Havana, March 20 (RHC) – The Cuban men’s volleyball team appears in group D of the Under-17 World Championship in Doha, Qatar, a tournament that will feature 24 teams divided into six groups from August 19 to 29.
According to the International Volleyball Federation’s website, www.fivb.com, the Cuban national team will face Spain, Venezuela, and the Czech Republic.
The favorites to advance to the next round in this group, according to the world rankings, are Spain, who are third, and Cuba, who are ninth, as Venezuela is ranked 16th and the Czech Republic 26th.
The draw placed the hosts, Mexico, France, and Poland in Group A; Italy, Tunisia, India, and Romania in Group B; and Argentina, Puerto Rico, Pakistan, and Algeria in Group C.
Iran, Brazil, Bulgaria, and Japan make up Group E, and China, Chinese Taipei, Egypt, the United States, and Turkey are in Group F.
Under the approved format, the top two teams from each group and the four best third-place finishers will advance to the round of 16, while the remaining teams will be eliminated before reaching the quarterfinals, semifinals, and final.
The top 10 in the world ranking are Italy, Argentina, Spain, Iran, Chinese Taipei, Egypt, Brazil, Belgium, Cuba, and Puerto Rico, in that order.
