World League ( Eng. FIVB World League ) is a commercial tournament of men's national volleyball teams, held in 1990-2017.
| World league |
|---|
 |
| Founded by |
| 1990 |
| Abolished |
| 2017 |
| Organizer |
| Fivb |
| Most Titles |
 Brazil (9) |
| Official site |
| FIVB.org |
Content
History
The first matches of the World League took place on April 27, 1990 - on this day in Moscow at the Luzhniki Small Sports Arena the teams of the USSR and the Netherlands met, and Brazil and Italy played in Belo Horizonte [1] . Eight teams took part in the first draw, a total of 52 matches were played, which were attended by 270,000 spectators.
By 2006, the number of participants doubled, and the prize pool grew from $ 1 to $ 20 million. It is noted that the real prize amount is much less than the officially declared. For example, a little more than $ 2 million against $ 15 million in 2004 [2] ; less than $ 6 million against $ 18.5 million in 2011 [3] . In addition to team prizes, the organizers of the World League introduced individual cash prizes for the best players, which was previously not practiced in official competitions under the auspices of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB).
Participants in all World League tournaments were only two teams - Brazil and Italy . The Italians, who dominated the 1990s, became the winners of the first three tournaments of the World League, and only won 8 victories. In 2010, the most titled team of the League was the Brazilian national team, who won gold for the ninth time. Other unique achievements belong to South Americans: from 2003 to 2007, they won 5 tournaments in a row, and at the 2004 tournament they did not suffer a single defeat. Three victories on the account of the Russian team , in all cases in the finals, which prevailed over the Brazilians. Teams of the USA and France won two victories, one victory against the national teams of Cuba , the Netherlands , Poland and Serbia . Three times the World League winners in the same season became Olympic champions - the Dutch succeeded in 1996, the Brazilians in 2004 and the Americans in 2008. The 1996 Netherlands national team is the last team to win the World League final in the home arena.
Since 2018, the World League and its analogue for women's teams - the Grand Prix - have been replaced in the international calendar by the Volleyball League of Nations .
Competition System
| Quantitative changes World League by Year |
The world league, as a rule, started in May and was the first official tournament in the season of national teams. The tournament consisted of preliminary (intercontinental) and final rounds. The teams were allowed to participate in the World League on certain financial conditions and with the provision of television broadcasts of home matches.
In most World League tournaments at the preliminary stage, a system of twin matches with travels was used: each team played 4 games with each of the rivals in the group - two matches at home (for one weekend) and two matches away. Hours of flight and the long-term presence of the teams outside their home country was a common occurrence for the World League. For example, in 1999 , the Russian team overcame a distance of 30 thousand kilometers in less than a month, traveling from Moscow to Italy , from there to Australia , and then to Argentina , where the final tournament was held [4] .
In the final rounds of the World League in different years participated from four to eight teams. The organizer of the final round is determined before the start of the competition and participates in it regardless of the results of the intercontinental round.
Since 2009 , the “Italian” system of scoring was applied (3 points for victories with a score of 3: 0 and 3: 1, 2 points for a victory 3: 2, 1 point for a defeat 2: 3, 0 points for a defeat 0: 3 and 1 : 3). Also in 2009, for the first time, a qualifying tournament was held with the participation of 6 teams: two of the worst World League 2009 teams and four applicants.
In 2013, for the first time, 18 teams took part in the World League tournament , divided into three groups of 6 teams in the intercontinental round, and the strongest teams were assembled in groups A and B according to the rating of the International Volleyball Federation. In each group, the three best-rated teams held three paired home matches and two away matches with their rivals. The “Final Six” was attended by its organizer, two teams from groups A and B and one team from group C [5] . In the same 2013, for the first time in World League matches, a video viewing system was used.
The composition of the participants in the World League 2014 has been expanded to 28 teams. In the intercontinental round, they were divided into 7 groups. The organizer of the Final Six, two teams from groups A and B (the first division, which includes 8 leading teams of the world) and the winner of the “Final Four” with the participation of the strongest teams from Quartets C, D, E (second division) . National teams from groups F and G (third division) played on the tour system and held the “Final Four” [6] [7] . The winner of the second division got the opportunity to replace the weakest team in the first division for the next season, a similar exchange was provided for the participants of the second and third divisions.
