Hamamatsu, Japan, September 29, 2018 – Brazil will be facing Puerto Rico on opening day of the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship to begin their campaign to earn their first World Championship title.
Head-to-Head
• This is the third time Puerto Rico and Brazil meet at the World Championships. Brazil won both previous meetings in straight sets.
• In 2006 (Japan), in these team's first ever meeting at the World Championships, Brazil beat Puerto Rico 3-0 in the first round group stage (25-21, 25-15, 25-18). Fabiana Claudino scored 16 points for Brazil, more than any other player.
• These nations last met at the 2010 World Championships in Japan, when Brazil again beat Puerto Rico in straight sets in the first round group stage (25-20, 25-18, 25-20). Natalia Pereira scored a team-high 15 points.
• Puerto Rico and Brazil last met in world level major competitions (Nations League, Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cup, World Grand Prix and Grand Champions Cup) on 11 August 2013, when Brazil claimed a 3-0 preliminary round victory at the World Grand Prix.
Puerto Rico
• Puerto Rico will make their seventh appearance at the World Championships and their fifth in a row (2002-2018).
• Puerto Rico have never qualified for the World Championships knockout stages (route to the final). Their best result in the competition came in 2002, when they finished in 10th place.
• Puerto Rico have lost seven of their last eight matches at the World Championships, with the only exception in that run a 3-0 win over Cuba in 2014.
• Twenty of Puerto Rico's last 21 defeats at the World Championships have come in straight sets. Their only non-straight set defeat in that run (1982-2014) came versus Azerbaijan in 2014 (3-2 loss).
• Puerto Rico have lost their opening match at each of the last three World Championships in straight sets. The last time Puerto Rico avoided a 3-0 defeat in their opener was in 2002, when they kicked off with a 3-1 victory over Kenya.
Brazil• Brazil are making their 16th appearance at a World Championships, and the 13th in a row.
• Brazil have never won the World Championships. They finished runners-up on three occasions: as hosts in 1994, and in Japan in 2006 and 2010.
• Brazil have reached the semi-finals at five of the last six World Championships. Between 1994 and 2014, they only failed to qualify for the final four in 2002 (3-2 loss versus China in the quarterfinals).
• Brazil have won 12 of their last 13 World Championships matches, with the only exception in that run a 3-0 defeat against Unites States in the 2014 semi-finals.
• Brazil have won each of their last 31 group stages at the World Championships (20 in straight sets), since a 3-0 defeat against USA in the 2002 second group stage.
• Brazil kicked off their last four World Championships with a 3-0 win in their opening group stage match. The last time Brazil failed to win their opener in straight sets was in 1998, when they started with a 3-0 loss versus Russia.