Goodbye, World Championship! What will volleyball’s premier tournament be called now?
Starting in 2027, the FIVB Volleyball World Championship will be renamed the FIVB Volleyball World Cup. The decision was approved by the FIVB Board of Administration.
As part of another step aimed at keeping pace with volleyball’s continued global growth in popularity, the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) has announced that the sport’s premier international tournament, the Volleyball World Championship, will henceforth be called the FIVB Volleyball World Cup.
The changes were approved by the FIVB Board of Administration, and the new name will be used for the first time at the 2027 tournament. The men’s competition will take place in Poland, while the women’s competition will be held in the United States and Canada.
The use of the name FIVB Volleyball World Cup emphasizes volleyball’s status as a global sport, as it aligns with the names of the most prestigious tournaments in many other sporting disciplines. This will help make the tournament more quickly recognizable and easier to understand for both athletes and fans.
In 2022 and 2023, the FIVB had already announced important changes to the tournament’s organization, also reflecting volleyball’s global development. Starting with the latest edition, held in 2025, the tournament features 32 national teams in each category and is now held every two years instead of following the previous four-year cycle.
The current tournament format follows the classic World Cup system: the competition begins with a group stage, followed by playoff matches, semifinals and a final to determine the champion. Matches are held in several cities across the host countries.
The new format has further increased the tournament’s importance, as it now also serves as a qualification event for the Olympic Games. In 2027, the three highest-ranked national teams in each category that have not yet secured a place at the Games will earn the right to compete at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
