The Women's World Championship begins in Thailand - Bulgaria with a young core and bold hopes
Today, the new edition of the Women's Volleyball World Championship begins in Thailand. The tournament will be held in four cities - Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, and Nakhon Ratchasima - and will offer 64 matches over 17 days. The final is on September 7.
New format and record prizes
For the first time, the championship will be played with 32 teams instead of 24, divided into eight groups. The first two teams from each group advance to the round of sixteen.
FIVB also introduced record prizes - 1 million dollars for the champions, 500 thousand for the finalists, and 250 thousand for the bronze medal. The tournament MVP will receive 100 thousand, and the volleyball players in the symbolic team - 50 thousand each.
The tournament will now be held every two years, always in odd-numbered years, to avoid coinciding with FIFA World Cups.
Bulgaria - the youngest team with U19 champions
Antonina Zetova's selection is one of the youngest in the championship. The squad features four U19 world champions:
Darina Naneva (15, middle blocker) - the youngest volleyball player in the tournament;
Kalina Veneva (16, outside hitter);
Dimana Ivanova (17, setter);
Viktoria Ninova (17, libero).
Interestingly, Naneva is a full 28 years younger than the most experienced participant - Spanish setter Patricia Aranda Muñoz (43).
Bulgaria finished 13th in the Nations League, but in Thailand, they will be without their captain Elitsa Vasileva-Atanasijevic, who returned to play after maternity leave but decided to stay close to her young child.
Scandal before the start
The championship begins with a scandal - Vietnam's star Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen refused to participate due to a demand for a gender determination test. The case sparked a serious debate about FIVB rules.
Who is missing among the favorites
Major absences also mark other favorites:
Brazil is without Anu Cristino and libero Nieme Costa;
Italy loses its main outside hitter Alice Degradi;
Canada - without stars Kiera Van Ryk and Alexa Gray.
Who is the favorite?
World volleyball is waiting for it to be Italy, who comes with 29 consecutive victories, Olympic gold, and two Nations League trophies. Coach Julio Velasco has built an almost invincible team, and bookmakers give odds of 2.00 for a title.
The main competitors are Brazil (5.00), Turkey (6.5), China and Serbia (10 each).
