The men's Volleyball 2023 World Cup qualifiers for the Paris Olympics are finally set to kick off on Saturday, September 30th.
In this article, we will introduce the seven countries where Japan will face off!
Match Schedule
September 30th (Saturday) vs Finland
October 1st (Sun) vs Egypt
Tuesday, October 3rd vs Tunisia
Wednesday, October 4 vs Türkiye
Friday, October 6 vs Serbia
Saturday, October 7 vs Slovenia
October 8th (Sun) vs USA
All matches will start at 7:25pm.
The top two out of eight teams will secure a spot in next year's Paris Olympics, so they must win at least six of their seven matches.
Japan Representative
member
*1 Nishida Yuji OP 2000 187 Panasonic
*2 Futoshi Onodera MB 1996 202 Suntory
*4 Kento Miyaura OP 1999 190 Paris (France)
*5 Tatsunori Otsuka OH 2000 195 Panasonic
*6 Akihiro Yamauchi MB 1993 204 Panasonic
*8 Masahiro Sekita S 1993 175 JTEKT
10 Kentaro Takahashi MB 1995 201 Toray
11 Masama Tomita OH 1997 190 Toray
12 Ai Takahashi OH 2001 188 Monza (Italy)
13 Tomohiro Ogawa L 1996 175 WD Nagoya
14 Yuki Ishikawa (C) OH 1995 192 Milan (Italy)
20 Tomohiro Yamamoto L 1994 171 Panasonic
29 Ryu Yamamoto S 2000 185 Bucharest (Romania)
30 Yuto Kai OH 2003 200 Senshu University
Director: Philippe Brun (France)
Meet our team
World ranking: 5th
Following their bronze medal at the Nations League, their first medal in a major world tournament in 46 years, the Japanese men's volleyball team, also known as "Dragon God Nippon," is on a roll after winning their first Asian Championship in two tournaments. While captain Yuki Ishikawa is at the center of the team, many players, including Ai Takahashi, Yuji Nishida, and Kento Miyaura, who showed great performances in important matches, have also strengthened the team, transforming it into a "team that is strong no matter who plays." With a game style that controls rallies with powerful serves that hit the right spots and solid, organized defense, they have become one of the most hated teams in the world to play against. I think that the matches against not only the top-ranked United States, but also strong opponents such as Slovenia and Serbia will be tough, but personally I have no doubt they will do it. That's how strong they are now.
Opponent Team Introduction
Finland
World ranking: 28th
In the early 2010s, they made it to the quarterfinals of the European Championships and ninth place at the World Championships, but in recent years they have not achieved any notable results. Although they were eliminated at the bottom of the group qualifiers at this year's European Championships, they showed their prowess by winning in straight sets against Croatia, who came second in the group, and taking Ukraine, who was in the quarterfinals at last year's World Championships, to a full set. As a very young team, they have the potential to turn things around if they can get a good start.
Player to watch: Luka Marttila
197cm / 20 years old / Outside hitter
Affiliation: Montpellier (France)
A promising young player from Finland. Last club season he played for Monza (Italy), and although he was often a substitute because he was the third outside hitter, he gained experience in the top league. His move to France next season is also on loan, so he will likely play an active role in the Italian league in the near future once he has grown. His powerful spikes and jump serves with few errors are his weapons.
Egypt
World ranking: 19th
Egypt has returned to the African championship after four tournaments this year. The team is made up of veterans over 30 years old. When Japan played a practice match against them in August, they won 4-0, so I think Japan's victory is certain this time as well. However, at least one team from Africa can participate in the Olympics, so it will be important for Egypt to finish this tournament without dropping in the rankings.
Player to watch: Hossam Abdallah
203cm / 35 years old / Setter
Affiliation: Al-Ahly SC
Captain who won the MVP award at this year's African Championship. He leads the team with his veteran experience and set-up skills from his 203cm height. His older brother is also a former national team setter.
Tunisia
World ranking: 18th
Tunisia is competing with Egypt for the top spot in Africa. They made a spectacular appearance at the last Tokyo Olympics, but lost to Cameroon in the quarterfinals of this year's African Championships and finished in fifth place. Like Egypt, this team is made up mainly of veterans.
Player to watch: Hamza Naga
191cm / 33 years old / Opposite
Affiliation: Espérance Sportive de Tunis
A veteran opposite who has supported Tunisia for a long time. Although he is small at 191cm, he scores many goals with his supple jumps and spikes. At the Tokyo Olympics, Miyaura and former teammate OP Bentala were in the starting lineup, but with Bentala retiring from the national team, this player returned to the starting lineup.
