OFFICIAL: The World Volleyball Championship Gets a New Name

This shift is intended to create consistency with how major competitions in other sports are named, boosting the tournament's global visibility for international audiences.

The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) has announced the decision to rename the sport's most prestigious national team competition. Accordingly, the World Volleyball Championship will no longer be called the "World Championship," but will be changed to "World Cup".

This decision was approved by the FIVB's top leadership, marking a significant adjustment to align with the sport's robust global growth and expansion. The new name will be used for the first time at the 2027 tournament, when the men's event is held in Poland and the women's event takes place in two North American countries: the United States and Canada.

According to the FIVB, adopting the "World Cup" name aims to create uniformity with the titles of major events in other sports. This helps increase the tournament's recognizability for a global fanbase while solidifying volleyball's standing within the international sports landscape.

In recent years, the FIVB has continuously implemented reforms to elevate its premier tournament. Specifically, during the 2022-2023 period, the organization announced several key changes regarding its scale and frequency. Starting from the most recent edition in 2025, the number of participating teams in each men's and women's event was increased to 32 national squads. Furthermore, the tournament also shifted to a biennial cycle, held every two years instead of every four.

This very change enabled the Vietnamese women's volleyball team to make its debut at this prestigious competition, where Tran Thi Thanh Thuy and her teammates gained valuable experience against strong opponents like Poland and Germany.

Regarding the competition format, the event retains a familiar structure similar to World Cups in other sports. National teams will first compete in a group stage before advancing to knockout rounds, followed by semi-finals and finals to determine the champion. Matches are hosted across various cities in the organizing countries, helping to spread volleyball's appeal to more regions.