The FIVB Volleyball World League 2015
will run from May 16 to July 19 and is expected to be the biggest and best yet with the 26th edition of the
tournament expanding to include a record 32 teams.
Each country will be split across eight pools of exciting action,
continuing the on-going growth of the competition after the 2014 edition
welcomed 28 teams for the first time.
The Group 1 Finals will take place at
the Maracanãzinho in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, acting as a test event for
the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Bulgaria will host the Group 2 Finals with
Slovakia welcoming the Group 3 Finals.
Nine-time winners and 2014 silver medallists Brazil head Pool A
alongside bronze medallists from the last edition Italy, three-time
silver medallists Serbia as well as Australia who were promoted from
Group 2.
Reigning champions USA will begin the defence of their crown in Pool B
and will take on 2013 winners Russia, world champions Poland and the
ever-improving Iran.
Pool C features Bulgaria, Canada, Argentina and Cuba with the latter
promoted after their triumph in the Group 3 finals in 2014. France
will look to go one better and triumph in Group 2 after finishing second in 2014,
but first need to come through Pool D which includes Japan, Korea and Czech Republic.
Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland and Portugal complete the Group in Pool E.
Montenegro will make their bow in the tournament in Pool F with Turkey,
Puerto Rico and Tunisia. Greece return for the first time in a decade in
Pool G and will face Mexico, Slovakia and China while Egypt are also
back after a five-year absence in Pool H along with debutants Kazakhstan
and Japan and Spain.
The World League featured eight teams in its inaugural year in 1990, 10
in 1991, 12 from 1992-2000 and 2004-05, 16 from 2001-2003 and 2006-2012
and then 18 in the 2013 edition.