FIVB has announced the men’s hosting duties for the inaugural Volleyball Nations League in 2018 – the tournament that will replace the previous FIVB World League. The tournament, long-rumored but only officially announced in October, will feature 12 ‘core teams’ chosen for both their market size and their volleyball legacy each season, plus 4 ‘challenger’ teams chosen based more on short-term quality.
Teams will play at least 15 matches across an 8 week season, with each of the 12 core teams hosting a pool, in a round-robin format. The final round will take place from July 4th-8th.
On the men’s side, the core teams are: Argentina, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Japan, Poland, Russia, Serbia and the USA. The four challenger teams are: Australia, Bulgaria, Canada and South Korea.
The United States, who are 2nd in the world in the latest FIVB men’s senior World Rankings, will host a pool that includes #3 Poland, #8 Iran, and #11 Serbia. That pod will take place in Hoffman Estates, Illinois from June 15th-17th Tickets will range from $33-$55 per match. Games will be played at the Sears Centre Arena, which seats 11,000 in the northwestern-Chicago suburb. That’s the same site that hosted the 2017 men’s USA Volleyball Cup, where Team USA matched up against Brazil.
“The new tournament format will be a big test for our team before the 2018 World Championship,” U.S. Head Coach John Speraw said. “We will play in Hoffman Estates after three weekends in other countries, so it will feel good to be in the United States.”
2018 FIVB Nations League – USA Hosted Pool
- June 15th-17th, 2017
- Hoffman Estates, Illinois (Sears Centre Arena)
- Price level: $55/$48/$33 per ticket
- All Session – $275/$215/$150 (5 tickets)
Friday – Day 1 (1 ticket for both matches)
- 5:30 p.m.: Poland v. Iran
- 7:30 p.m.: USA v. Serbia
Saturday – Day 2 (1 ticket per match)
- 2 p.m.: Serbia v. Iran
- 7:30 p.m.: USA v. Poland (Doors open at 6 p.m.)
Sunday – Day 3 (1 ticket per match)
- Noon: Poland v. Serbia
- 5:30 p.m.: USA v. Iran
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