Schedule Set for 2017 FIVB World League Group 1 Final 6

2017 FIVB WORLD LEAGUE – GROUP 1

• June 2nd-July 8th, 2017
• Schedule
• Teams
• Event Page
• Final 6
• Arena da Baixada, Curitaba, Brazil

The two pools have been announced for the Final 6 in Curitaba, Brazil have been finalized and the schedules have been confirmed.

There are 4 returning teams from last year’s World League Final 6, and 3 of them have wound up together in Pool K1. Those three are Pool play winners France, defending champions Serbia, and 2016 Olympic bronze medalists the United States, who snuck into the Final 6 with a last-day miracle. This will be the more balanced of the three pools.

In Pool J1, returning teams Brazil and Russia will be joined by newcomers Canada, who are making their first Final 6 appearance since 2013. In this grouping, Brazil are the favorites both as the home team, as the defending Olympic champions, and as a team that rolled through its last two games of pool play thanks to the return of its stars, like Wallace de Souza. Russia, meanwhile, started out poorly in pool play (they lost 4 of their first 5 matches), but rolled to 4-straight victories to end the opening rounds. Health is a major factor for Russia – they have played most of the tournament without key contributors due to injuries, and will learn quickly if their late run is authentic, or built upon a house of cards.

Canada is an intriguing team, with youth, that could be building toward a big run in Tokyo. 2017, though, might be too early for them to truly contend with the heavyweights.

Within their pools, teams will play a single round-robin format over 3 days. The winner of each group will then play the runner-up of the opposite in a single-elimination matchup, with the winners there advancing to a single championship game.  The final 6 this year is being played in the 42,372 seat Arena da Baixada, which is primarily a soccer stadium. The arena, which was the first retractable-roof stadium in Brazil, is expected to draw record-breaking crowds, with sell-outs likely both for the final and for any matches involving the host team.

Final 6 Pool Play Schedule. All times Brasilia Time (UTC-3).

Final four games will be played on July 7th, with the championship and bronze medal matches scheduled for July 8th.