WCH 2022: Group stage over – Round of 16 determined!

The group stage of the Preliminary Phase with six matches across three pools (A, E, and F) of the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship in Poland and Slovenia are concluded and the pairings of the Round of 16 are finally known.
Serbia (Pool A), Brazil & Japan (Pool B), Poland & USA (Pool C), France & Slovenia (Pool D), Italy (Pool E), and Netherlands & Iran (Pool F) were already qualified while, today, the names of six more sides that’ll join the eliminations were to be determined, two more runners-up and four best third-placed sides.

Türkiye’s result has to be stressed, as they have successfully completed the first stage of the World Championship for the first time in four appearances. With a victory 3-0 over Canada in Ljubljana, they capture Pool E’s second open Round of 16 place, and they are the pool’s runner-up to Italy.
Ukraine defeated Puerto Rico 3-1 to retain second place in Pool A.
Argentina had to exert all of their resources in order to advance to the elimination phase from Pool F in Ljubljana. The bronze medalists from the Tokyo Olympics were under pressure going into the last day of pool play after suffering back-to-back five-set losses to Iran and the Netherlands. But today they defeated Egypt at tie break to earn a spot in the Round of 16 as one of the top four third-place teams.
Cuba and Germany, who finished their group stage competition yesterday, remained at the Top-4 of third-placed sides after today’s results, and that can also be said for Tunisia, even though they succumbed 0-3 to Serbia today.

According to the new rule of the FIVB, changed during the tournament, teams that advance to the next stage are to be ranked and get their seeds, with positions No.1 and No.2 being reserved for co-hosts Poland and Slovenia, regardless of their results. And who of these two would get number 1 and who would get number 2 depended on who had a better score in the group stage, thus it is Poland.
There are several duels in the Round of 16 with the potential to be very interesting games, including Italy vs Cuba, Serbia vs Argentina or France vs Japan.

🏐| 2022 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship – Round of 16 pairings and their seeds:

(1) Poland – Tunisia (16)
(2) Slovenia – Germany (15)
(3) Italy – Cuba (14)
(4) Serbia – Argentina (13)
(5) Brazil – Iran (12)
(6) France – Japan (11)
(7) Netherlands – Ukraine (10)
(8) United States – Türkiye (9)

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