The 2025 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship is the planned 20th tournament of the FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship for women's national volleyball teams, organized by the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB). The tournament is scheduled to be played in Thailand from 22 August to 7 September 2025. It is planned to be the first under two-year cycles in odd-numbered years with an expanded format featuring 32 teams.
The tournament will be the first World Championship to be hosted in Southeast Asia, and the first of two consecutive World Championships in 2025 to be held in this region, preceding the Men's World Championship in the Philippines. Thailand will become the third country in Asia to host the World Championship, following Japan and China. The competition will also be the first world senior championship in Olympic team sports to be hosted in Thailand.
Previously, the competition format was determined through agreements between the host country and the FIVB, resulting in varying and inconsistent formats. In March 2022, the FIVB Board of Administration approved the new proposed World Championship format.[2] To standardize, the proposed format started with a pool phase and then proceeded with a direct elimination phase. Additionally, they proposed increasing the number of teams from 24 to 32 to guarantee universality. The new format of the World Championship was confirmed in late 2022 and started with this edition.[3][4]
In May 2022, the FIVB revealed the television rights agreement for Polsat covering the competition events from 2022 to 2032, which included a new event to be held in 2025 and 2029.[5] Before that, Fabio Azevedo, now the FIVB president and a member of the Board of Administration, suggested that the World Championships be held in 2027 and subsequently every two years, while the Continental Championships would take place in 2026 and 2028, serving as qualifiers for the World Championships.[2] However, the proposed timeline was moved up after the FIVB announced the competition calendar for 2025 to 2028 in June 2023, shifting the World Championships to 2025 and using the 2023 Continental Championships as qualifiers for that event.[6][7]
Host selection
The bidding procedure to host the 2025 and 2027 FIVB World Championships began in August 2023. National federations had until 31 August 2023 to register interest.[8] At least five countries placed rival bids for the 2025 FIVB Women's World Championships: Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.[9][10] As Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam have been the largest and fastest-growing markets for volleyball and some of these countries had not enough potential to host the expanded World Championship alone, the FIVB viewed co-hosting among four countries as the best option to share related risks and benefits, strengthen cordial ties among the co-host countries and promote the sport in Southeast Asia.[11][12]
Initially, the announcement of the host country was scheduled to held in March 2024 but was postponed by withdrawals, confused bidding condition and political uncertainty.[13] The Philippines withdrew its bid in March 2024 due to the confused bidding condition and its selection as single host of the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship.[14][15][16] Vietnam later withdrew its bid, citing financial reasons.[17][18] On the other hand, Thailand did not consider withdrawing its bid, but its bid was slowed down due to complex administrative procedures, with the high budget for the tournament requiring joint consideration with the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT), the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF), and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS).[19][20] After successfully hosting the final round of the 2024 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League, the FIVB preferred Thailand to be the host the World Championship.[21][22] Eventually, the FIVB and the Volleyball World announced that Thailand was selected as the sole host of the tournament at the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Elective General Assembly on 30 August 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand.[23][24] Following the announcement of the host country, the host agreement was signed by then-president of the FIVB Ary Graça and the president of the Thailand Volleyball Association (TVA) Somporn Chaibangyang. The selection was subject to the guarantee of the Government of Thailand which was renewed due to the dismissal of Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin by the Constitutional Court on 14 August 2024.[25][26][27][28] The new government was established on 6 September 2024; however, by November 2024, its guarantee had yet to be ratified.[29][30][31] After a long time, the government guaranteed its subsidies to the World Championship on 3 December 2024 and formally informed the FIVB by 6 December 2024.[32][33]
The qualification criteria and slot allocation of the expanded World Championship were approved by the FIVB Board of Administration.[34][35] Similar to the 2022 World Championship, the number of places in the finals allocated to each of the continental zones was not based on the numbers participating in the qualification round and relative performance of the confederations' teams from the previous edition (for example, NORCECA had the second most slots in 2018 with six due to a large number of teams in the continental qualifiers (34) and the high performance of their teams in 2014).[36][37] Every confederation was awarded the same slot allocation with three, determined by the ranking of its Continental Championships in 2023. As a courtesy, the host team receives an automatic berth selection, as has happened with the immediate past tournament winner in 2022. The remaining places were determined by the FIVB World Ranking at the end of August 2024, without the continental bias.[38]
Of FIVB's 222 national federations, 62 women's national teams entered or qualified for the Continental Championships in 2023, while Russia and Belarus were barred due to suspension from CEV and FIVB competitions following their country's invasion of Ukraine.[39][40] For Europe, eleven additional teams entered the qualifiers of their Continental Championship. The other nine teams were listed in the FIVB World Ranking at the end of August 2024, but did not compete in their Continental Championships.[41]
Status of countries with respect to the 2025 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship:
Qualified to the World Championship
Failed to qualify
Suspended
Neither entered in the Continental Championships nor listed in the FIVB World Ranking at the end of August 2024
Defending championsSerbia qualified automatically.[42] Therefore, its performance in the 2023 European Championship were not taken into account for the CEV slots. Amidst the unresolved host selection process, the all-Asian candidate teams—including Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam—continued to pursue their qualification in the 2023 Asian Championship in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. If the host team was ranked in the top three, its AVC slot was allocated to the fourth-place team. However, Indonesia refused to join the tournament.[43]
On 5 September 2023, Thailand and China advanced to the final of the 2023 Asian Championship and qualified directly for the World Championship. Japan followed them after beating Vietnam in the bronze medal match the next day.[53][54] However, when Thailand was named the host country on 30 August 2024, Vietnam also qualified, making its debut in the tournament.[55][56]
Finally, the remaining fifteen places were allocated to the highest-ranked teams according to the FIVB World Rankings at the end of August 2024.[41] All of these teams were from CEV and NORCECA, with twelve from CEV and three from NORCECA.[57]Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden made their World Championship debut. Meanwhile, France, Spain, Ukraine and Greece returned to the tournament after long absences, having last participated in 1974, 1982, 1994, and 2002, respectively. Additionally, Cuba and Mexico returned to the tournament after missing the 2022 edition. In contrast, South Korea, Kazakhstan and Croatia, all of whom qualified for the 2022 edition, failed to qualify due to insufficient rankings.