Türkiye
World ranking: 14th
They are one of the most powerful teams right now, having won this year's Challenger Cup and qualified to play in next year's Nations League. Turkish volleyball is often associated with women, but the men's team is also steadily improving. In a training match in August, they won 3-1 against Japan. Although it was not an official match, their strength cannot be underestimated, having taken three sets from Japan this year. In the subsequent European Championships, they also fought to the end against Slovenia, who ended up in third place.
Player to watch: Addis Lagunjia
211cm / 24 years old / Opposite
Affiliation: Civitanova (Italy)
A young, big-time point getter with roots in Bosnia-Herzegovina, he is a driving force behind Turkey's rapid progress. He has already played in the world's top Italian league for three seasons and has a lot of experience. His play still has some ups and downs, but when he's on the ball, his serves and spikes are unstoppable. He is aiming for his first Olympic Games with his younger brother Mirza, who is also a national team player.
Serbia
World ranking: 9th
Many Serbian players are active in the world's top leagues. However, they have not participated in the Olympics since the 2012 London Olympics. Serbia has a strong middle blocker, and their defense, which is centered on blocking, and their offensive power, which allows them to score from anywhere, are their strengths. Japan won 3-1 in this year's Nations League, but there is no doubt that the team has become even more formidable with the successful combination of the veterans who joined the team and the young players who gained experience in the European Championships.
Player to watch: Drazen Luburic
205cm/ 29 years old/ Opposite
Affiliation: Fenerbahce (Türkiye)
Serbia's point getter. He hits difficult high balls carefully and powerfully, giving Japan a hard time in this year's Nations League. The two starting outside hitters still have little experience, so the burden on him will be great. As he is a stable player, we will need to put some pressure on him with the blocks of Ishikawa and Takahashi, and the digs of libero Yamamoto.
Slovenia
World ranking: 8th
They are a strong team that won medals in three consecutive tournaments, coming in third at this year's European Championships, but have not yet participated in the Olympics. However, considering the age of OH Urnarto (JTEKT), who has supported Slovenia's progress since the mid-2010s, the Paris Olympics is their last chance. In the Nations League, they faced Japan in the quarterfinals, and Japan won 3-0. However, with the momentum from the European Championships and the clash of feelings about the Olympics, it will be a tougher and more exciting match.
Player to watch: Rok Mojic
200cm/ 21 years old/ Opposite
Affiliation: Verona (Italy)
In this year's Nations League, he mainly played as an outside hitter, but in the subsequent European Championships, he played as an opposite, and contributed greatly to Slovenia's bronze medal win with his high and sharp spikes from the right side. Also, his expression of joy using his body to the fullest brings momentum to the team. I'd like to pay attention to the classmate showdown with Takahashi Ai.
America
World ranking: 2nd
The birthplace of volleyball and a strong country. They were runners-up in this year's Nations League, and are the team in this group that is closest to the Paris Olympics in both name and reality. They have high-level players who are active in the world's top leagues in every position, so it will be extremely difficult to break them down. The United States is also the only top-ranked country that they have not played against this year. Even if they have secured a ticket to the Paris Olympics by the day before and this game is a dead giveaway, I hope they will go all out and grab a big win. Both OH Russell and OH Jeski will play in Japan's V-League.
Player to watch: Torrey Defalco
198cm / 26 years old / Outside hitter
Position: Rzeszow (Poland)
She is young among the US national team, which has a relatively high average age, and is a player who will carry the future of the US national team. She has outstanding athletic ability, height and power, and the techniques she has developed in beach volleyball will allow her to score a lot of points. However, in my personal impression, she seems to have a mental weakness that prevents her from performing to her full potential in important matches, so I would like to somehow put pressure on her and keep her in shape.
Ranking Prediction
1. United States
2. Japan
(Has qualified to compete in the Paris Olympics so far)
3. Slovenia
4. Türkiye
5. Serbia
6. Finland
7. Egypt
8. Tunisia
Even if we think about it objectively, I think the current Japanese national team can get a ticket to the Olympics! The highlights will be the matches against Serbia and Slovenia!
And if I could be greedy, I would like to see them beat America in the end!!
Good luck Ryujin Nippon!!!
Photo: FIVB, CEV, AVC
English 
Japanese