Italian powerhouses Conegliano and Milano eye title at the 2024 FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship

Two European sides will line up at the start of the 2024 FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship, due to be staged in Hangzhou, the People’s Republic of China, between 17 and 22 December.

Three Asian teams, two teams from Europe and South America and one from Africa will be at the start of the competition, with reigning CEV Champions League Women title holders A. Carraro Imoco Conegliano aiming for their third title, after the ones sealed in 2019 and 2022.

The other European side taking part in the competition and making their debut on this stage is Numia Vero Volley Milano, the runners-up of the CEV Champions League Women in the previous season, with stars like Paola Egonu, Alessia Orro and Myriam Sylla leading the charge.

The two Italian sides were divided into separate pools for the preliminary round of the competition, with Numia Vero Volley Milano heading into Pool A, featuring against hosts Tianjin Bohai Bank, Brazilian team Gerdau Minas and Egyptian side Zamalek SC, with the latter two teams continental champions of South America and Africa.

A.Carraro Imoco Conegliano have been drawn into Pool B, where the eigning CEV Champions League Women title holders are facing Japanese side NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki, Vietnamese team LP Bank Ninh Binh and Brazilian side Dentil Praia Clube.

The top two sides in each pool will qualify for the semi-finals and keep their title hopes alive, with both A.Carraro Imoco Conegliano and Numia Vero Volley Milano in prime position to deliver a good performance.

Currently, Conegliano are unbeaten in this season in all competitions, riding an 18-match winning streak, with four wins in the 4th round of the CEV Champions League Women, as well as leading the way in the Italian domestic league.

Numia Vero Volley Milano have conceded a loss in four matches in the European premium competition , against VakifBank Istanbul, and are sitting third in the Italian domestic league, with 10 wins and three losses.

European sides have won the last 10 editions of the FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship, as VakifBank Istanbul are the most decorated side in the history, with four gold medals, followed by Eczacıbaşı Dynavit Istanbul, with three titles, and A. Carraro Imoco Conegliano, with two titles.

If one of the two Italian sides secures the titles, it will be the fourth title in the FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship for the European country, with Teodora Ravenna also clinching the title in 1992.