In 2015 , 32 teams played in the World League - 8 in the first division and 12 in the second and third [8] . Since 2016 , the composition of participants has been increased to 36 teams (12 in each of the divisions), and the formula for holding intercontinental rounds has become similar to that used in the women's Grand Prix draws.
Finals
Results
| Year | City | Winner | Result finals | Finalist | 3rd place | Result match for 3rd place | 4th place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Osaka | Italy | 3-0 | Netherlands | Brazil | 3: 1 | the USSR |
| 1991 | Milan | Italy | 3-0 | Cuba | the USSR | 3: 1 | Netherlands |
| 1992 | Genoa | Italy | 3: 1 | Cuba | USA | 3: 1 | Netherlands |
| 1993 | Sao paulo | Brazil | 3-0 | Russia | Italy | 3-0 | Netherlands |
| 1994 | Milan | Italy | 3-0 | Cuba | Brazil | 3: 2 | Bulgaria |
| 1995 | Rio de Janeiro | Italy | 3: 1 | Brazil | Cuba | 3: 2 | Russia |
| 1996 | Rotterdam | Netherlands | 3: 2 | Italy | Russia | 3: 2 | Cuba |
| 1997 | Moscow | Italy | 3-0 | Cuba | Russia | 3-0 | Netherlands |
| 1998 | Milan | Cuba | - * | Russia | Netherlands | - * | Italy |
| 1999 | Mar del Plata | Italy | 3: 1 | Cuba | Brazil | 3: 1 | Russia |
| 2000 | Rotterdam | Italy | 3: 2 | Russia | Brazil | 3-0 | Yugoslavia |
| 2001 | Katowice | Brazil | 3-0 | Italy | Russia | 3-0 | Yugoslavia |
| 2002 | Belo Horizonte , Recife | Russia | 3: 1 | Brazil | Yugoslavia | 3: 1 | Italy |
| 2003 | Madrid | Brazil | 3: 2 | Yugoslavia | Italy | 3: 1 | Czech |
| 2004 | Rome | Brazil | 3: 1 | Italy | Serbia and Montenegro | 3-0 | Bulgaria |
| 2005 | Belgrade | Brazil | 3: 1 | Serbia and Montenegro | Cuba | 3: 2 | Poland |
| 2006 | Moscow | Brazil | 3: 2 | France | Russia | 3-0 | Bulgaria |
| 2007 | Katowice | Brazil | 3: 1 | Russia | USA | 3: 1 | Poland |
| 2008 | Rio de Janeiro | USA | 3: 1 | Serbia | Russia | 3: 1 | Brazil |
| 2009 | Belgrade | Brazil | 3: 2 | Serbia | Russia | 3-0 | Cuba |
| 2010 | Cordoba | Brazil | 3: 1 | Russia | Serbia | 3: 2 | Cuba |
| 2011 | Gdansk - Sopot | Russia | 3: 2 | Brazil | Poland | 3-0 | Argentina |
| 2012 | Sofia | Poland | 3-0 | USA | Cuba | 3: 2 | Bulgaria |
| 2013 | Mar del Plata | Russia | 3-0 | Brazil | Italy | 3: 2 | Bulgaria |
| 2014 | Florence | USA | 3: 1 | Brazil | Italy | 3-0 | Iran |
| 2015 | Rio de Janeiro | France | 3-0 | Serbia | USA | 3-0 | Poland |
| 2016 | Krakow | Serbia | 3-0 | Brazil | France | 3-0 | Italy |
| 2017 | Curitiba | France | 3: 2 | Brazil | Canada | 3: 1 | USA |
* - in 1998, the final round was held in a circular pattern without playoff matches
Medal standings
| A place | A country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| one | Brazil | 9 | 7 | four | 20 |
| 2 | Italy | eight | four | 3 | 15 |
| 3 | Russia the USSR | 3 0 | five 0 | 7 one | 15 one |
| four | USA | 2 | one | 3 | 6 |
| five | France | 2 | one | one | four |
| 6 | Cuba | one | five | 3 | 9 |
| 7 | Serbia Serbia and Montenegro | one 0 | 2 2 | 2 2 | five four |
| eight | Netherlands | one | one | one | 3 |
| 9 | Poland | one | 0 | one | 2 |
| ten | Canada | 0 | 0 | one | one |
Top Players
MVP
- 1990 - Andrea Dzordzi ( Italy )
- 1991 - Andrea Zorzi ( Italy )
