The bronze medal of the women’s volleyball World Club Championship, held in São Paulo, belongs to Osasco/São Cristóvão Saúde. This Sunday (14), the São Paulo team won the 100% Brazilian duel with Dentil Praia Clube by 3 sets to 0, splits of 25/20, 28/26 and 25/19, at the Pacaembu gym, in the fight for third place.
Champion in 2012, Osasco repeated in 1994 and 2011, when they also came in third. In 2010 and 2014, the team from greater São Paulo was runner-up. Praia Clube, in turn, equaled the performance of the last three editions, in which they fell in the semifinals and lost the dispute for bronze, finishing the tournament in fourth place.
After a first set with Osasquense dominance, the team from Uberlândia (MG) showed a reaction, but did not take advantage of the advantage built throughout the second half, when it was one point away from tying the game, and succumbed to the São Paulo blockade – there were 12 points on the ground during the match, against two from the rival. In the third set, Osasco repeated the performance from the beginning of the match, controlling the actions from the beginning, and secured the victory with an attack from striker Maiara Basso.
Argentine opposite Bianca Cugno, with 21 points, shone as Osasco’s and the match’s top scorer – North American winger Payton Caffrey, with 18 points, was Praia’s highlight. At the end of the game, coach Luizomar de Moura went out to the fans to celebrate and sing. The coach is a historic idol of the São Paulo team.
The final will be entirely Italian, between Conegliano – from striker Gabi Guimarães, captain of the Brazilian team – and Scandicci. The duel at Pacaembu starts at 4:30 pm (Brasília time). The clash repeats the final of the last European Champions League, won by Conegliano, who are looking for the fourth world title. Scandicci aims for the first title.
Men’s World Cup
Brazil will also host the men’s Club World Cup, which starts on Tuesday (16), in Belém. It is the fourth time in the last five years that the competition has taken place in the country. In 2021 and 2022, the tournament was in Betim (MG), while Uberlândia hosted the event last season.
Of the eight participants, three are Brazilian: Sada Cruzeiro, Vôlei Renata and Praia Clube. Raposa, current champion and owner of five titles, is in Group B, with Perugia, from Italy; Osaka Bluteon, from Japan, and Swehly, from Libya. The miners face the Japanese on Tuesday, at 10am, opening the competition.
The country’s other representatives occupy Group A, along with Warta Zawiercie, from Poland, and Al-Rayyan, from Qatar. Also on Tuesday, Praia, third in the last Superliga, faces the Qataris at 5pm. Finally, at 8:30 pm, Vôlei Renata, national vice-president for Cruzeiro, measures forces with the Poles.
The only Brazilian to have won the men’s World Cup was Cruzeiro, in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2021 and 2024. In 1990, in the Milan edition, in Italy, and the following year, in São Paulo, Banespa was runner-up. Vôlei Renata, which arrived in Campinas (SP) in 2010, emerged as a continuation of the Banespa project.
