Ignite Coach Bertolacci’s Swiss National Team Earns 2027 FIVB World Cup Bid

Ignite Coach Bertolacci’s Swiss National Team Earns 2027 FIVB World Cup Bid

It’s Switzerland’s First Berth in World Cup Play

By Mark Robinson

 

FISHERS, Ind. (October 5, 2026) – The Switzerland Women’s National Volleyball Team earning a first-ever berth in the 2027 FIVB Women’s World Cup is undoubtedly big news in Europe. It’s just as significant for the Indy Ignite, since Ignite head coach Lauren Bertolacci also serves as head coach of the Swiss team.

The FIVB (Federation Internationale de Volleyball), the global governing body for the sport, today named the remaining teams to play in the 2027 World Cup next summer – held for the first time in North America. Eighteen nations already made the 32-team field through continental qualifiers or were granted automatic berths as the defending champion (Italy) or upcoming hosts (U.S. and Canada). The final 14 teams were confirmed today by the current world rankings. Switzerland, at No. 30, snagged the 32nd spot.

“This is historic for us,” said Bertolacci, in her fifth year as the Swiss coach. “It has always been a goal for us to make world competitions, specifically the World Cup, so it's really a good achievement. It has taken a lot of work. When I started, we were ranked about 42nd in the world, and we have climbed up to number 30. It’s been a really important rise.

Bertolacci pointed out her team made the World Cup cut by the narrowest of margins. It was crucial that the Swiss played well in tournaments this summer when Bertolacci returned there to coach after completing her first season with the Ignite. The rankings were so close, she explained, that had a match the Swiss won 3-2 instead been a 3-2 defeat, they would have slipped behind Romania in the rankings and out of World Cup consideration.

“We knew how the rankings would be, so over the last years we were preaching to the team that every point matters and every set matters,” she said. “The results this year  showed just how much it mattered. It was pretty intense.”

Bertolacci was also quick to credit the Swiss Volleyball Federation and the nation’s coaches and players over the years who set the table ahead of her arrival.

“A lot of these athletes on the national team have been working at this goal for many years,” she observed. “I'm proud that I'm able to get us there and represent Switzerland on the world stage. It's going to be really big for Swiss volleyball. We hope everyone enjoys it because it required a group effort over a long, long period.”

Of course, those in Major League Volleyball circles aren’t surprised to see a Bertolacci-coached team reach new heights. In her first season at the Indy helm, she guided the Ignite to a record-setting 23-5 regular-season record and No. 1 seed in the MLV playoffs.

"We're incredibly proud of Lauren and so excited for her and the Swiss team. Earning a first-ever World Cup berth is a historic achievement," said Mary Kay Huse, Ignite president and general manager. "It's also further proof of what we saw when we brought her to Indy. Lauren's elite coaching makes every team she leads better, whether that's Switzerland or the Ignite. Watching her do it again on the world stage makes me that much more excited for the season ahead."

The World Cup is August 20-September 5, 2027. Preliminary rounds will be played at Omaha, Orlando, Montreal and Quebec City. The quarterfinal, semifinal and championship rounds are set for the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.