- 1992 - Lorenzo Bernardi ( Italy )
- 1993 - Giovane ( Brazil )
- 1994 - Andrea Giani ( Italy )
- 1995-2004 - no MVP prize was awarded [9]
- 2005 - Ivan Milkovich ( Serbia and Montenegro )
- 2006 - Zhiba ( Brazil )
- 2007 - Ricardo ( Brazil )
- 2008 - Lloy Ball ( USA )
- 2009 - Sergio ( Brazil )
- 2010 - Murilo ( Brazil )
- 2011 - Maxim Mikhailov ( Russia )
- 2012 - Bartosz Kurek ( Poland )
- 2013 - Nikolai Pavlov ( Russia )
- 2014 - Taylor Sander ( USA )
- 2015 - Erwin Ngapet ( France )
- 2016 - Marko Ivovic ( Serbia )
- 2017 - Erwin Ngapet ( France )
Top Scores
- 1995 - Dmitry Fomin ( Russia )
- 1996 - Lorenzo Bernardi ( Italy )
- 1997 - Gaydo Görtsen ( Netherlands )
- 1998 - Osvaldo Hernandez ( Cuba )
- 1999 - Osvaldo Hernandez ( Cuba )
- 2000 - Andrea Sartoretti ( Italy )
- 2001 - Ivan Milkovich ( Yugoslavia )
- 2002 - Ivan Milkovich ( Yugoslavia )
- 2003 - Ivan Milkovich ( Serbia and Montenegro )
- 2004 - Andrea Sartoretti ( Italy )
- 2005 - Ivan Milkovich ( Serbia and Montenegro )
- 2006 - Sebastian Ruette ( France )
- 2007 - Semyon Poltava ( Russia )
- 2008 - Ivan Milkovich ( Serbia )
- 2009 - Ivan Milkovich ( Serbia )
- 2010 - Maxim Mikhailov ( Russia )
- 2011 - Bartosz Kurek ( Poland )
- 2012 - Todor Alexiev ( Bulgaria )
- Since 2013, the individual prize has not been awarded to the most productive player.
Members
The division of teams into divisions is shown for the 2017 tournament :
First division Second division Third division
| Participation | Participation in the final tournaments | top scores | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 1 (2017) | - | 29th place (2017) |
| Australia | 5 (1999, 2014—2017) | 1 (2014) | 8th place (2015) |
| Argentina | 19 (1996-2002, 2005-2007, 2009—2017) | 5 (1999, 2009—2011, 2013) | 4th place (2011) |
| Belgium | 4 (2014—2017) | - | 7th place (2017) |
| Bulgaria | 20 (1994-1998, 2003-2017) | 10 (1994, 1995, 1997, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2011—2013) | 4th place (1994, 2004, 2006, 2012, 2013) |
| Brazil | 28 (1990—2017) | 25 (1990, 1993-1997, 1999-2017) | 1st place (1993, 2001, 2003-2007, 2009, 2010) |
| Venezuela | 9 (2001-2003, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2015—2017) | - | 7th place (2005) |
| Germany | 13 (1992-1994, 2001-2003, 2010—2014, 2016, 2017) | 1 (2012) | 5th place (2012) |
| Greece | 13 (1993-1996, 1998, 2001-2005, 2015-2017) | 1 (2003) | 5th place (2004) |
| Egypt | 7 (2006—2008, 2010, 2015—2017) | - | 13th place (2006-2008) |
| Iran | 5 (2013—2017) | 1 (2014) | 4th place (2014) |
| Spain | 15 (1995-2004, 2008, 2014-2017) | 3 (1999, 2002, 2003) | 5th place (1999, 2002, 2003) |
| Italy | 28 (1990—2017) | 22 (1990-2004, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2013—2016) | 1st place (1990-1992, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000) |
| Kazakhstan | 3 (2015—2017) | - | 28th place (2015) |
| Canada | 11 (1991, 1992, 1999, 2000, 2007, 2012, 2013—2017) | 2 (2013, 2017) | 3rd place (2017) |
| Qatar | 2 (2016, 2017) | - | 31st place (2016) |
| China | 18 (1990, 1992-1997, 2002, 2004, 2006—2010, 2014—2017) | 1 (1996) | 6th place (1996) |
| Cuba | 26 (1991—2016) | 15 (1991-1999, 2001, 2005, ☎) | 1st place (1998) |
