New Calendar Aims for Optimal Athlete Preparation and Health
The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) has unveiled Volleyball Calendar for 2025-2028. The release, announced ahead of the Olympic cycle, adopts a ‘less is more’ philosophy to enhance athlete and team preparation.
Over the past 18 months, the FIVB collaborated extensively with key stakeholders including athletes, coaches, national federations, and commercial partners to design this new calendar. It emphasizes the significance of the club season while prioritizing major international events such as the Volleyball Nations League (VNL), World Championships, and Continental Championships. Streamlining the qualification pathways for the World Championships and Olympic Games, the new system utilizes existing events and World Rankings.
Central to the new calendar is the focus on athlete health and well-being. Compared to the previous Paris 2024 cycle, the 2025-2028 schedule increases recovery and preparation time for players, allocating 11.5 weeks per year and extending this to 13 weeks in the Olympic year 2028.
The calendar’s optimization includes setting consistent dates for flagship events and simplifying tournament formats.
FIVB President Dr. Ary S. Graça lauded the new calendar as the best ever released. He stated that the feedback from comprehensive consultations has been overwhelmingly positive. Dr. Graça anticipates the participation of top athletes and teams in all major events and expects the biennial World Championships, featuring 32 teams per gender, to expand the hosting and participation opportunities for more countries.
The full Volleyball Calendar 2025-2028 can be found here
