With the approaching South American Volleyball Championship 2026, six teams will compete for their qualification to the upcoming World Cup and the Olympic Games. Chile, one of the participating teams, is in a stage of growth, according to its coach, Eduardo Guillaume.
Guillaume, who spoke on the AQUITVO South American program, referred to the importance of defeating the Peruvian team. Chile’s last victory came during the South American Cup, where the Chilean team won decisively 3-0. “To be honest: for us, for me and for the team, it remains extraordinary every time we beat Peru,” the coach stated.
The coach reviewed the victories against Peru, commenting on how the perception of those achievements has changed over the years. He recalled that winning the U16 Championship final in 2019 was surprising and that the victory again in 2023 during the adult South American Championship was a standout moment: “When we won 3-2, nobody could believe it, not even me,” he commented. Now, according to Guillaume, those results are no longer considered surprises. “Today, it is known that we go out on the court and can win or lose, but it is known that we can win,” he concluded.
Regarding new challenges, Guillaume mentioned that a victory against Argentina would hold special significance, as Chile has yet to even win a set against Las Panteras. “That’s what we want now. We’ve managed with Peru, we’ve managed with Venezuela. We must not let our guard down, as Peru can also beat Chile and Venezuela can beat Chile too,” affirmed the coach, who also hopes that his team can compete with powers like Colombia and Argentina.
Moreover, Guillaume explained the process that led Chile to surpass Peru and Venezuela in volleyball. He detailed that after his first tournament at the helm of the national team, he made a diagnosis that led to a restructuring of the work. He began to focus on lower categories, supported by the president of the Federation, Jorge Pino. “We decided that the best thing was to start working with the lower categories. It is very important for the processes to have small victories because if not, people get scattered,” he asserted.
Guillaume’s plan began with the team that participated in the U16 South American Championship, ensuring that he wanted to prepare a cohesive group that would contribute to the growth of Chilean volleyball. Expectations are high for the South American Championship in Brazil, where a victory against strong rivals could bring Chile closer to qualification for the World Cup.
Source: www.infobae.com
