Six teams have advanced to the round of 16! A wild night at the Women's Volleyball World Championship: Brazil came back from 2-0 down to beat France 3-2, while Italy swept Cuba 3-0.

On August 25th Beijing time, the second round of the Women's Volleyball World Championship was intense. Last night saw an incredible comeback as Brazil overturned a 0-2 deficit to defeat France 3-2, while the favored Italian team dominated Cuba 3-0, conceding just 8 points in one set. Currently, six teams have qualified for the round of 16!

Italy versus Cuba. If you ask which team is the strongest in today's volleyball scene, it has to be Italy: Olympic champions, Volleyball Nations League champions, with an impressive 30-game winning streak. Their dominance is undeniable, and they hold the top world ranking. In the second round of the group stage, they faced the former powerhouse Cuba, now a significantly weaker team. Cuba was expected to lose 0-3, and indeed they did, but the extent of their poor performance—only scoring 8 or 9 points per set—was shocking. With this, Italy extended their winning streak to 31 games and secured their place in the round of 16 early. It's clear that no one wants to face this Italian team prematurely and will try hard to avoid them!

Brazil versus France. Brazil is ranked second in the world and was runner-up in the Volleyball Nations League. In the second round of the group stage, they faced France, a weaker team. Considering France’s heavy defeat at the Paris Olympics, it was expected Brazil would easily win and advance. However, France surprised everyone with a powerful performance, using strong serves to disrupt Brazil's reception and quickly taking a 2-0 lead. Then Brazil showed their resilience, improving their blocking to limit France’s attacks and spreading out their offense, gradually turning the match around. They completed a stunning comeback by winning 3-2, narrowly defeating France and avoiding an upset. With this, Brazil secured their second consecutive win and advanced to the round of 16!

Currently, the latest standings show six teams have reached the round of 16: host Thailand, second-tier Belgium, the Netherlands, and top-tier teams Italy, the USA, and Brazil. The second round continues today, and more teams will qualify for the round of 16. Let’s stay tuned!

Written by / Sports Novel