Lausanne, Switzerland, September 8, 2016 – The FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship 2016 will now feature eight teams with 2016 CEV Champions League runners-up Diatec Trentino and Argentinean clubs UPCN San Juan and Bolivar announced as the three wildcards.
All three teams will travel to Betim from October 19-23 for the world’s premier annual men’s club tournament. They will join hosts Minas Tenis Clube, Chinese Taipei’s Taichung Bank VC, Egypt’s Tala’ea El Gaish SC, Russia’s Zenit Kazan and Brazil’s Sada Cruzeiro.
The addition of three more teams is due to an increase in demand to participate and now equals the number of sides in the FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship, which will take place in Manila, the Philippines from October 18-23, 2016.
Trentino have the most pedigree in the tournament having won it an unprecedented four times in a row from 2009 to 2012. They were also bronze medallists in 2013 making them the most successful team in the tournament.
The three-time European champions finished second in the 2016 edition behind Zenit Kazan. The Italian Volleyball League winners in 2015 and last year’s Italian Cup silver medallists return to the Men’s Club World Championship for the first time since 2014.
Two-time South American champions and this year’s bronze medallists UPCN San Juan return to the tournament for the fourth year in a row after debuting at the 2013 edition. The side have claimed bronze at the last two Men’s Club World Championship and will be aiming to maintain their podium record this year.
Bolivar, who finished fourth in the 2016 South American Club Championship behind Sada Cruzeiro, FUNVIC Taubaté and UPCN San Juan, will feature for the second time in the Men’s Club World Championship having placed fourth in 2010, missing out on bronze to Iran’s Paykan.
The selection of the wildcars is a joint decision between the FIVB and the organisers - Sada Cruzeiro and Minas Tênis Clube.
The 2016 edition of the Men’s Club World Championship will take place at the Ginásio Poliesportivo Divino Braga in Betim, the venue which also hosted the Men's Club World Championship in 2013 and 2015. The gym is one of the largest venues in the state's metropolitan area and can welcome up to 7,000 spectators.