About the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship
The Women’s Volleyball World Championship is the premier international competition for national teams, organized under the auspices of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB). The first tournament was held in 1952, and since 2025, the championship has been held every two years, replacing the previous four-year cycle.
2027 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship
The 2027 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship will take place from August 20 to September 5 in the United States and Canada. Starting in 2027, the tournament will officially use the name FIVB Volleyball World Cup, while remaining the next global championship for national teams.
A total of 32 teams will compete in the tournament. The event will also play an important role in Olympic qualification: the three highest-ranked teams that have not yet secured a place at the 2028 Olympic Games will earn qualification spots for the Los Angeles Games.
The final matches will be held at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The cities that will host the group-stage and Round of 16 matches will be announced at a later date.
Participants
The tournament will feature 32 national teams. In addition to teams qualifying through continental championships and other qualification mechanisms, the United States and Canada will automatically qualify as the host nations, while Italy will enter the tournament as the reigning world champion.
The final list of participants will be confirmed once the qualification process is completed.
Favourites
Several traditionally strong national teams can be considered among the main contenders for medals:
- Italy — the reigning world champions, Olympic champions at Paris 2024 and one of the strongest teams in recent years;
- Turkey — silver medalists at the 2025 World Championship, who reached the world final for the first time in their history;
- Brazil — bronze medalists at the 2025 World Championship and one of the most successful teams in women's volleyball history;
- Serbia — 2018 and 2022 world champions who regularly compete for medals at major international tournaments;
- United States — Olympic champions at Tokyo 2020 and one of the host nations;
- China — one of Asia's leading national teams and a traditional contender for top positions.
The final list of participants and the main favourites for the tournament will become known closer to the start of the championship.
History of the Championship
The first Women's Volleyball World Championship was held in 1952 in Moscow. The tournament was played on an outdoor court at Dynamo Stadium, with the Soviet Union winning the title.
The Soviet team also won the next two World Championships, in 1956 and 1960. For many years, the Women's World Championship was held every four years, but from 2025 the tournament moved to a two-year cycle.
Since 2025, the World Championship has featured 32 national teams. The format includes a group stage followed by knockout rounds.
Several countries have hosted the World Championship throughout its history. Japan has hosted the tournament the most times, with five editions. The Soviet Union hosted it three times, while Brazil hosted it twice.
Only a few host nations have managed to win the World Championship on home soil. The Soviet Union won the title in Moscow in 1952, while Japan became world champions at home in 1967.
Previous Championship Results
| Year | Host country | Results / places |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Thailand | 1 — Italy; 2 — Turkey; 3 — Brazil |
| 2022 | Netherlands, Poland | 1 — Serbia; 2 — Brazil; 3 — Italy |
| 2018 | Japan | 1 — Serbia; 2 — Italy; 3 — China |
At the 2025 World Championship in Thailand, Italy won the title after defeating Turkey 3–2 in the final. It was Italy's second World Championship title following their victory in 2002. Turkey reached the World Championship final for the first time in its history and claimed the silver medal. Brazil finished third.
In 2022, Serbia won the World Championship for the second consecutive time. The Serbian team defeated Brazil in the final, while Italy took the bronze medal.
In 2018, Serbia also won the gold medal, finishing ahead of Italy and China.
2029 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship
The next tournament after the 2027 championship will take place in 2029. The Philippines have been awarded the right to host the 2029 Women's World Championship.
The exact dates, host cities and final tournament structure will be determined at a later date. The 2029 championship will be another edition of the new FIVB two-year cycle.
Keep an eye on the dates of the FIBA Women's World Championship and other events in our Sports Events Calendar.
