Four more spots are available at the 2016 FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship
Lausanne, Switzerland, May 19, 2016 – Excitement is building following the announcement on May 8 that the Philippines’ will host the pinnacle of women’s volleyball club competitions, the FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship in Manila on October 18 to 23 for the first time.
A total of six club teams have competed in the previous editions. In the latest edition, the number of club teams has been increased to eight, which will be split into two pools of four teams for the preliminary round.
The winners of the European, Asian and South American club competitions have already taken the first three berths, while the fourth spot has been given to the host club. There are four more remaining spots that will be filled by the wildcards. The wildcards will be distributed among high-calibre teams from around the world.
Italian club Pomi Casalmaggiore capped their memorable season with their first CEV Champions League title after their straight-set (25-23, 25-23, 25-22) win over Vakifbank Istanbul of Turkey in the gold medal match that also gave them the qualification ticket to the Women’s Club World Championship. The Italian club, which also holds the national title, hopes to bring home a medal like their predecessors 1992 winners Olimpia Ravenna, 1994 runners-up Parmalat Matera and 2010 third-placers Volley Bergamo.
Rexona Ades of Brazil earned their third continental club title in February over San Martin of Peru in a straight-set final match, which gave them the entitlement to represent the South America in the Women’s Club World Championship. They further strengthened their reign as they captured their 11th national title in April. The Brazilian club also represented South America at last year’s Women’s Club World Championship edition but they lost to hosts Volero Zurich of Switzerland in the bronze medal match.
Thailand’s Bangkok Glass sealed an epic 3-2 win over Japan’s Hisamitsu Springs at the final of the 2015 Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship to take the spot for the AVC in the Women’s Club World Championship. Last March, the Thai club defeated Idea Khonkaen in straight sets to extend their reign in the national championship and get another opportunity to defend their Asian Club Championship title in September in Manila, Philippines.
The host club from the Philippines is up for a challenging task to assemble a cast that will comprise of local stars from the Philippine Super Liga together with prominent reinforcements from around the world. This mission will certainly give the Filipino players a rare opportunity to play with the best players in the world and a big boost to fulfil bigger achievements in their careers.
Meanwhile, the four other wild card entries will be announced in the upcoming months.