Poland needed a win over Group H winners Serbia on Sunday to continue their shot at a title defense from 2014, and they got a win in spades, dominating the Serbian team who went down 0-2 with many starters on the court and then rested them later in the match (a right which they earned with advancement guaranteed).
At the same time, the win eliminated 2017 World League champions France. France finished 4th at the 2014 World Championships.
The 6 teams that will advance:
- Italy (Pool E winners) – World #4 (tie)
- Brazil (Pool F winners) – World #1
- United States (Pool G winners) – World #2
- Poland (Pool H winners) – World #3
- Russia (Pool E runners-up, best runner-up) – World #4 (tie)
- Serbia (Pool H runners-up, 2nd-best runner-up) – World #11
Russia will go into Pool I, while Serbia goes into Pool J. The other four teams will be placed by random draw, with the exception that Italy and Brazil can’t be in the same pool, while the United States and Poland can’t be in the same pool.
All Final 6, semi-finals, and finals matches will be played in the 16,000-seat Pala Alpitour in Turin, Italy.
