LAUSANNE, Switzerland, March 28, 2023.- The FIVB has officially announced the qualification process and competition format for the inaugural editions of the FIVB Volleyball Girls’ and Boys’ U17 World Championships which are set to be held between July and August next year.
2024 will mark the debut of the U17 World Championships, which will be held every two years thereafter, as the FIVB strives to provide more opportunities for talented young volleyball players to participate in world-class, international events.
A total of 16 teams per gender will participate in the first edition of the tournament, with teams able to qualify via the respective Age Group Continental Championships held in 2023. One quota space will be allocated to the host team, while three quota places will be available per Continental Confederation.
The FIVB Volleyball U17 World Championships will be held over eight days, with a rest day on the fourth day of the event. Eight matches will be played per day, resulting in a total of 56 matches throughout the course of the competition.
The preliminary rounds will be played in a round robin format with four pools across days 1-3 of the tournament, with the top teams from each pool advancing to knockout stages. The eighth-finals, quarterfinals and semifinals will take place on the days 5-7, culminating in the finals on day 8.
Meanwhile, the bottom two teams in each pool following the preliminary rounds will compete in classification playoffs for positions 9 to 16 of the final results.