Men’s World Volleyball Championship: Join us for an electrifying experience

Slovenia will co-host the volleyball spectacle and the most important volleyball competition under the auspices of the World Volleyball Federation (WVF) together with Poland, and the Volleyball Federation of Slovenia (OZS) is firmly convinced that they will once again justify their reputation as a top organiser of events at the highest level.

According to OZS President, Method Ropret, the world's top-level competition will have a major impact: "This is a truly exceptional event and we have a demanding candidacy and coordination process behind us, including tough negotiations.

As far as the OZS itself is concerned, it is clear that we have done a lot in the last period both in organisational and results terms and we are very highly ranked in both segments.

All this had to happen in a very short period of time, but with all the activities mentioned above, and also on account of the great reputation that Slovenians enjoy after organising many events in recent years, we managed to secure our country to host four of the six pre-competition groups, the eighth finals and also the quarter-finals. We will be here to watch the very best national teams, including the current Olympic champions France, the current European champions Italy and the multiple world champions Brazil. Our national team is also here, having won silver three times in the last four European Championships. All of this shows what a great tournament we have ahead of us and the high level of volleyball that will be played in Ljubljana. At this point, I would like to invite people to come to Stožice and watch these outstanding national teams perform. It is undeniable that there will not be a World Championship on European soil for at least the next 12 years. The opportunity is truly unique and I believe that we will seize it. I would like to say a special thank you to both governments, who have really listened and responded positively and given us a great deal of support in the extremely short period of time that we have been given.

I would also like to thank the Government Communications Office and the Slovenian Tourist Board for their proactive approach and all their support.

I am confident that together we will carry Slovenia's name around the world, especially as the World Championships will reach almost a third of the world's population, according to the available data."

A green and sports-oriented destination

The Government Communications Office, which owns the I Feel Slovenia brand, and the Slovenian Tourist Board, which has successfully promoted the brand in the tourism and sports sectors, will play a major role in promoting the World Championships and Slovenia as a green, boutique, sustainable and sports-oriented destination.

"Major international events and the success of Slovenian athletes strengthen Slovenia's visibility and reputation as a great destination for sports tourism and active experiences.

The organisers estimate that 2.3 billion sports enthusiasts around the world will watch the men's World Volleyball Championship matches, and the Slovenian Tourist Board will encourage them to take an active holiday in Slovenia by highlighting the I feel Slovenia brand and sending a clear message about the country's commitment to sustainability.

The World Volleyball Championships is one of the most important and high-profile international sporting events that our country is hosting this year and it is an opportunity to highlight the story of a green destination for great active experiences, in partnership with the organiser of the Championships and other participating institutions," said Ms Maja Pak, MSc, Director of Slovenian Tourist Board.

The national players are also looking forward to the volleyball spectacle

After the 2019 European Championships, the World Championships will be a new volleyball spectacle that our national players are looking forward to.

They have produced outstanding results in recent years, already proving their worth in the Nations League this season, and they now face a new challenge and, above all, the desire to go as high as possible at their home World Championships. "First of all, I would like to thank President Ropret for bringing the World Championships to Slovenia. So far, we have not even been close to talking about such a event. For us, the national team, this is something extraordinary. The first time we qualified for the World Championships, it was phenomenal. We got our second appearance with a good performance at the European Championships and a high world ranking. But when we found out that the World Championships would be at home, our motivation, enthusiasm and energy increased even more. We want to improve the 2018 result. We will do our best to play as well as possible, to leave our hearts on the court and hopefully we will all finish the World Championship in Slovenia happy," said national team captain Tine Urnaut.

Slovenia will host 16 of the world's top 24 national teams on the group stage, as well as the eighth-final matches and two quarter-final showdowns.

According to Gregor Humera, Secretary General of the OZS, there is a lot of interest in the championship, and both local and foreign fans can look forward to a varied accompanying programme: "All group stage matches, four a day, and the knockout matches will be played in Arena Stožice, which has already seen one of its highlights with the 2019 European Championships. We are looking forward to something similar this time around. Together with the Government Communications Office and the Slovenian Tourist Board, we have prepared an extraordinary supporting programme. One of the most important events has already been the volleyball match on the Ljubljanica River, which was certainly one of the highlights of the promotion. Not to forget the preparation tournament in Maribor, which we are extending to other parts of Slovenia, and above all the big event for local and foreign journalists on 25 August, where we will be presenting, among other things, the Slofit programme. Once again, a fan zone will be organised in front of the Stožice Arena during the World Championships, with a full programme of accompanying events, catering and concerts taking place there throughout the tournament. The fans will definitely be well looked after."

The World Cup in Slovenia and Poland will kick off on 26 August, with Brazil and Cuba playing the first match at Arena Stožice and Slovenia taking on Cameroon for the opener.

Join us for an electrifying experience!