Ljubljana, Slovenia, June 16, 2016 - Slovenia will have the home-court advantage in Friday's "rookie derby" in
Group 3 of FIVB Volleyball World League 2016 in Ljubljana. Both the hosts and Qatar will mark their World League debuts in a game that will be first for either team against a side from another continent at a world-level tournament.
Head-to-Head
• This will be the first ever official meeting between Slovenia and Qatar.
• It will also be Slovenia's first ever match against a side not belonging to the CEV at a world level tournament (World League, World Championship, Grand Champions Cup, Olympic Games, World Cup).
• For Qatar it is also their first encounter with a non-AVC side at a world level tournament (World League, World Championship, Grand Champions Cup, Olympic Games, World Cup).
Slovenia
• This will be Slovenia's first participation at the World League.
• Slovenia will be the 18th CEV side to participate at the competition.
• Slovenia came second at the 2015 European Championship. They defeated Poland (3-2 in quarterfinals) and Italy (3-1 in semifinals) to reach the final, which they lost in straight sets against France.
Qatar
• For Qatar, it will also be their first participation at the World League.
• Qatar and Chinese Taipei will be the seventh and eighth AVC sides to participate at the World League.
• Qatar have lost their last two official matches, against Japan (3-1 in semifinals) and China (3-2 in third place match) at the 2015 Asian Championships, and could lose three in a row for the first time since the 2011 Asian Championships.