1978 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship

The 1978 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship was the ninth edition of the tournament, organised by the world's governing body, the FIVB. It was held in Rome, Italy from September 20 to October 1, 1978.

1978 Men's World Championship

Tournament details
Host nation	Italy
Dates	September 20 – October 1
Teams	24
Venue(s)	6 (in 6 host cities)
Champions	Soviet Union (5th title)

Teams

Group A – Rome  Belgium  China  Egypt  Italy

Group B – Bergamo  Finland  Mexico  Poland  Venezuela

Group C – Udine  Brazil  France  Soviet Union  Tunisia

Group D – Venice  Argentina  Cuba  Hungary  Japan

Group E – Parma  Bulgaria  Canada  East Germany  Netherlands

Group F – Ancona  Czechoslovakia  Romania  South Korea  United States

Preliminary round

Pool A

		Pts	Matches		Sets			Points
Rank	Team		W	L	W	L	Ratio	W	L	Ratio
1	Italy	6	3	0	9	1	9.000	141	84	1.679
2	China	5	2	1	7	4	1.750	145	116	1.250
3	Belgium	4	1	2	4	8	0.500	131	156	0.840
4	Egypt	3	0	3	2	9	0.222	98	159	0.616

Date		Score		Set 1	Set 2	Set 3	Set 4	Set 5	Total
20 Sep	Italy	3–0	Belgium	15-6	15-5	15-11			45-22
20 Sep	China	3–0	Egypt	15-13	15-6	15-6			45-25
21 Sep	China	3–1	Belgium	15-10	15-6	11-15	15-9		56-40
21 Sep	Italy	3–0	Egypt	15-5	15-4	15-9			45-18
22 Sep	Belgium	3–2	Egypt	17-15	15-1	10-15	12-15	15-9	69-55
22 Sep	Italy	3–1	China	15-8	6-15	15-11	15-10		51-44

Pool B

		Pts	Matches		Sets			Points
Rank	Team		W	L	W	L	Ratio	W	L	Ratio
1	Poland	6	3	0	9	1	9.000	148	75	1.973
2	Mexico	5	2	1	6	6	1.000	135	144	0.938
3	Venezuela	4	1	2	4	8	0.500	119	166	0.717
4	Finland	3	0	3	5	9	0.556	163	180	0.906

Date		Score		Set 1	Set 2	Set 3	Set 4	Set 5	Total
20 Sep	Mexico	3–1	Venezuela	15-13	15-6	13-15	15-3		58-37
20 Sep	Poland	3–1	Finland	15-8	15-6	13-15	15-9		58-38
21 Sep	Poland	3–0	Venezuela	15-4	15-7	15-12			45-23
21 Sep	Mexico	3–2	Finland	9-15	15-13	15-9	9-15	15-10	63-62
22 Sep	Venezuela	3–2	Finland	15-11	7-15	7-15	15-13	15-9	59-63
22 Sep	Poland	3–0	Mexico	15-3	15-7	15-4			45-14

Pool C

		Pts	Matches		Sets			Points
Rank	Team		W	L	W	L	Ratio	W	L	Ratio
1	Soviet Union	6	3	0	9	1	9.000	148	71	2.085
2	Brazil	5	2	1	7	4	1.750	151	125	1.208
3	France	4	1	2	4	6	0.667	106	121	0.876
4	Tunisia	3	0	3	0	9	0.000	47	135	0.348

Date		Score		Set 1	Set 2	Set 3	Set 4	Set 5	Total
20 Sep	Brazil	3–0	Tunisia	15-10	15-2	15-8			45-20
20 Sep	Soviet Union	3–0	France	15-6	15-6	15-2			45-14
21 Sep	France	3–0	Tunisia	15-7	15-4	15-6			45-17
21 Sep	Soviet Union	3–1	Brazil	11-15	17-15	15-8	15-9		58-47
22 Sep	Soviet Union	3–0	Tunisia	15-1	15-2	15-7			45-10
22 Sep	Brazil	3–1	France	15-11	15-13	14-16	15-7		59-47

