Six top-level women’s clubs will battle it out from 13-17 December at the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship in Hangzhou, China for the ultimate title of Club World Champions. The women’s competition returns to the country after four years since Shaoxing hosted the 2018 and 2019 editions.
China’s Tianjin Bohai Bank women’s volleyball club will be joined by Türkiye’s Istanbul rivals, Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul and VakifBank Spor Kulubu, Brazil’s Gerdau Minas of Belo Horizonte and Dentil Praia Clube of Uberlandia, as well as Vietnamese newcomers Sport Center I Women’s Club of Hanoi.Türkiye’s VakifBank Spor Kulubu launch their quest for a record-extending fifth world title on Wednesday when they face debutantes Sport Center I Women’s Club of Hanoi in the opening match of the tournament.
The Turkish giants, who lost 1-3 to Italy’s Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano in last year’s final, are in Pool B alongside South American champions Dentil Praia Clube Uberlandia of Brazil and the Vietnamese newcomers.
Hosts and reigning Chinese league champions Tianjin Bohai Bank will begin their campaign against Brazil’s Gerdau Minas Belo Horizonte in the first Pool A match.
Two-time champions Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul of Türkiye, who are also in Pool A, will play their first match on Thursday against Gerdau Minas in what will be a repeat of last year’s third place play-off, which the Europeans won 3-1 to claim bronze.
Dentil Praia will hope to reach the podium in this year’s edition when they get their campaign underway against Asian champions Sports Center I on Thursday.
Despite losing Italian star opposite Paola Egonu, the reigning European champions VakifBank still remain the favourites. They have so far collected four world titles (2013, 2017, 2018 and 2021) which have contributed towards a total of eight podium finishes. These results mean they have secured a place on the podium every time they have participated, that being all editions of the tournament since 2016.
Brazilian outside hitter Gabriela Guimaraes, USA’s middle blocker Chiaka Ogbogu and Turkish duo of Zehra Gunes and Cansu Ozbay are some of the key players head coach Giovanni Guidetti will be banking on to clinch a historic fifth title.
Eczacibasi qualified for their seventh Club World Championship appearance as 2023 CEV Champions League runners-up. They will rely on Serbian opposite Tijana Boskovic and Canadian outside hitter Alexa Gray to reclaim the title they last won in 2016.
Tianjin Bohai Bank will be looking to reach the knockout stages in their third appearance at the Club World Championships with the support of the middle blocker Xinyue Yuan and outside hitter Yingying Li.
The two Brazilian clubs return to the competition for the fifth consecutive time, after participating together in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022. In 2018, Minas made it to the podium with silver, their second, after 1992 when they had their debut in the competition.
Minas will rely on the experienced Brazilian middle blockers Caroline Gattaz and Thaisa Menezes to steer them to the podium this year.
Dentil Praia are after their first podium, with a 2018 fourth place as their best result so far.
Vietnam’s Sport Center I will hope to emulate the strong performance of Japan’s Suntory Sunbirds in the men’s edition this year, in their first-ever appearance at the Championship.
After three days of preliminary matches, the top two sides in each pool will advance to the semifinals set for Saturday.
The final and bronze medal match will be played on Sunday.
