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The Canadian women’s volleyball team has the luxury of concentrating on performance and not on Olympic stakes when it hosts world championship matches next year.
Montreal and Quebec City were announced Thursday as Canada’s co-host cities of the 2027 FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Cup, which will be played in North America for the first time.
Montreal’s Bell Centre and Quebec City’s Videotron Centre join previously announced Omaha, Neb., Orlando, Fla., and Anaheim, Calif., in hosting the 32-country tournament Aug. 20 to Sept. 5, 2027.
Canada will compete in Olympic indoor women’s volleyball in 2028 in Los Angeles for the first time since 1996 in Atlanta.
The Canadians booked their L.A. berth by winning NORCECA’s Olympic continental qualifying tournament Aug. 29 in the Dominican Republic.
The 2027 World Cup is an Olympic qualifier. The top three non-qualified countries in the tournament will join the United States, Canada, Thailand, Egypt, Turkey and Brazil already bound for L.A. The remaining three berths will be determined by world rankings in 2028.
Brie Fransen of Langley, B.C., says she and her Canadian teammates can play World Cup matches with the moxie that comes with an Olympic berth already in their pockets, and they can also feed off home-court momentum.
“We’ll be able to really enjoy the experience of playing in the World Cup a lot differently than if we had this massive weight, the burden of qualifying on us,” said the 28-year-old setter. “It changes how you experience the tournament when you have that.
“It will be a much better experience getting to play in the World Cup, especially getting to host, and it really just is an opportunity to see how well we match up, see what we still need to improve on, just such a good barometer for our team.”
‘Milestone moment’
Montreal, Quebec City, Omaha and Orlando get pool and Round of 16 matches Aug. 20-28. Anaheim hosts the quarterfinals, semifinals and final at the Honda Center, which will be the 2028 Olympic volleyball venue.
“This is a milestone moment for volleyball in Canada,” said Volleyball Canada director of indoor events Alan Ahac in a statement Thursday.
“It is an incredible opportunity to showcase the sport to fans of all ages and inspire the next generation of Canadian volleyball athletes just ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games.”
Canada’s women, ranked eighth in the world, played four Nations League matches in Quebec City in June against Germany, France, Japan and the U.S. for a 2-2 record.
The Canada-France match drew almost 10,500 to Videotron Centre.
“I was completely blown away. I had never played that far east in Canada before,” Fransen said. “It really felt like we had this huge home-court advantage, which I feel like we very, very rarely get to experience here.
“To piggyback off of that and then get to host world championships in the same areas and cities, it is so exciting because we know that there’s a fan base already there. It’s just more exciting to watch a team when you know they’re going to the Olympics.”
Canada’s men lost their Olympic qualifying continental final to Cuba in September. After competing in three straight Olympic men’s volleyball tournaments, they face a longer road than the women to get to L.A.
Canada, ranked 16th in the world, will compete in next year’s men’s World Cup in Poland, where the top three non-qualified countries gain Olympic berths. The remaining three berths will be determined by world ranking in 2028.
