Group stage draw at Palace of Culture, Monday: photo: PAP / Bartlomiej Zborowski
The World Cup, which takes place every four years, will be held from August 30 to September 21, with the group stages taking place in Katowice, Lodz, Wroclaw, Gdansk, Bydgoszcz and Krakow, although the opening match, which will be between Poland and Serbia, will be taking place at the National Stadium in Warsaw.
Poland have been drawn against Argentina, Serbia, Australia, Venezuela and one of three possible African teams in Group A.
There was an almost audible sigh of relief in the Palace of Culture in Warsaw when the draw, attended by FIVB President Ary. Graça and Poland’s Minister of Sport and Tourism, Andrzej Biernat, avoided placing top teams in Group A with the hosts.
"We were worried that we could get France in the first phase," said former Polish volleyball international Tomasz Wojtowicz.
The strong Russian side are top seeded in Group C and defending champions Brazil are in Group B.
Eight teams will qualify for the second stage of two groups of four, beginning on September 10.
Poland will know which of three possible African teams they will face in Group A after the qualification tournaments are held in Kenya (February 5 to 11), Cameroon (February 12 to 18) and Tunisia (March 2 to 8).
The North, Central American and Caribbean (NORCECA) qualification stages are also yet to be completed. (pg)
The groups
Group A - Wroclaw: Poland, Argentina, Serbia, Australia, CAVB 3, Venezuela Group B - Katowice: Brazil, NORCECA 2, Germany, CAVB 1, South Korea., Finland Group C - Gdańsk: Russia, Bulgaria, NORCECA 3, CAVB 2, China, NORCECA 5 Group D - Krakow: Italy, NORCECA 1, Iran, France, NORCECA 4, Belgium.