The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) applied a special procedure during the draw for the 2027 Women's World Cup to avoid a match between Russia and Ukraine in the group stage. However, the official elimination scheme allows the two teams to face each other in the quarterfinals.
At the ceremony, held on October 26 with the participation of the legendary Karch Kiraly, Russia was placed in Group F with Japan, Argentina, and Bulgaria. Ukraine was pre-placed in Group G with Canada, Serbia, and Cameroon, with organizers explaining the special distribution with "the current international situation."
Russia will play in the USA due to Canada's position
The geographical distribution also has a political dimension. Russia will play in Omaha, USA, and Ukraine – in Montreal, Canada. As early as October 13,VolleyWeek.bgreported, citing the president of the Polish Volleyball Federation Sebastian Świderski, that the Canadian side objected to the admission of the Russian national team to its territory.
According to WP SportoweFakty, an agreement has been reached for the Russian women to play all their matches in the USA. However, FIVB has not published explicit confirmation of how this restriction will apply in the eliminations.
Poland also avoided Russia
The Polish portal Interia claims that FIVB changed the initial distribution to separate Poland and Russia. However, the official graphic shows that the pairings Poland – Germany (No. 5 and No. 12) and Japan – Russia (No. 6 and No. 11) correspond to the "serpentine" system. Unlike this controversial case, Ukraine's special placement was announced at the draw itself.
Possible quarterfinal clash
The elimination scheme shows that Russia and Ukraine can meet in the quarterfinals if one team finishes first in its group and the other second, after which both win their round of 16 matches. If they have identical positions in their groups, their potential clash shifts to the semifinals.
However, the path to such a match is difficult, especially for Ukraine. The country's national team must overtake at least one of the two higher-ranked teams – Canada and Serbia. At the last European Championship in August 2026, the Ukrainians even lost to Bulgaria 0:3 (23:25, 23:25, 20:25) in Brno. If they finish second in their group, they could face Brazil in the round of 16.
Russia also has no guaranteed path forward. Besides Japan, Argentina, and Bulgaria in the preliminary phase, in the eliminations, they await an opponent from the group of Turkey, the Dominican Republic, France, and Egypt.
Thus, FIVB managed to avoid the politically sensitive clash in the group stage, and sporting obstacles further reduce the possibility of it occurring. Whether this is a consciously sought effect remains unclear. If the two teams do reach a direct encounter, the international federation will have to find a solution to a question on which there is currently no publicly announced position.