With Argentina taking the final ticket for the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship in Japan, Volleymob has decided to see how the pools will look for the first round of play.
The FIVB uses the world rankings to allocate the positions for all of the teams in the tournament. The ranking from August 7th, 2017 will more than likely be the last rankings until the end of the Volleyball Nations League for Women next year. The only way it would not be, would be if the Continental Confederation results were included in the world ranking. They have been used in the past, but it has not been used since July 2016.
The top 11 teams plus the hosts will have their pools already decided before the drawing of lots. The hosts, in this case, Japan will be placed in Pool A, spot 1. Starting from Pool B, the FIVB will then use a serpentine system for the top 11 teams. China as the number 1 team in the world will be placed in Pool B, row 1. USA as number 2 is then placed in Pool C, row 1. Serbia as number 3 is then placed in Pool D, row 1. Now the serpentine system will slot teams 4-7 from Pool D to Pool A. Starting with Brazil in Pool D, row 2 and finishing with the Netherlands in Pool A, row 2. Lastly teams 8-11, will go back Pool A to Pool D. Starting with the Dominican Republic in Pool A and finishing with Turkey in Pool D.
Courtesy Volleymob & Jeremy Brahm
With the remaining 12 teams, they will be broken down into 3 groups of 4, based on their position in the world rankings. The top 4 teams (13-16), will be drawn one at a time for row 4. The next 4 teams (17-20) will again be drawn one at a time for row 5. The final 4 teams will be selected one at a time for row 6.
Courtesy Volleymob & Jeremy Brahm
The FIVB has a regulation with the drawing of lots that no more three teams from one confederation can be in one pool. For example, Pool B has China and South Korea, both from the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC). If Thailand was selected (row 4) for Pool B, then Kazakhstan (row 5) would not be eligible for Pool B. In Pool C, the USA already being from NORCECA, if Puerto Rico (row 4) and Canada (row 5) were selected, then Kenya would be placed in Pool C, row 6 due to all of the remaining teams being NORCECA teams in row 6. In Pool D, Serbia and Turkey are from the Confederation for European Volleyball (CEV). If Bulgaria (row 4) were selected, then Azerbaijan (row 5) would placed in a different pool.
We have a feeling that they may move the teams around slightly to have one row be 4 NORCECA teams to make it easier to draw teams, without the possibility of NORCECA having 4 teams in one pool.
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