Eight teams per gender will play for the 2018 Club World Championship medals
Lausanne, Switzerland, October 25, 2018 – With both the Men’s and the Women’s FIVB Volleyball World Championships now completed, attention turns to the Club World Championships in Poland and China. The men's competition will take place from November 26 to December 2 in three cities in Poland. The women's tournament will follow in Shaoxing, China from December 4 to 9.
The 2018 Men's Club World Championship pool phase matches will be played in Radom and Rzeszow before the semifinals and finals take place in Czestochowa in the south of the country. Poland will be represented by Skra Belchatow, who were final four participants in 2017, and by wild card entry Asseco Resovia.
Joining the two Polish clubs will be six clubs including the European, Asian and South American continental champions.
Zenit Kazan celebrate winning the Men's Club World Championship in 2017
Winners of the 2018 CEV European Champions League, reigning club world champions Zenit Kazan will play to defend their title. The Russian powerhouse earned their first world title in Krakow last December after claiming bronze medals in 2009 and 2011 and silver in 2015 and 2016.
The Russians will be joined by CSV South American Club Championship winners Sada Cruzeiro. The Brazilians are three-time club world champions (2013, 2015, 2016) and were bronze medallists in 2017.
Iran will also return to the fray when 2018 AVC Asian Club Championship winners Khatam Ardakan make their debut. Runners-up in the Iranian league, they will attempt to win a second medal for their country at the Club World Championships after Paykan Tehran won bronze in 2010.
The tournament's four wild card entries also include 2018 Club World Championship silver medallists Cucine Lube Civitanova from Italy, who were silver medallists in the 2018 CEV Champions League, their national league and cup. They will be joined by Russia's Fakel Novy Urengoy and by four-time club world champions Trentino Volley of Italy (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012).
FIVB Volleyball Men's Club World Championship 2018 - Teams
Turkey’s VakifBank Istanbul celebrate after winning the 2017 Women's Club World Championship in Kobe, Japan
The Women’s Club World Championship will begin two days after the end of the men's competition and take place from December 4 to 9 in Shaoxing, China, with Zhejiang as the host team.
Reigning 2017 champs VakifBank Istanbul of Turkey will hope to defend their title and claim their third gold and fifth medal overall. They will represent Europe as this year’s Champions League winners.
2018 South American club champions Minas Tenis Clube will be one of two Brazilian representatives in Shaoxing. Brazil’s national champions Praia Clube received one of the four wild cards for entry to the competition.
In addition to hosts Zhejiang, the Asian continent will be represented by its continental club champions Supreme Chonburi of Thailand and by wild cards Altay, national champions of Kazakhstan.