NORCECA confirms hosts and dates for Final Round of World Champs

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, January 9, 2014 – The NORCECA Confederation has confirmed the dates and host countries for the third and final round of the qualification tournaments towards the 2014 FIVB Volleyball World Championships to be held in Poland and Italy next September and October.

The women’s third phase features 20 teams divided in five pools of four teams where the winners of each pool will be granted a direct ticket to the finals in Italy, which will be held from September 23 to October 12.

Cuba will host the Pool Q from May 5-11, where Trinidad & Tobago, Curacao and Haiti will battle the host Cuba for the berth in Italy.

Pool O will be contested in Colorado Springs, United States where the home team will compete against Panama, Guatemala and Honduras from May 13-19.

In the same dates, hosts Dominican Republic will be welcoming Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guadeloupe in Pool P, while Canada will receive Mexico, US Virgin Islands and Jamaica in Pool S.

The fifth Pool R will take place in Puerto Rico with the home side joined by Costa Rica, St Lucia and Barbados from May 20-26.

The FIVB World Championship Final Qualification round to be played between the second placed teams of the previous five events is scheduled in Trinidad & Tobago from June 2-9.

Sixteen teams will be participating in the men’s competition divided into four pools of four also with a final qualification event for the runner-ups of these tournaments. The four pool winners will be granted a berth in Poland from September 3-18.

Cuba will organize Pool P playing teams from Dominican Republic, Barbados and Suriname from May 12-18, while Colorado Springs in United States is the hosting city for teams competing in Pool O which are Guatemala, St Lucia, Haiti and hosts United States from May 13-19.

Also from May 13-19, Canada will host Pool Q contesting the teams from Trinidad & Tobago, Costa Rica and Panama while Puerto Rico will serve as home of Pool R with the local team competing against Mexico, Honduras and Bahamas from May 20-26.

The FIVB Final Qualification Round will take place either in Mexico or Puerto Rico from July 7-13.