter Masaki Oya and outside hitter Kenya Fujinaka.
The Pool B match will be followed by another thrilling match-up on Wednesday between Indian League champions and hosts Ahmedabad Defenders, and Itambé Minas of Brazil.
The hosts Ahmedabad Defenders, who are the first team from India to take part in the competition, will hope that Angamuthu Ramaswamy and outside hitter Santhosh Sahaya replicate the strong form they showed during the RuPay Prime Volleyball League this year.
Defending champions Sir Sicoma Perugia are among the favourites to win this year’s edition in India.
Itambé Minas will hope to reach the final this year after being eliminated in the semi-finals by eventual champions Sir Sicoma Perugia last year. Their third shot at the world title will involve decorated Brazilian middle blocker Isac Santos.
Defending champions, Italy’s Sir Sicoma Perugia, who are in Pool A alongside Ahmedabad Defenders and Itambé Minas, begin their title defence on Thursday against the Brazilian side.
The Italian giants Sir Sicoma Perugia will be led by Italian setter Simone Giannelli, Polish outside hitter Wilfredo Leon and Argentine middle blocker Sebastian Sole.
Four-time champions Sada Cruzeiro of Brazil will be out to deliver a strong performance in their Pool B opener against Suntory Sunbirds on Thursday, as they look to reclaim the title they last won in 2021.
Sada Cruzeiro of Brazil will have Cuban star outside hitter Miguel Angel López contributing to their quest for a fifth world title.
Sada Cruzeiro will rely on several past and present Brazilian national team players, such as Olympic champions Wallace de Souza and Lucas Saatkamp, as well as Cuban star outside hitter Miguel Angel López to lead their campaign.
After three days of preliminary matches, the top two teams in each pool will advance to the semifinals set for Saturday.
The full podium will be decided on Sunday, with both the final and bronze medal matches being played.
Watch Men’s Club World Championship matches live on VBTV.
QUICK LINKS
AVC Website: click www.asianvolleyball.net
AVC Facebook: click www.Facebook.com/AsianVolleyballConfederation
AVC Twitter: click: www.twitter.com/AsianVolleyball
AVC Instagram: click: https://www.instagram.com/avcvolley/?hl=en
AVC Youtube: click: Asian Volleyball Confederation
AVC WeChat: Asian Volleyball Confederation