The following thirty-two teams qualified for the tournament, listed by the method of qualification.
aOriginally qualified on 5 September 2023 as the Asian champions. Its spot was allocated to Vietnam, after being awarded hosting rights on 30 August 2024.
cFinished at the European Championship as the runner-up. Its spot was allocated to Italy, after qualifying as the defending champion.
dDesignated as Türkiye by the FIVB
eCompeted as East Germany from 1956 to 1990 (7 times) and as West Germany from 1956 to 1990 (8 times); 8 appearances as Germany.
fDesignated as Czechia by the FIVB
gCompeted as Czechoslovakia from 1952 to 1986 (8 times); 4 appearances as Czech Republic.
Format and schedule
The tournament will be played in two rounds: a preliminary round (pool phase) and a final round (direct elimination phase). During the preliminary round, 32 qualified teams will be divided into eight pools, labeled A through H, with four teams in each pool. In this phase, every team within a pool will compete against the other three teams once. After the pool phase, the top two teams from each pool will advance to the final round, creating a round of 16 teams. Simultaneously, the bottom two teams from each pool will be ranked from 17th to 32nd based on the Team Combined Ranking System.
The final round will follow a single-elimination format with the round of 16 match-ups determined by each team's pool and ranking position. The initial pairings—A1 versus H2, H1 versus A2, D1 versus E2, E1 versus D2, B1 versus G2, G1 versus B2, C1 versus F2, and F1 versus B2—will ensure that teams from pools A, D, E, and H will not encounter with teams from pools B, C, F, and G until the final match. As the competition progresses, the round of 16 losers will be ranked from 9th to 16th according to the Team Combined Ranking System, while the winners advance to the quarterfinals. The quarterfinals will follow a similar pattern, with losing teams ranked from 5th to 8th, and victorious teams moving to the next stage of the competition. In the semifinals, the losers will compete for the third place, while the winners will face each other in the final match.[58]
Based on the FIVB World Rankings at the end of August 2024, the tournament seeding followed a protocol where Thailand, as the host country, was automatically assigned to position A1, and the top seven teams in the World Rankings were placed as the first position in their respective pools. These top-seeded teams include Italy (B1), Brazil (C1), the United States (D1), Turkey (E1), China (F1), Poland (G1) and Japan (H1), distributing the highest-ranked teams across different pools.
For the draw, the 24 non-seeded teams were allocated into three pots based on the World Rankings. Pot 1 featured the next eight high-ranked teams, notably including the defending champion Serbia, while Pot 2 contained the subsequent eight highest-ranked teams, and Pot 3 comprised the eight lowest-ranked teams in the competition. The draw process followed a systematic approach, beginning with Pot 3 and concluding with Pot 1, where each selected team was assigned to the available pool in alphabetical order, utilizing a serpentine system that alternates the direction of team placement.[63]
Seeding
Teams were seeded using the FIVB World Rankings at the end of August 2024 (shown in parentheses), which were published on 30 August 2024.[41]
The eight pools were formed through a random draw, with one team selected from each of the three pots and assigned to a pool based on their pot placement. Eight teams had their positions in the draw predetermined: host nation Thailand, positioned as A1, and the top seven teams in the World Rankings, each occupying the first position in their respective pools. These top-seeded teams include Italy (B1), Brazil (C1), the United States (D1), Turkey (E1), China (F1), Poland (G1), and Japan (H1).[64]
Thailand proposed a tournament hosting plan featuring four potential cities across two strategic options. The first option centered on Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima, with Bangkok designated to host the final round. The alternative proposal expanded the venues to include Chiang Mai and Phuket for preliminary matches.[65] These cities represented key urban centers in their respective regions, with Nakhon Ratchasima, Bangkok, and Chiang Mai being the largest cities in their areas. Phuket was the notable exception, being the second-largest city in Southern Thailand after Hat Yai. In December 2024, the Thai government officially endorsed the four-city hosting proposal.[66] Later, FIVB confirmed the tournament was hosted in four separate cities on 11 December 2024.[60]
In the tournament, each group strategically selected host cities based on multiple factors such as local interest, tourist demographics, and national connections.[67] Pool A and H (seeded by Thailand and Japan) will compete in Bangkok, capitalizing on their strong fan base among local volleyball enthusiasts. Phuket will host Pool B and G (seeded by Italy and Poland), leveraging its appeal to European tourists.[68] Chiang Mai is planned to be the venue for Pool C and F (seeded by Brazil and China), taking advantage of the city's popularity among Chinese travelers.[69] Meanwhile, Nakhon Ratchasima with its historical connection to the United States Air Force, will host Pool D and E (seeded by the United States and Turkey).
