Volleyball World Cup

The Volleyball World Cup is a competition for national teams of men and women. The tournament was considered a qualification for the Olympic Games from 1991 to 2015 .

Regulations

The regulations of the World Cup, which were determined by the FIVB , contain the following provisions.

• The World Cup takes place in Japan .
• Twelve teams take part in each tournament. Ten of them qualify, two are invited.
• Japan is always set to host.
• Nine teams qualify through the continental championships. Africa has one starting place, all other continents two each.
• The FIVB awards wildcards to two other teams.
• The tournament is divided into two phases.
• The teams are divided into two groups.
• In the first round, the teams play against opponents in their own group.
• In the second round you play against all opponents of the other group.
• The competition lasts for two weeks. There are six games per day. Every two or three days there is a day of rest.
• The final table stands are determined according to the usual criteria of volleyball: number of wins, set quotient, point quotient, direct duels.
• The best three teams (regardless of group membership) qualify for the following Olympic Games.
• Strict regulations apply to the tournament. Only twelve players are allowed per team and subsequent nominations are not permitted even in the event of injury.

history

The World Cup was first held in 1965 to fill the gap between the major volleyball competitions (Olympic Games and World Cup ). It initially took place in the year after the Olympic Games. So within four years there was only one year without a major tournament. The first two issues in Warsaw in 1965 and in Berlin in 1969 were reserved for men only. In 1973 in Montevideo there was a competition for women for the first time. These three tournaments took place in different locations. Before the next tournament in 1977, however, it was decided that Japan would be the permanent venue for the World Cup.

The introduction of the World League and the World Grand Prix in the 1990s meant that the original idea of ​​the World Cup could no longer be upheld. The world volleyball association FIVB, however, did not want to discontinue the established competition for lack of interest and therefore decided in 1991 to change the format. From now on, the tournament took place a year before the Olympic Games and was considered a qualification for the Olympics, whereby the winner was guaranteed a fixed starting place. This decision saved the competition. The opportunity to qualify for the Olympic Games early and thus avoid a strenuous continental qualification motivated the national teams to participate in the World Cup. In 1995 the number of teams qualified for the Olympics was increased to three. This rule applied until 2015.

Statistics men

Tournaments

The Soviet Union has four victories the most successful team in the history of the World Cup. They won the first tournament for themselves. Four years later, the GDR, another country in the Eastern Bloc, triumphed . The World Cup planned for 1973 in Uruguay did not take place. The Soviets then won twice in a row in Japan. In 1985 they were in the final again, but had to admit defeat to the USA in five sets. In 1989, Cuba surprised the favorites and beat the aspiring Italians in the final .

After changing the format, the Soviet Union won again in 1991 around Dmitri Fomin shortly before the dissolution of its state. The Italians, who had not participated four years earlier, won their first title in 1995. Russia, which inherited the volleyball qualities after the collapse of the Eastern bloc, was successful in 1999. In 2003, Brazil lived up to its role as favorites, defeating Italy in the final. Brazil successfully defended this title in 2007. The Russians won in 2011, the Americans in 2015 and the Brazilians in 2019.

	year	gold	silver	bronze
1	1965	Soviet Union	Poland	Czechoslovakia
2	1969	GDR	Japan	Soviet Union
3	1977	Soviet Union	Japan	Cuba
4th	1981	Soviet Union	Cuba	Brazil
5	1985	United States	Soviet Union	Czechoslovakia
6th	1989	Cuba	Italy	Soviet Union
7th	1991	Soviet Union	Cuba	United States
8th	1995	Italy	Netherlands	Brazil
9	1999	Russia	Cuba	Italy
10	2003	Brazil	Italy	Serbia and Montenegro
11	2007	Brazil	Russia	Bulgaria
12	2011	Russia	Poland	Brazil
13	2015	United States	Italy	Poland
14th	2019	Brazil	Poland	United States

Medal table

nation	gold	silver	bronze	total
Russia 1	6th	2	2	10
Brazil	3	0	3	6th
United States	2	0	2	4th
Cuba	1	3	1	5
Italy	1	3	1	5
GDR	1	0	0	1
Poland	0	3	1	4th
Japan	0	2	0	2
Netherlands	0	1	0	1
Czechoslovakia	0	0	2	2
Serbia 2	0	0	1	1
Bulgaria	0	0	1	1
1 1965 to 1991 Soviet Union 2 2003 Serbia and Montenegro

