National teams will begin competing for places at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and the 2027 FIVB Volleyball World Cup when continental championships across five regions take place from August to September.
The tournaments represent the first opportunity in the current international cycle for teams to earn Olympic qualification through their respective continental championships.
One team from each of the five continental competitions will secure an LA28 quota place in both the men’s and women’s events, accounting for five Olympic berths in each competition.
The championships will also determine part of the field for the 2027 FIVB Volleyball World Cup. The three highest-placed eligible teams from each continental tournament will qualify, filling 15 of the 32 available places in both the men’s and women’s competitions.
Matches will also contribute points toward the FIVB World Ranking, which will play a role in determining remaining qualification places.
The women’s continental schedule begins on August 21, with competitions in Europe, Asia and the NORCECA. Africa’s women’s championship starts two days later, while the South American tournament will run from September 8-13.
Europe will stage women’s competition across Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Czechia and Sweden, with the concluding phase in Istanbul. Italy, Türkiye, Serbia, Poland and the Netherlands are among the teams in the field.
Tianjin, China, will host the Asian women’s championship, where China, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam are among the contenders. Santo Domingo will stage the NORCECA tournament, while Nairobi and Rio de Janeiro will host the African and South American championships respectively.
The men’s programme begins in September, starting with the Asian championship in Fukuoka, Japan, from September 4-13. Japan, Iran, China, Qatar and Korea are among the participating teams.
Kinshasa will host the African championship from September 7-21, while Europe’s tournament begins on September 9 and concludes on September 26. European matches will be spread across Italy, Bulgaria, Finland and Romania, with the final stage taking place in Milan.
Italy, Poland, France, Slovenia and Türkiye are among the European men’s teams competing for the continental title and qualification places.
The NORCECA men’s championship will be played in Moncton from September 11-19, followed by the South American tournament in Rio de Janeiro from September 15-20.
The United States has already received an Olympic quota place as host of LA28 but will continue to compete in both NORCECA championships.
Under the regional qualification format, the four highest-finishing teams other than the United States will advance to a separate semifinal and final phase. The winner will claim NORCECA’s available Olympic qualification place.
Canada, Cuba and the Dominican Republic are among the men’s contenders in the region, while the Dominican Republic, Canada and Puerto Rico will be among the teams challenging the United States in the women’s tournament.
In South America, Brazil and Argentina are among the leading men’s contenders, while Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Peru feature in the women’s competition. Africa’s fields include Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya on the men’s side, with Kenya, Egypt and Cameroon among the women’s teams.
With continental titles, Olympic quotas, World Cup places and ranking points at stake, results over the coming weeks could have a significant influence on the international volleyball landscape heading toward LA28.