Pool D

		Pts	Matches		Sets			Points
Rank	Team		W	L	W	L	Ratio	W	L	Ratio
1	Cuba	6	3	0	9	1	9.000	147	83	1.771
2	Japan	5	2	1	7	4	1.750	150	110	1.364
3	Hungary	4	1	2	4	6	0.667	97	124	0.782
4	Argentina	3	0	3	0	9	0.000	58	135	0.430

Date		Score		Set 1	Set 2	Set 3	Set 4	Set 5	Total
20 Sep	Cuba	3–0	Argentina	15-1	15-10	15-8			45-19
20 Sep	Japan	3–1	Hungary	15-6	15-9	12-15	15-6		57-36
21 Sep	Cuba	3–1	Japan	11-15	16-14	15-7	15-12		57-48
21 Sep	Hungary	3–0	Argentina	15-6	15-6	15-10			45-22
22 Sep	Japan	3–0	Argentina	15-3	15-3	15-11			45-17
22 Sep	Cuba	3–0	Hungary	15-1	15-9	15-6			45-16

Pool E

		Pts	Matches		Sets			Points
Rank	Team		W	L	W	L	Ratio	W	L	Ratio
1	Bulgaria	6	3	0	9	1	9.000	146	78	1.872
2	East Germany	5	2	1	6	3	2.000	108	93	1.161
3	Netherlands	4	1	2	3	8	0.375	111	145	0.766
4	Canada	3	0	3	3	9	0.333	119	168	0.708

Date		Score		Set 1	Set 2	Set 3	Set 4	Set 5	Total
20 Sep	Bulgaria	3–1	Canada	11-15	15-10	15-5	15-10		56-40
20 Sep	East Germany	3–0	Netherlands	15-11	15-6	15-7			45-24
21 Sep	East Germany	3–0	Canada	15-4	15-11	15-9			45-24
21 Sep	Bulgaria	3–0	Netherlands	15-5	15-7	15-8			45-20
22 Sep	Netherlands	3–2	Canada	9-15	13-15	15-13	15-4	15-8	67-55
22 Sep	Bulgaria	3–0	East Germany	15-8	15-4	15-6			45-18

Pool F

		Pts	Matches		Sets			Points
Rank	Team		W	L	W	L	Ratio	W	L	Ratio
1	South Korea	6	3	0	9	3	3.000	170	126	1.349
2	Czechoslovakia	5	2	1	8	5	1.600	166	149	1.114
3	Romania	4	1	2	6	6	1.000	152	166	0.916
4	United States	3	0	3	0	9	0.000	93	140	0.664

Date		Score		Set 1	Set 2	Set 3	Set 4	Set 5	Total
20 Sep	Romania	3–0	United States	17-15	15-8	18-16			50-39
20 Sep	South Korea	3–2	Czechoslovakia	15-7	8-15	15-12	12-15	15-5	65-54
21 Sep	Czechoslovakia	3–0	United States	15-5	15-10	15-12			45-27
21 Sep	South Korea	3–1	Romania	14-16	16-14	15-3	15-12		60-45
22 Sep	South Korea	3–0	United States	15-8	15-11	15-8			45-27
22 Sep	Czechoslovakia	3–2	Romania	15-11	15-12	14-16	8-15	15-3	67-57

Second round

Pool G

		Pts	Matches		Sets			Points
Rank	Team		W	L	W	L	Ratio	W	L	Ratio
1	Soviet Union	10	5	0	15	3	5.000	254	160	1.588
2	Italy	9	4	1	12	7	1.714	249	224	1.112
3	China	7	2	3	10	10	1.000	244	244	1.000
4	Brazil	7	2	3	10	11	0.909	277	261	1.061
5	Bulgaria	7	2	3	7	11	0.636	195	221	0.882
6	East Germany	5	0	5	3	15	0.200	150	259	0.579