Placements

	TN	1965	1969	1977	1981	1985	1989	1991	1995	1999	2003	2007	2011	2015	2019
Egypt	8th			11		8th			11		12	10	12	10	10
Algeria	1							9
Argentina	7th					5			7th	9		7th	7th	5	5
Australia	3											8th		9	11
Brazil	12		6th	8th	3	4th	5	6th	3	5	1	1	3		1
Bulgaria	4th	9	4th	6th								3
Chile	1								12
People's Republic of China	6th			5	5				9	11	10		11
GDR	2	5	1
Germany 1	2		10					7th
France	2	11									5
Iran	4th							11					12	8th	8th
Italy	8th				7th		2		1	3	2		4th	2	7th
Japan	14th	4th	2	2	6th	6th	6th	4th	5	10	9	9	10	6th	4th
Cameroon	1						8th
Canada	6th			12					10	8th	7th			7th	9
Cuba	8th		9	3	2		1	2	6th	2			5
Mexico	2			9				10
Netherlands	2	10							2
Poland	7th	2	8th	4th	4th								2	3	2
Puerto Rico	1											6th
Romania	2	6th	7th
Russia 2	12	1	3	1	1	2	3	1		1		2	1	4th	6th
Serbia 3	3	8th									3		8th
Spain	2									6th		5
South Korea	8th			7th		7th	7th	5	8th	7th	6th	11
Czech Republic 4	3	3	5			3
Tunisia	9		11		8th			8th	12	12	11	12		12	12
Hungary	1	7th
United States	11			10		1	4th	3	4th	4th	4th	4th	6th	1	3
Venezuela	2										8th			11
TN = number of participations (1965 to 2019)
1 1969 Federal Republic of Germany 2 1965 to 1991 Soviet Union 3 1965 Yugoslavia , 2003 Serbia and Montenegro 4 1965 to 1985 Czechoslovakia

Statistics women

Tournaments

For women, two teams - China and Cuba - have shaped the competition so far . The Soviet Union won the first edition of the World Cup in 1973. Four years later, the previous finalist from Japan was successful. Led by Lang Ping , China won the next two tournaments (1981 and 1985). Then the triumphal march of women from Cuba began. From 1989 to 1999 the players from the Caribbean won the World Cup four times in a row. In 2003 China won again with a very offensive style of play. The Asians won their third title. In 2007 it was the Italians who won for the first time after only giving 2 sets in 11 games. After the two victories in 2015 and 2019, China is now the sole record holder with five titles.

	year	gold	silver	bronze
1	1973	Soviet Union	Japan	South Korea
2	1977	Japan	Cuba	South Korea
3	1981	People's Republic of China	Japan	Soviet Union
4th	1985	People's Republic of China	Cuba	Soviet Union
5	1989	Cuba	Soviet Union	People's Republic of China
6th	1991	Cuba	People's Republic of China	Soviet Union
7th	1995	Cuba	Brazil	People's Republic of China
8th	1999	Cuba	Russia	Brazil
9	2003	People's Republic of China	Brazil	United States
10	2007	Italy	Brazil	United States
11	2011	Italy	United States	People's Republic of China
12	2015	People's Republic of China	Serbia	United States
13	2019	People's Republic of China	United States	Russia

Medal table

nation	gold	silver	bronze	total
People's Republic of China	5	1	3	9
Cuba	4th	2	0	6th
Italy	2	0	0	2
Russia 1	1	2	4th	7th
Japan	1	2	0	3
Brazil	0	3	1	4th
United States	0	2	3	5
Serbia	0	1	0	1
South Korea	0	0	2	2
1 1973 to 1991 Soviet Union

Placements

	TN	1973	1977	1981	1985	1989	1991	1995	1999	2003	2007	2011	2015	2019
Egypt	2							12		12
Algeria	2											11	12
Argentina	6th	8th							11	11		10	8th	10
Brazil	10	9		8th	6th		8th	2	3	2	2	5		4th
Bulgaria	1			7th
People's Republic of China	11		4th	1	1	3	2	3	5	1		3	1	1
GDR	1					6th
Germany	2						9					6th
Dominican R.	5									10	9	8th	7th	7th
Italy	4th								7th	4th	1	1
Japan	13	2	1	2	4th	4th	7th	6th	6th	5	7th	4th	5	5
Cameroon	1													12
Canada	4th	7th				8th	10	9
Kenya	6th						12	11			12	12	10	11
Croatia	2							4th	8th
Cuba	11	5	2	6th	2	1	1	1	1	6th	4th		9
Netherlands	2							8th						8th
Peru	9	4th	5		5	5	5	10	10		11		11
Poland	2									8th	6th
Russia 1	9	1	8th	3	3	2	3		2				4th	3
Serbia	4th										5	7th	2	9
Spain	1						11
South Korea	13	3	3	5	7th	7th	6th	5	4th	9	8th	9	6th	6th
Thailand	1										10
Tunisia	2				8th				12
Turkey	1									7th
Hungary	1		6th
Uruguay	1	10
United States	11	6th	7th	4th			4th	7th	9	3	3	2	3	2
TN = number of participations (1973 to 2019)
1 1973 to 1991 Soviet Union

Web links

• Information from the FIVB (English)