December 9, 2025.- Positive momentum continues to build for the Global Volleyball Movement as the FIVB Board of Administration met on Friday, both at Volleyball House in Lausanne and online, to advance key priorities under the FIVB Strategic Vision 2032.
The meeting opened with an update on the FIVB’s financial outlook, followed by progress reports on ongoing regulatory reviews. The Board also approved an addition to the FIVB Heritage & Legacy Commission, welcoming George Mulry, Executive Director of the International Volleyball Hall of Fame.
Further, the Board approved the creation of a new North Central Volleyball Association, which will come into effect on 1 January 2026, uniting Canada, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the USA in a new zonal structure that reflects the sport’s growing regional collaboration and strength. In addition, Members ratified the FIVB International Centre of Excellence Framework & Indicators, setting in motion a transition that will bring all existing development centres under a unified Centre of Excellence system and introduce an enhanced training camp model through Volleyball Empowerment 2.0.
Calendar planning featured prominently, with Members approving adjustments set for 2026. It was confirmed that Continental Confederations will stage their gender-specific Continental Championships between 21 August and 27 September 2026, allowing flexibility around regional needs. It was also approved that the national league seasons for 2026-27 will also begin earlier. Specifically, they will now start on the Friday of the preceding weekend, rather than on the previously scheduled Monday (on 2 October for women and 16 October for men), creating an additional action-packed weekend of league action.
Proposed updates to the FIVB Sports Regulations were also approved. These included a new limit of two players who have changed their Federation of Origin on any final O2bis roster, new eligibility criteria requiring either three years’ residency in the new Federation or nationality acquired before the determination of Federation of Origin, and a restriction preventing players from changing their Federation of Origin if they have represented their original Federation at any level. These changes are proposed to take effect on 28 February 2026.
In addition to the decisions and discussions held during the meeting, Board members had also reviewed extensive pre-read materials ahead of the session. These materials included updates on Volleyball World and progress on the FIVB Strategic Vision 2032, with particular emphasis on the continued rise in the number of teams in both volleyball and beach volleyball world rankings – a clear sign of ongoing competitive development across the world. The pre-reads also included updates on the achievements through the Volleyball Empowerment programme, which has now supported 206 National Federations through 1,658 projects backed by USD 53 million in investment. Members were also briefed on the FIVB’s recent sustainability initiatives and the latest from the Volleyball Foundation, whose Board met earlier in the week.
Board members also received, in their pre-read package, written recaps of the highly successful major events in 2025, including the 2025 Volleyball Nations League; the Age Group World Championships across Croatia, Serbia, Uzbekistan, Indonesia and China; and the World Championships in Thailand and the Philippines. Additional updates covered preparations for the upcoming 2025 Club World Championships in Brazil, the 2026 Continental Championships and broader long-term calendar development. Beach volleyball reflections and projections were similarly included, outlining developments in the 2025 Beach Pro Tour across five continents, the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships 2025 in Australia, the Beach Volleyball Age Group World Championships and plans for the Beach Pro Tour’s evolution from 2026.
The Board meeting concluded with an update on preparations for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028, reaffirming continued collaboration with key partners to deliver world-class volleyball and beach volleyball competitions on the Olympic stage once again.
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