February 26, 2026.- The FIVB Volleyball Boys’ U17 World Championship 2026 will take place in Doha, Qatar from 19 to 29 August 2026, bringing together 24 teams from all five continental confederations.
The tournament will apply the new competition format recently confirmed by the FIVB Board of Administration, marking its early implementation ahead of adoption across all junior events from 2027 and serving as a key step in preparation for the 2029 Men’s World Championship.
The inaugural FIVB Volleyball Boys’ U17 World Championship was held in Sofia, Bulgaria in August 2024 and featured 16 teams from across the globe. Of those 16 participants, 10 nations return for 2026, including Italy, Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Egypt, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain, Tunisia and Chinese Taipei, while 14 teams are making their first appearance at the U17 World Championship in Doha as the event expands to a 24-team field.
Italy will arrive in Doha as reigning world champions after securing the title at the inaugural Boys’ U17 World Championship, setting the benchmark for the second edition of the tournament. They are joined by Spain, France, Poland, Czechia, Romania, Türkiye and Bulgaria, underlining the depth of the European field following qualification through the CEV pathway.
Puerto Rico, Cuba, the United States and Mexico is NORCECA’s quartet, reflecting the continent’s consistent presence at the global age-group level.
Asia’s representation reflects both host participation and continental qualification strength. Qatar enter automatically as hosts, while Pakistan, Iran, India, Japan and Chinese Taipei earned their places through AVC competition, reinforcing the continent’s continued commitment to youth development.
Argentina return to the Boys’ U17 World Championship after finishing as silver medallists at the inaugural edition, reinforcing South America’s position among the leading regions at youth level. They are joined by Brazil and Venezuela, bringing further depth and tradition to the continent’s representation in Doha.
Africa’s line-up comprises Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria, completing the continental representation at the world championship.
The Drawing of Lots for both the Boys’ and Girls’ U17 World Championships will be held on 18 March in Lausanne, Switzerland, and will be streamed live, determining the final composition of the pools ahead of the tournament.
Competition format
The Boys’ U17 World Championship in Doha will apply the new competition format recently approved by the FIVB Board of Administration, serving as its first implementation ahead of adoption across all junior events from 2027.
Under the new structure, the 24 teams will be divided into six pools of four teams for the pool phase, with each team competing in a round-robin format.
Following the preliminary round, the two teams from each pool, together with the four best third-placed teams, will advance to the Round of 16.
From the Round of 16, the tournament will follow a straight knockout system. Winners progress to the quarterfinals and semifinals before contesting the gold and bronze medal matches, while classification playoffs will determine final positions for all teams.
The Round of 16 will be played on 25 August. The quarterfinals and classification playoffs are scheduled for 27 August, the semifinals and placement matches for 28 August, with the medal matches and remaining classification matches concluding the championship on 29 August. A total of 52 matches will be contested under the new format.
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