Following the decision by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) to shake up the regularity of major volleyball tournaments hosted, we will perhaps see volleyball as a sport grow in stature as it begins to enjoy more exposure and potential coverage. Compared to other sports followed on a global scale, volleyball would not rank amongst the likes of football, NFL, tennis or Formula One, but the hope is that the sport can enhance its reputation over the next decade.
From 2025, the FIVB will host the Volleyball World Championships every two years instead of every four years. The World Championships are one of the biggest events in volleyball, arguably just as big as the Olympic Games. This should not be confused with the Volleyball World Cup, which acts as the first qualification event for the Olympic Games. With the increased regularity of major tournaments, along with the Club World Cup action, those interested in using the Bet365 sign up code will have a lot more action to follow over the coming years, with betting markets become more widely available.
It often takes something drastic to reinvigorate a sport. Over the decades, soccer has witnessed a raft of rule changes to evolve the game. Even a sport like cricket has introduced different formats over the years to entice different audiences. The NFL is also increasing the number of countries they play overseas matches in. Volleyball already has a solid foundation to build on with countries from all over the world participating in major events. The hope from the FIVB is that the expansion of the World Championships to 32 teams will involve more countries and fans on a much larger scale.
Over the next four years, fans will have two editions of the World Championships (2025 & 2027), as well as the Continental Champs (2026 & 2028) on each continent to look forward to, as well as the Olympic Games this summer in Paris and in 2028 in Los Angeles. There is also hope that the increased exposure to volleyball will also spike interest in participance in volleyball amongst the younger age groups. The FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program is another aspect that can also benefit from revolutionary changes to the sport. The aim of the program is to increase the technical level of national teams and athletes on a worldwide scale to allow them to compete for major honors.
It is an exciting time for volleyball fans. Many passionate fans of the sport will hope that the changes approved by the FIVB will bring volleyball closer to the current mainstream sports and provide a huge boost for all those, men, and women, with aspirations for a career on the court.
