A comprehensive Q&A that answers your questions
Q. Why change the World Championships to a biennial format?
We have always been clear on the three key drivers behind changes to the calendar: a less is more approach, the health and wellbeing of the athletes, and showcasing the best of international volleyball to fans.
By moving to a biennial format, our aim is to provide more opportunities for 32 qualified teams per gender around the world to take part in global volleyball events and compete on the world stage. In addition, we believe that this will create greater visibility for both the national teams and the sport of volleyball, as well as greater opportunities for fans to engage with the sport.
Moreover, the calendar has been streamlined with the removal of other events at the world and continental levels, including the World Cup, Olympic Qualification Tournaments and Continental Qualification Tournaments. By reducing the number of major events, we aim to strike a balance between maintaining the excitement and competitive nature of the sport while ensuring that athletes have sufficient time for rest, recovery and training. More details on the specific dates will be provided once the working group has concluded its work defining the specific dates of the international calendar. Our focus is to create a calendar that not only offers thrilling competitions, but also supports the long-term well-being and performance of our valued athletes by allowing them to truly focus on the top competitions and substantially reducing the amount of international travel during the season.
Q. How will this change impact the qualification system for LA28?
Subject to approval from the International Olympic Committee, 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 in 2026, the top three teams of the World Championships 2027 not yet qualified, and the three highest-ranked teams not yet qualified according to the World Ranking taken after the preliminary phase of the VNL 2028.
Q. How is the health and wellbeing of the athletes prioritised with this biennial format?
We have done this by reducing the overall number of competitions and simplifying the formats of elite volleyball events to alleviate the strain on the athletes and provide them with more time for recovery and preparation. In this way, the FIVB is trimming…
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