FIVB Volleyball Nations League

FIVB Volleyball Nations League
Current season	2024 FIVB Volleyball Nations League
Sport	Volleyball
Founded	2017
Inaugural	2018
Teams	16 (Core + Challenger)
Continents	International
Champion	ITA Italy (men's), TUR Turkey (women's)
Most champs	RUS Russia (2) (men's), USA United States (2) (women's)
Ceo	Ary Graça
President	Ary Graça
Related comps	FIVB Volleyball Challenger Cup
Website	[https://en.volleyballworld.com/volleyball/competitions/vnl-2023/ Official website]

Contents

History
Format
Competition results
Qualification and relegation
Media coverage
See also

FIVB Volleyball Nations League is an annual international volleyball competition organized by the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball. Launched in 2018, it replaced the long-standing FIVB Volleyball World League and FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix. The tournament features both a men's and a women's edition, with sixteen elite national teams competing in a multi-week format culminating in a final round to crown the champion.

History

The competition was conceived by FIVB President Ary Graça as part of a broader strategy to modernize the international volleyball calendar and increase the sport's commercial appeal. Its creation led to the discontinuation of the FIVB Volleyball World League, which began in 1990, and the FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix, founded in 1993. The inaugural edition in 2018 was won by the France men's national volleyball team and the United States women's national volleyball team. The event has been hosted in various global cities, with finals held in locations like Lille, Nanjing, and Turin. The 2020 FIVB Volleyball Nations League was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Format

The competition begins with a five-week preliminary round, where the sixteen teams are divided into pools of four that rotate across different host cities worldwide, such as Brasília, Kobe, and Bangkok. Each team plays twelve matches in a round-robin format within their pool. The top seven teams from the cumulative standings, along with the host nation, qualify for the final round. The finals feature a single-elimination knockout bracket, starting with quarterfinals, then semifinals, and culminating in medal matches. The tournament uses standard FIVB rules, with matches played as best-of-five sets.

Competition results

In the men's tournament, Russia won the first two editions in 2018 and 2019, while Poland triumphed in 2021. France claimed the title in 2022, and Italy won the 2023 championship. The women's competition has seen victories for the United States in 2018, 2019, and 2021. Italy won in 2022, and Turkey secured its first title in 2023. Other podium regulars include Brazil and China.

Qualification and relegation

The league comprises sixteen teams: a group of core teams with guaranteed participation and a group of challenger teams. Core team status is typically held by top-ranked nations like Brazil, United States, and Italy. Challenger teams are selected based on performance in the preceding FIVB Volleyball Challenger Cup and world rankings. The lowest-ranked challenger team at the end of the season faces relegation, being replaced by the winner of the FIVB Volleyball Challenger Cup, a system introduced to maintain competitive balance. This process is separate from qualification for events like the FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship.

Media coverage

Broadcast rights are managed by the FIVB and its commercial partner, Volleyball World. The event receives extensive global television coverage through networks like Eurosport, CCTV-5, and Fox Sports. All matches are also streamed live on the subscription-based platform Volleyball TV. The competition has sponsorship agreements with major brands such as Mikasa and Asics. Its media strategy emphasizes digital engagement, with highlights and content distributed across social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram.