FIVB approve new calendar that will see more teams qualify for biannual World championships

FIVB Board of Administration has approved a new calendar of events for 2025 to 2028.

This will see the FIVB World Championships held after every two years as opposed to the previous format where it was held after every four years.

These adjustments are part of the FIVB’s ongoing efforts to streamline the international volleyball calendar, aiming to enhance the overall fan experience while prioritizing the health and wellbeing of the athletes as well as the needs of other key volleyball stakeholders.

World Championships has now expanded to include 32 teams per gender, with an enhanced competition formula that will be the same for both the men’s and women’s events.

The 32 teams will be divided into eight groups of four teams during the round-robin phase. The two best teams from each group will then progress to the direct knockout phase, encompassing the round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals and final.

The qualification process for the FIVB Volleyball World Championships will see the host(s) secure automatic qualification alongside the reigning World Champion.

In addition, the top three teams from each Continental Championship will qualify, with the remaining teams earning their spots through the FIVB World Rankings at the end of the national team season in the year prior to the World Championship.

Subject to approval from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the new volleyball calendar principles will also streamline the qualification process for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028.

The host nation (USA) will join the five Champions of the Continental Championships, the top three teams of the World Championships 2027 not yet qualified, and the three highest-ranked teams according to the World Ranking not yet qualified.

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The FIVB Board of Administration also approved the creation of a working group responsible for determining the specific dates of the FIVB Volleyball Calendar 2025-2028 and presenting this for approval. The working group is composed of Aleksandar Boričić, the FIVB 2nd Executive Vice-President and CEV President, Madelein Meppelink, a FIVB Board of Administration member and the FIVB Athletes’ Commission President, and Fabio Azevedo, a FIVB Board of Administration member and FIVB General Director.

Regarding the bidding process for upcoming editions of the FIVB World Championships, the schedule has been confirmed as follows: August 2023 for the 2025 event, April 2024 for the 2027 event, and August 2024 for the 2029 event.

The detailed volleyball calendar from 2025, along with the hosts for upcoming major events, will be announced at a later stage through official FIVB channels.