Due to take place in Elbląg, Poland, from June 15 until 21, the Championships are the pinnacle of the Para-volleyball calendar, outside of the Paralympic Games, pitting the top 16 men's teams and top 12 women's teams from across the globe against each other as they battle to be crowned world champions.

The competition includes a round-robin stage followed by playoffs.

The Championships are taking place at the Sports and Business Centre in Elbląg, the same venue used for the 2013 World ParaVolley European Championships.

Iran's men and China's women come into the Championships as defending champions with the Chinese women also reigning Paralympic champions.

Bosnia and Herzegovina took the rown in the men's competition at London 2012.

The 16 men's teams are split into four groups of four in the Championships.

As hosts, Poland top Pool A and are joined by teams from Algeria, China and Ukraine.

Pool B consists of Egypt, Iran, Iraq and the United States; Pool C contains Brazil, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Kazakhstan; and Pool D is made up of Germany, Morocco, Netherlands and Russia.

Paralympic champions China will be among the favourites to take the women's title as the top 12 sitting volleyball teams gather in Poland to battle for world supremacy ©Getty Images



Action gets underway on June 15 with Poland launching the first round of fixtures with an encounter with Algeria.

Winners of each group gain automatic qualification into the quarter-final stage whilst the second and third place teams must battle with the third and second placed team from another, for example second in group B versus third in group D and second in group D versus third in group B.

Prior to this, the losers of each group then compete to determine the final rankings of the tournament.

On the women's side, the teams are split into two groups of six with China, the US and Ukraine expected to be the top three teams to beat.

Poland again top Pool A as the hosts and will be joined by Finland, Great Britain, Russia, Slovakia and the US, whilst Pool B consists of Brazil, China, Germany, Japan, Netherlands and Ukraine.

Following the round-robin fixtures, the top two teams from each group progress straight to the semi-finals whilst the final four compete in a quarter-final playoff.

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