Poland’s men’s volleyball team have been drawn against Italy, Brazil and Egypt in Group B of the forthcoming Olympics.
Made on Wednesday, the draw was held in Łódź, which is currently hosting the men’s final tournament of the Nations League. In a quirk of fate, the Poles will face their Olympic group rivals, Brazil, tomorrow in the Quarter Finals.
Currently topping the world rankings, Poland were seeded first in the Olympic draw but have nonetheless found themselves facing challenging opponents. In particular, recent years have seen the Poles cross swords with the Italians on a few high-profile occasions. In 2022, Italy defeated the white-and-reds in the 2022 World Cup Final beating them three sets to one in Katowice.
However, that defeat was avenged last year in spectacular fashion with Poland beating Italy 3:0 in Rome in the European Championships Final.
Of Poland’s other group rivals, Brazil are currently ranked fifth and promise to provide stiff opposition. Egypt, on the other hand, appears to be the weakest on paper. Ranked 19th in the world, the Egyptians qualified due to rules relating to geographical parity.
Using a new formula, the Olympics will see twelve teams compete in three groups of four. From these, the two top teams will progress to the quarter finals as will two third-placed teams with the best records.
Although Poland’s passage to the knock-out stages looks assured, a good finish is needed to avoid the other giants in the quarter finals.
In Group A, France, Slovenia, Canada and Serbia have been drawn together, while Group C will pit Japan, USA, Argentina and Germany against each other. Poland has reached the quarter final stage of the last five Olympics, each time failing to advance further.
Currently topping the world rankings, Poland were seeded first in the Olympic draw but have nonetheless found themselves facing challenging opponents. In particular, recent years have seen the Poles cross swords with the Italians on a few high-profile occasions. In 2022, Italy defeated the white-and-reds in the 2022 World Cup Final beating them three sets to one in Katowice.
However, that defeat was avenged last year in spectacular fashion with Poland beating Italy 3:0 in Rome in the European Championships Final.
Of Poland’s other group rivals, Brazil are currently ranked fifth and promise to provide stiff opposition. Egypt, on the other hand, appears to be the weakest on paper. Ranked 19th in the world, the Egyptians qualified due to rules relating to geographical parity.
Using a new formula, the Olympics will see twelve teams compete in three groups of four. From these, the two top teams will progress to the quarter finals as will two third-placed teams with the best records.
Although Poland’s passage to the knock-out stages looks assured, a good finish is needed to avoid the other giants in the quarter finals.
In Group A, France, Slovenia, Canada and Serbia have been drawn together, while Group C will pit Japan, USA, Argentina and Germany against each other. Poland has reached the quarter final stage of the last five Olympics, each time failing to advance further.
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