Date		Score		Set 1	Set 2	Set 3	Set 4	Set 5	Total
24 Sep	Bulgaria	3–2	China	8-15	15-10	15-8	14-16	15-10	67-59
24 Sep	Soviet Union	3–0	East Germany	15-3	15-7	15-11			45-21
24 Sep	Italy	3–2	Brazil	14-16	15-12	10-15	15-10	17-15	71-68
25 Sep	Soviet Union	3–1	Bulgaria	15-7	15-6	7-15	15-8		52-36
25 Sep	China	3–1	Brazil	15-10	15-13	15-17	15-13		60-53
25 Sep	Italy	3–1	East Germany	15-8	15-7	15-17	15-5		60-37
26 Sep	Soviet Union	3–1	China	15-8	15-7	9-15	15-6		54-36
26 Sep	Brazil	3–2	East Germany	11-15	15-10	15-11	8-15	15-4	64-55
26 Sep	Italy	3–0	Bulgaria	15-9	15-6	17-15			47-30
27 Sep	China	3–0	East Germany	15-5	15-3	15-11			45-19
27 Sep	Brazil	3–0	Bulgaria	15-3	15-7	15-7			45-17
27 Sep	Soviet Union	3–0	Italy	15-11	15-6	15-3			45-20

Pool H

		Pts	Matches		Sets			Points
Rank	Team		W	L	W	L	Ratio	W	L	Ratio
1	Cuba	10	5	0	15	5	3.000	283	213	1.329
2	South Korea	8	3	2	12	9	1.333	266	249	1.068
3	Poland	8	3	2	10	9	1.111	229	221	1.036
4	Czechoslovakia	7	2	3	11	9	1.222	241	227	1.062
5	Japan	7	2	3	9	10	0.900	240	222	1.081
6	Mexico	5	0	5	0	15	0.000	98	225	0.436

Date		Score		Set 1	Set 2	Set 3	Set 4	Set 5	Total
24 Sep	South Korea	3–0	Mexico	15-8	15-7	15-7			45-22
24 Sep	Cuba	3–2	Czechoslovakia	15-8	7-15	15-3	13-15	15-10	65-51
24 Sep	Poland	3–2	Japan	13-15	15-12	5-15	15-10	15-9	63-61
25 Sep	Poland	3–1	Czechoslovakia	15-9	3-15	15-10	15-10		48-44
25 Sep	Japan	3–0	Mexico	15-6	15-3	15-12			45-21
25 Sep	Cuba	3–2	South Korea	17-15	12-15	15-13	12-15	15-7	71-65
26 Sep	Czechoslovakia	3–0	Japan	15-9	15-6	17-15			47-30
26 Sep	Cuba	3–0	Mexico	15-9	15-2	15-11			45-22
26 Sep	South Korea	3–1	Poland	15-7	11-15	16-14	15-10		57-46
27 Sep	Czechoslovakia	3–0	Mexico	15-4	15-13	15-2			45-19
27 Sep	Cuba	3–0	Poland	15-8	15-10	15-9			45-27
27 Sep	Japan	3–1	South Korea	15-4	15-9	11-15	15-6		56-34

Final round

Classification 9-12

	9th-12th place				9th place
	30 September
	Bulgaria	3
					1 October
	Mexico	2
					Bulgaria	1
	30 September
					East Germany	3
	Japan	1
	East Germany	3
					11th place
					1 October
					Mexico	1
					Japan	3

Classification 5-8

	5th-8th place				5th place
	30 September
	China	1
					1 October
	Czechoslovakia	3
					Czechoslovakia	3
	30 September
					Brazil	2
	Poland	0
	Brazil	3
					7th place
					1 October
					China	3
					Poland	2

Final Four

	Semifinals				Final
	30 September
	Cuba	1
					1 October
	Italy	3
					Italy	0
	30 September
					Soviet Union	3
	Soviet Union	3
	South Korea	0
					3rd place
					1 October
					Cuba	3
					South Korea	1

Final standing

Soviet Union  Italy  Cuba  South Korea  Czechoslovakia  Brazil  China  Poland  East Germany  Bulgaria  Japan  Mexico  Romania  Hungary  France  Netherlands  Finland  Belgium  United States  Canada  Venezuela  Argentina  Egypt  Tunisia

1978 Men's World Champions  Soviet Union 5th title

External links

• Federation Internationale de Volleyball