VOLLEYBALL: Australia will host 2015 World League champions France and 2012 Olympic bronze medallists Italy when the world’s biggest men’s volleyball competition returns to our shores in 2016.

Volleyball’s world governing body, the FIVB, announced on Tuesday Group One of next year’s World League will be expanded from eight to 12 teams, with Australia hosting three other teams on the opening weekend at a venue yet to be announced.

Along with the two European volleyball powerhouses, Australia will also host Belgium in the round-robin format.

The following weekend the Volleyroos will head to Italy, where they will once again take on Italy and Belgium, as well as the United States.

The World League preliminaries will wrap up on the first weekend in July in the United States, where Australia will match up against the US, Russia and Bulgaria.

The new format will begin on the weekend of June 17-19.

It will be Australia’s second year in Group One of World League, after winning promotion in 2014.

Australia beat France in a thrilling Group Two final in Sydney to book their ticket into Group One.

This year France won Group Two and then defeated the best team’s in Group One to win the World League title.

ROSS SOLLY FOR VOLLEYBALL AUSTRALIA