Indoor arenas
The following four indoor arenas hosted for the tournament.
To establish the ranking of teams after the preliminary round, the following criteria will be implemented:[75]
Total number of victories (matches won, matches lost)
In the event of a tie, the following first tiebreaker will apply: The teams will be ranked by the most point gained per match as follows:
Match won 3–0 or 3–1: 3 points for the winner, 0 points for the loser
Match won 3–2: 2 points for the winner, 1 point for the loser
Match forfeited: 3 points for the winner, 0 points (0–25, 0–25, 0–25) for the loser
If teams are still tied after examining the number of victories and points gained, then the FIVB will examine the results in order to break the tie in the following order:
Set quotient: if two or more teams are tied on the number of points gained, they will be ranked by the quotient resulting from the division of the number of all set won by the number of all sets lost.
Points quotient: if the tie persists based on the set quotient, the teams will be ranked by the quotient resulting from the division of all points scored by the total of points lost during all sets.
If the tie persists based on the point quotient, the tie will be broken based on the team that won the match of the Round Robin Phase between the tied teams. When the tie in point quotient is between three or more teams, these teams ranked taking into consideration only the matches involving the teams in question.
Teams combined ranking system
To establish the final ranking of teams of the tournament, the following criteria will be implemented:[75]
Position of the team in the Pool (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th)
Total number of victories (matches won, matches lost)
In the event of a tie, the following first tiebreaker will apply: The teams will be ranked by the most point gained per match as follows:
Match won 3–0 or 3–1: 3 points for the winner, 0 points for the loser
Match won 3–2: 2 points for the winner, 1 point for the loser
Match forfeited: 3 points for the winner, 0 points (0–25, 0–25, 0–25) for the loser
If teams are still tied after examining the number of victories and points gained, then the FIVB will examine the results in order to break the tie in the following order:
Set quotient: if two or more teams are tied on the number of points gained, they will be ranked by the quotient resulting from the division of the number of all set won by the number of all sets lost.
Points quotient: if the tie persists based on the set quotient, the teams will be ranked by the quotient resulting from the division of all points scored by the total of points lost during all sets.
If the tie persists based on the point quotient, the tie will be broken based on the team that won the match of the Round Robin Phase between the tied teams. When the tie in point quotient is between three or more teams, these teams ranked taking into consideration only the matches involving the teams in question.
After the round of 16 and the quarterfinals, the eliminated teams will be ranked in the final standings according to the Teams Combined Ranking System, which takes into account all matches played during both the preliminary and final rounds.
In the preliminary round, competing teams are divided into eight pools of four teams (pools A to H). Teams in each pool will play one another in a round-robin, where the top two teams will advance to the final round. Meanwhile, the bottom two teams from each pool will be ranked from 17th to 32nd based on the teams combined ranking system.
In the final round will follow a single-elimination format with teams from pools A, D, E, and H segregated from pools B, C, F, and G until the final match. The round of 16 losers will be ranked from 9th to 16th places, while the quarterfinal losers will be ranked from 5th to 8th places according to the teams combined ranking system. In the semifinals, the losers will compete for the third place, while the winners will face each other in the final match.
The official emblem for the FIVB Volleyball World Championship, created by branding agency Landor Associates, was revealed in December 2020. Inspired by the distinctive panels of a volleyball, each stripe symbolized an athlete in motion—moving, jumping, and diving across the court—and the overall shape resembled the tournament's trophy.[76][77] The emblem's color palette was selected to represent the host nation. For this edition, the emblem featured a red color, reflective of the Thai national tricolour flag.[78]
The following brands and businesses are the global and local sponsors for the tournament. For local sponsors, Paul Poole, a marketing consultancy, has been appointed by the Volleyball World to manage sponsorship and partnership marketing efforts for the World Championship.[79][80]
^ส.ลูกยางยันไทยยังไม่ได้รับเจ้าภาพชิงแชมป์โลก ชงรัฐบาลชุดใหม่ชี้ขาด [Thailand Volleyball Association confirms that Thailand has not yet been awarded the host for the World Championship. It will be submitted for a decision by the new government.]. Matichon (in Thai). 31 August 2024. Archived from the original on 10 December 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
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