2015 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Cup: PreviewJuly 28, 2015

Not a few think that the Brazilian men's national volleyball team will win the Olympic gold medal next summer. They have been dominating men's volleyball for the past decade, but something happened in Rio.

Ginásio do Maracanãzinho was the venue of the finals of the FIVB Volleyball World League. France was the last team to qualify after winning the Group 2 finals in Varna. They only have a few days to rest. They would play Brazil, in front of home fans, on their first match. But they beat the odds. Brazil, France, and the US ended up with the same win-loss ratio after the round-robin phase, but the French and American teams have the better points ratio. It means Brazil didn't advance to the semifinals. Maracanãzinho will be the venue of the volleyball competitions of the 2016 Olympics, so it's not hard to imagine the significance of the French team's victory.

This is France's first World League title. It wasn't unexpected, as Laurent Tillie's charges finished fourth in the World Championships last year. They won't be playing in Japan, though. The Men's World Cup will be held on September 8-23. This is the first Olympic qualifying tournament, where the top three teams at the end of the round-robin tournament earn tickets to Rio Olympics. Australia will be one of the twelve teams competing for the title. The chances of making it to Rio de Janeiro seem good. (Australia played in London, finishing at 9th place.) Let's take a look at which teams have a strong chance of making it to the podium:

USA. The US lost to Canada in the NORCECA Men's Champions Cup in Detroit last May. It didn't matter, as both teams qualify for the World Cup. The Americans, who are coached by John Speraw, have history by their side. They dominated men's volleyball during most of the 1980s. They upset the Brazilians in Beijing. They won the World League last year. Some of their strongest rivals won't travel to Japan. (Brazil is assured of a spot, while France and Serbia will have two chances of qualifying to the Olympics next year.) It's their tournament to lose.

Italy. The third-best team in the world failed to advance to the final four in Rio, which is quite a letdown. They dominated men's volleyball, until the Brazilians came along. Mauro Berruto's charges has yet to win a major world title, but it might change in Japan.

Poland. The Polish men's national volleyball team are the current world champion. They lost to US (for third place) in Rio, but it doesn't diminish their chances of finishing first in the World Cup. They won the silver medal in 2011, and if they're in good form, fans might see them go up a notch.

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