The Cuban men’s national team will face home side Brazil today in the first week and men’s group two of the Rio de Janeiro Volleyball Nations League (VNL), where they will also face Germany, Japan and Iran.

The disciples of Jesus Cruz will have a difficult start in the Carioca city, but the team is focused on fulfilling its main purpose, to get the ticket to the Olympic Games in Paris 2024.

According to the tournament schedule posted on the International Federation’s website www.fivb.com, Cruz’s charges will open against the Brazilians on Tuesday, then on Thursday against the Germans, Friday against the Japanese and Saturday against the Iranians.

In the second week, in Ottawa, Canada, they will face hosts Italy, world champions Italy, France and the Netherlands, while in the third, in Ljubljana, Slovenia, they will face the home side, Bulgaria, Serbia and Poland.

The programme indicates that the quarter-finals will take place from 27-28 June, the semi-final on 29 June and the final on 30 June in Lodz, Poland, which will close the action for the completion of the qualifying teams for the multi-sport event in Paris, from 26 July to 11 August.

The 16 men’s teams registered for the VNL are Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cuba, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey and USA.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic champions France have already secured their place as hosts, so the 12 competitors will be completed on the basis of their place in the RM after the conclusion of the 2024 Nations League knockout phase, but with priority given to the team from a continent that has not reached the quota.

The Cuban team recently played two friendly and preparation matches with Argentina, Olympic bronze medallists at Tokyo 2020, with venues in the Argentine city of Posada, province of Misiones, and at the stadium in the city of Montecarlo.

In the first and second challenges, the Cubans lost 1-3 (25-23, 23-25, 16-25 and 19-25) and 2-3 (25-17, 21-25, 29-27, 20-25 and 12-15), respectively.

Beyond the results, the Cuban technical director (DT) went through the preparation without a stable starting line-up, as he tested all his players.

The team is made up of centre backs Roberlandy Simón, Javier Concepción, José Israel Massó, Roamy Alonso and Alexis Wilson, and the corner players chosen are Miguel Ángel López, Marlon Yant, Osniel Mergarejo, Julio César Cárdenas, Bryan Camino and Yusniel González.

Opposites are Jesús Herrera, Michael Sánchez, Miguel David Gutiérrez, Alejandro Miguel González, José Miguel Gutiérrez, José Carlos Romero and Carlos Charles, passers are Christian Thondike, Lyván Taboada, Adrián Goide and Julio Alberto Gómez, and liberos are Yonder García and Alain Gorguet.

Cruz is accompanied by assistant coaches Mario Izquierdo and Manuel de Jesús Espinosa, doctor Lenin Hernández, physiotherapist Eladio Vives and national volleyball commissioner Jorge Sosa, head of the delegation.

Places have already been secured for Tokyo 2020 Olympic champions France as hosts, Germany and Brazil, one-two at the pre-Olympic tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Japan and the United States in a similar tournament held on Japanese soil, and Poland and Canada in a tournament held in China.