The final day of pool qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics men's indoor volleyball competition has concluded. On this day, Japan, France, and Argentina were confirmed as new qualifiers, and the top eight teams that will advance to the final tournament have been decided. Iran, Venezuela, the United States, and Tunisia were eliminated from the qualifying round.
Results of the 5th day of the tournament (August 1st)
Pool A
- Poland vs Canada 3 : 0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-16)
- Italy vs Venezuela 3 : 0(25-22, 25-15, 25-17)
- Japan vs Iran 3 : 2 (25-21, 20-25, 29-31, 25-22, 15-13)
Poland won in straight sets against Canada. Poland's captain Kubiak started for the A team for the first time in this tournament, preparing for the final tournament. In the next match, Italy played against Venezuela, and Italy was in the lead in the first set, but after that they played well and won in straight sets. 35-year-old Juan Torena was in the starting lineup again that day, scoring 17 points.
Japan and Iran were closely matched for a ticket to the final tournament, but Japan won in a full set. Nishida scored the most points of both teams with 30, and Ishikawa also scored 20 points, including 4 service aces, and the two aces stood out, helping Japan advance to the final tournament for the first time in 29 years since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Iran also scored points, mainly with young Salehi, but they made noticeable mistakes and fell just short, missing out on qualifying for the second consecutive tournament.
The excitement of the Japan vs. Iran match is also written in this article lol
Pool B
- Brazil vs France 3 : 2 (25-22, 37-39, 25-17, 21-25, 20-18)
- Russia vs Tunisia 3 : 0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-16)
- USA vs Argentina 0: 3 (21-25, 23-25, 23-25)
The match between Brazil and France was the longest of the tournament, lasting three hours. If France could win two or more sets against Brazil, they would qualify for the tournament on their own. They were a little stiff in the first set, but with Nugapet and Patri scoring mainly, they won the second set in a close match at 39-37, and took the fourth set 25-21 to qualify for the tournament on their own. They aimed to keep up the momentum and win the tournament in third place or higher, but the reigning champions Brazil would not allow them to do so, and with Wallace, Leal and Lucarelli's three side players showing stable performances, Brazil won the final set 20-18 to win.
Russia vs. Tunisia was won in straight sets. This confirmed Russia's first place in Pool B. Another match between Argentina and the United States also determined their place in the final tournament. Just as in Japan vs. Iran, it seemed like the match would be a close one, but Argentina's pace continued throughout, and before we knew it, Argentina had won in straight sets. Argentina's ace Conte led the team with 16 points, including three service aces. The United States made noticeable spike mistakes at key points, and their serves were unable to break down Argentina's solid defense, making it seem like they weren't performing to their full potential. The United States, the bronze medalist at the last Rio Olympics, was unexpectedly eliminated in the qualifying rounds.
Argentina advances to the final tournament
Final qualifying rankings
Pool A
- Poland: 4 wins, 1 loss, 13 points ★
- Italy 4 wins, 1 loss, 11 points ★
- Japan 3 wins, 2 losses, 8 points ★
- Canada: 2 wins, 3 losses, 7 points ★
--- Qualifying breakthrough line - Iran: 2 wins, 3 losses, 6 points
- Venezuela 5 losses, 0 points
★ advances to the final tournament
As expected, Pool A was a close race for 3rd to 5th place. The slight difference in points determined the fate of the teams.
Pool B
- Russia 4 wins, 1 loss, 12 points ★
- Brazil: 4 wins, 1 loss, 10 points ★
- Argentina 3 wins, 2 losses, 8 points ★
- France 2 wins, 3 losses, 8 points ★
--- Qualifying breakthrough line - USA: 2 wins, 3 losses, 6 points
- Tunisia: 5 losses, 1 point
This was a close race, as it was called the "pool of death" before the tournament. Even in that situation, the difference in conditioning was apparent, with the United States doing well in the early stages but losing momentum in the late stages, and France coming back to life in the late stages. Anyway, I don't think there's much benefit to being first in Pool A lol.
Quarterfinals Schedule
Tuesday, August 3
9:00 Russia vs Canada
13:00 Japan vs Brazil
17:00 Italy vs Argentina
21:30 Poland vs France
The first and fourth place in each pool were automatically paired, but the second and third place were drawn by lottery, with Japan (A3) vs Brazil (B2) and Italy (A2) vs Argentina (B3). Japan would have wanted to play against Argentina, but there's nothing we can do about it. We'll just go all out! But Argentina would have wanted to play against Japan, not Italy, lol.
If each team wins this quarterfinal, they will be able to play two more games. The quarterfinals are the key to the Olympics. Winning or losing here makes a big difference. Anyway, I'm looking forward to every game!
How to watch
Television broadcast (Japan vs Brazil)
- NHK General 13:00 (LIVE)
Webcast
Photo: FIVB
English 
Japanese