France looking to retain Olympic Gold on home soil
Volleyball at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games gets underway on Saturday 27th July, and we begin our coverage with a preview of the Men’s Pools. The pools form the opening phase of the tournament in Paris, with eight of the 12 teams advancing to the quarter-finals. At the end of the Pool stage, the winners and runners-up of each pool will advance, alongside the two best-ranked third-placed nations.
Both men’s and women’s volleyball have featured in every Olympic Games since 1964, and nine different nations have won gold in that time in the men’s tournament, with Brazil leading the medal table with three golds and three silvers.
At Tokyo 2020, France defeated the Russian Olympic Committee 3-2 in the gold medal match to win their first-ever volleyball medal, and the hosts and reigning Olympic champions find themselves in Pool A alongside Canada, Slovenia and Serbia.
France currently sit fourth in the World Rankings and come into the tournament in scintillating form, having won the 2024 Volleyball Nations League just last month in Łódź. France defeated Japan 3-1 in the final, with fellow Europeans Poland completing the podium.
The French boast a squad full of talent, with superstar Trévor Clévenot and Earvin Ngapeth leading the charge at outside hitter. VNL MVP Antoine Brizard is a world class setter, and Jenia Grebenikov has shown himself to be a star libero. However, Pool A will not be plain sailing.
Slovenia are just one place below France in the World Rankings, and will be raring to go as the nation makes its Olympic volleyball debut in Paris. Slovenia have been one of the most consistent nations over the last three years, medalling at the European Championships in 2021 (silver) and 2023 (bronze) and reaching the semi-finals of the 2022 World Championship and this year’s VNL.
Serbia return to the Olympic Games for the first time since London 2012 and Paris 2024 will be seen as a last dance for some of the nation’s most iconic players, with three of the squad having been part of the roster 12 years ago. Serbia sit just inside the Top 10 in the World Rankings, and have finished either ninth or tenth in the 2022 World Championships and the last two editions of the VNL. They also picked up fourth and sixth-placed finishes at the last two European Championships.
The fourth team in Pool A, Canada, sit ninth in the World Rankings and have enjoyed some continental success, winning silver at the NORCECA Championships in 2021 and 2023. Internationally they have strengthened recently, and finished sixth at the 2024 VNL.
All eyes in the Pool Stage will likely be drawn to Pool B, which features three volleyball powerhouses in Poland, Italy and Brazil, alongside Egypt, who will have to cause some serious upsets if they are to have any hope of reaching the quarter-finals.
Poland sit atop the World Rankings as the nation to beat, but their Olympic form has not matched their other international form. The 2023 European and VNL champions will be looking to claim the nation’s first volleyball medal since Montreal 1976, when they defeated Soviet Union 3-2 in the final. Poland’s form in recent years has been something to behold. Alongside their two recent international titles, they also took silver at the 2022 World Championships and claimed VNL bronze in 2022 and 2024.
Alongside serving sensation Wilfredo Leon, Poland also boast Thomasz Fornal, the leading scorer in the 2024 CEV Champions League Volley SuperFinal. Add those two to Pawel Zatorski at libero and Jakub Kochanowski at middle blocker, and the squad is starting to look especially fierce.
Reigning World Champions Italy arrive in Paris looking for a first volleyball gold medal. They have the joint-most Olympic medals in the sport, with six, but have never won gold, with three silvers and three bronze placed finishes. Since claiming the title at the 2022 World Championships, Italy have also claimed silver at the 2023 European Championships, adding that to their gold from 2021.
Captain Simone Giannelli is the only player in the squad who helped Italy to their last medal, a silver at Rio 2016, but Italy’s hopes may well rest on the shoulders of wonderkid Alessandro Michieletto. The 22-year-old led his Itas Trentino side to glory in the 2024 CEV Champions League, and was named Champions League MVP for his part in the run for the title.
No one can boast a better history at the Olympic Games than Brazil when it comes to men’s volleyball. The South Americans have three gold medals and three silver medals, though they suffered heartbreak in Tokyo 2020 when they fell 3-2 to Argentina in the bronze medal match. Legendary Head Coach Bernardo Rezende has returned, and the squad is a blend of established icons and new talent.
Egypt are the highest-ranked African nation, currently at 19th place, and return to the Olympics after earning a first Olympic victory at Rio 2016. They won the 2023 African Championship, and won bronze at the 2024 Volleyball Challenger Cup.
Pool C features just one European nation in Germany who find themselves surrounded by some of the biggest names in the sport – Argentina, Japan and USA.
Germany have qualified for their third Olympic Games, having previously made it to Beijing 2008, where they finished 9th, and London 2012, where they finished 5th. Though they haven’t experienced a great deal of success internationally in recent years, they have reached the quarter-finals in six of the last seven European Championships, and they raised more than a few eyebrows by winning seven matches from seven at the 2023 Olympic Qualifying tournament, including wins over Brazil and Italy.
Japan are ranked No. 2 in the world and have won gold at an Olympic Games before, at Munich 1972. Their success internationally has seen a dramatic increase in recent years as they won bronze at the 2023 VNL and silver at this year’s VNL last month. This is the second consecutive Olympics they have qualified for, and with the likes of outside hitter Ran Takahashi and new sensation Masato Kai in the squad, the team will be tough to beat.
USA sit sixth in the World Rankings and can boast an impressive record at the Olympics, their last medal coming at Rio 2016 when they defeated Russia to win bronze. Their squad is full of experience, with nine of the 12 players selected having competed previously at the Games. Setter Micah Christenson, opposite Matt Anderson and libero Erik Shoji are all back to push for another Olympic medal.
Argentina claimed just their second volleyball Olympic medal at Tokyo 2020 when they defeated local rivals Brazil in the bronze medal match. Captain and setter Luciano De Cecco has the honour of carrying his nation’s flag in the opening ceremony, and he is joined by Facundo Conte as two players playing in their fourth Olympic Games. Despite having little international silverware, Argentina have improved recently, making the quarter-finals at the 2023 and 2024 VNL.
The tournament in Paris starts on 27th July, with Japan facing Germany in the opening match, followed by Italy v Brazil, Poland v Egypt and USA v Argentina.