by sportswriters Wang Jingyu and Wei Hua

BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- The revamped FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship opens in Thailand on Friday, with reigning Olympic and Volleyball Nations League (VNL) champion Italy leading the title race.

In the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cycle, the women's world championship will be held every two years instead of every four, with the competitions expanded from 24 to 32 teams, who will play in round-robin preliminaries in eight groups with the top two finishers from each group advancing to the knockout stage.

Building on success at last year's VNL and Paris Olympic Games, Italy secured 15 consecutive victories in this year's VNL preliminary and final rounds for their third major title in a row. Their unbeaten streak at international competitions now stands at 29 matches, and they entered the worlds as the world's top-ranked side.

"The gold medal match was very difficult, and Brazil never gave up," head coach Julio Velasco said after Italy beat Brazil 3-1 in the VNL final. "We didn't play our best volleyball, but we fought the entire time. Our bench players made a difference. I'm very proud of the group. This is a special team with a lot of talent and a strong mentality."

Brazil, who reached the VNL final with an 11-1 preliminary record and victories over France and Japan in the finals, will also be a strong contender for the world title. Drawn with Puerto Rico, France and Greece in Group C, Brazil is expected to cruise into the knockout stage.

Reigning world champion Serbia will also be among the teams to watch. After resting several top players in the early weeks of the VNL and finishing 15th with a 3-9 record, the team returns to the grand stage with star players including Tijana Boskovic.

Poland, Turkiye, the United States, the Netherlands, Japan and the Dominican Republic are also seen as potential medal challengers.

"The competitive level of world women's volleyball has improved significantly in recent years," said former China head coach Chen Zhonghe. "There are so many strong teams, making it very hard to predict the outcome of this World Championship. The most important thing is to perform to the best of your ability during the tournament."

Featuring several young players, including setter Zhang Zixuan and middle blocker Chen Houyu, China is aiming for good results at this World Championship following a fifth-place VNL finish.

"We have been working hard in training to improve from our performances in the VNL. We hope to show that progress and achieve good results in Thailand," said China head coach Zhao Yong.

China's first target is to finish top of Group F, where it is drawn with the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Mexico.

"We will try to secure a strong position in the group," Zhao added. "Every match will be a battle, and we need to defeat strong teams to advance." ■