Volleyball: World Cup, Mazzanti’s draw in favor of Italy

Italy vice-world champion and European champion will play the first phase of the women’s World Cup in Arnhem (Netherlands) (24 teams divided into 4 pools of 6): together with the local team, Belgium, Puerto Rico, Cameron and Kenya . It starts on 23 September, while the final will be played on 15 October. In group B there are Poland (of Lavarini), Turkey (Guidetti), Dominican, Turkey, Thailand and Croatia. In group C (which, like the previous one, will move to Poland after the opening match), the USA, Serbia (Santarelli), Germany (Heynen), Bulgaria, Canada, Kazakhstan will play. Group D still plays in the Netherlands: Brazil, China, Japan, Colombia, Argentina and the Czech Republic.

Formula

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The 2022 World Cup formula has been renewed. At the end of the first phase, the first four of each pool (total 16) move on to the next phase, taking with them the results achieved in the first phase with the other qualifiers. New Italian round (AD and BC rounds that pair up) and new ranking. At the end of the second round, the first 4 of the two groups have access to a direct elimination board with quarter-finals, semi-finals and final which will again be played in Arnhem, a city famous during the Second World War and one of the great centers of orange volleyball.

Enter Croatia

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In place of Russia excluded due to the sanctions related to the invasion of Ukraine, Croatia enters which until 2021 was coached by Santarelli and which has now been entrusted to the Turkish coach, Ferhat Akbas. From a logistical point of view, being included in the group with the hosts, Davide Mazzanti’s Italy could have a great advantage that of never moving (the second group should be in Rotterdam).

Mazzanti’s comment

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After the draw this is the comment of the blue coach Davide Mazzanti: “On paper we didn’t have a very difficult group, we know Holland very well which obviously, being able to count on the home crowd, will be very difficult to face. I think they will present at the world championship with some changes compared to previous seasons, but they will certainly be very competitive. We have also played many times against Belgium, a formation capable of expressing good volleyball and therefore insidious. We objectively know little of the other three national teams and we will try to study them over the course of the season. It will be very important to do well in the first round, because taking the results with you can be a great advantage in a second phase that promises to be more difficult. With this type of formula many games are played and there is the possibility of growing gradually, bringing out all their qualities at a distance. Then there is the novelty of the third phase with the introduction of the quarter-final, compared to the three-quarter round of the past editions “.