| Mexico | 4 (2014—2017) | - | 25th place (2014) |
| Netherlands | 21 (1990-2003, 2009, 2010, 2013—2017) | 10 (1990-1992, 1994, 1996-1998, 2000-2002) | 1st place (1996) |
| Poland | 20 (1998—2017) | 9 (2001, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016) | 1st place (2012) |
| Portugal | 20 (1999, 2001-2006, 2011-2017) | - | 5th place (2005) |
| Puerto rico | 4 (2011, 2014—2016) | - | 16th place (2011) |
| The Republic of Korea | 19 (1991-1995, 1997, 1998, 2006—2017) | 1 (1995) | 6th place (1995) |
| Russia | 23 (1993-2003, 2006—2017) | 20 (1993-2003, 2006-2011, 2013, 2014, 2017) | 1st place (2002, 2011, 2013) |
| Serbia | 11 (2007—2017) | 5 (2008—2010, 2015—2017) | 1st place (2016) |
| Serbia and Montenegro * | 9 (1997, 1998, 2000-2006) | 7 (2000-2006) | 2nd place (2003, 2005) |
| Slovakia | 4 (2014—2017) | - | 19th place (2017) |
| Slovenia | 2 (2016, 2017) | - | 13th place (2017) |
| USSR ** | 3 (1990-1992) | 2 (1990, 1991) | 3rd place (1991) |
| USA | 20 (1990-1995, 2000, 2001, 2006—2017) | 10 (1992, 2000, 2007—2009, 2011, 2012, 2014—2017) | 1st place (2008, 2014) |
| Taiwan | 2 (2016, 2017) | - | 28th place (2016) |
| Tunisia | 4 (2014—2017) | - | 27th place (2014) |
| Turkey | 4 (2014—2017) | - | 16th place (2016) |
| Finland | 13 (1993, 2006—2017) | - | 7th place (2007, 2009) |
| France | 19 (1990-1992, 1999-2017) | 7 (2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2015—2017) | 1st place (2015, 2017) |
| Montenegro | 3 (2015—2017) | - | 22nd place (2015) |
| Czech | 5 (2003, 2014—2017) | 1 (2003) | 4th place (2003) |
| Estonia | 1 (2017) | - | 25th place (2017) |
| Japan | 24 (1990-1997, 2001-2009, 2011-2017) | 1 (2008) | 6th place (1990, 1993, 2008) |
| * Until 2002 - the national team of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. ** In 1992 - the team of the Commonwealth of Independent States. | |||
See also
- World Volleyball Grand Prix
- Volleyball League of Nations
Notes
- ↑ The holiday is coming back // Sport-Express Volleyball. Special issue. - 2006 .-- S. 2 .
- ↑ Russia may end up participating in the World League 2004 . " Sport Express " (September 30, 2003). Date of treatment March 31, 2012. Archived June 4, 2012.
- ↑ Russia - Brazil: fifth final . Championship.com (July 10, 2011). Date of treatment March 31, 2012. Archived June 4, 2012.
- ↑ Round-the-world team of Russia: the last and main stop . " Sport Express " (July 12, 1999). Date of treatment March 31, 2012. Archived June 4, 2012.
- ↑ Towards the fittest . Kommersant (December 3, 2012). Date of treatment December 17, 2012. Archived December 19, 2012.
- ↑ World League expands to 28 countries . International Volleyball Federation (December 1, 2013). Date of treatment December 2, 2013.
- ↑ World League 2014: composition of participants, tournament regulations . All-Russian Volleyball Federation (December 1, 2013). Date of treatment December 2, 2013.
- ↑ Volleyball World League expanded to 32 teams . Rossiyskaya Gazeta (November 1, 2014). Date of treatment November 2, 2014.
- ↑ The best players in the World League finals // Sport-Express Volleyball. Special issue. - 2006 .-- S. 6 .