How the volleyball world ranking works

Checked 20 October 2026Valid for: the FIVB Volleyball World Ranking for senior national teams (indoor), under FIVB's How it works sheet (pages 2 and 3 checked as images); and the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Ranking, in outline, from FIVB's ranking page. Official source: fivb.com, rankings. Open: the cut-points C1 to C5 that turn a strength gap into match probabilities are not published in the sheet; the sheet itself is undated.

Can a volleyball team gain ranking points by losing?

Because the FIVB ranking compares every result with what was expected. Before each match, the two teams' ranking scores are used to work out the chances of each of the six possible results: 3-0, 3-1, 3-2, 2-3, 1-3 and 0-3. If a team does better than expected, it gains points; if worse, it loses them. Whatever one team gains, the other loses.

So a narrow defeat to a much stronger team can be a gain. A narrow win over a much weaker one can be a loss.

Bigger events count for more. A match at the Olympic Games has a weight of 50; the World Championship 45; the Nations League 40; continental championships such as the Asian Championship 35; smaller confederation events 10.

The ranking covers 222 national teams per gender and changes after every match.

The one thing to remember: in volleyball every set counts, because the ranking rewards beating expectations, not only winning.

The steps for each match

Strength gap: Δ = 8 × (team 1's score − team 2's score) ÷ 1000.
Chances of each result: from a standard normal curve, using Δ and five cut-points (C1 to C5) taken from a decade of real results. For example, the chance of 3-0 is N(C1 + Δ); the chance of 0-3 is 1 − N(C5 + Δ).
Expected result (EMR): each result has a set score value; the EMR is the sum of value × chance.

Result Set score value
3-0 +2
3-1 +1.5
3-2 +1
2-3 −1
1-3 −1.5
0-3 −2
The match's value: actual set score value − EMR.
Points: that value × the match weight ÷ 8. The other team gets the same number with the opposite sign.

Result	Set score value
3-0	+2
3-1	+1.5
3-2	+1
2-3	−1
1-3	−1.5
0-3	−2

Match weights

Event	Weight
Olympic Games	50
World Championship	45
Volleyball Nations League	40
Olympic qualifying tournaments; World Cup	35
Continental championships	35
Volleyball Challenger Cup	20
Continental championship qualifiers	17.5
Other annual official confederation events	10

Which matches count

All matches of the 222 senior national teams in top FIVB competitions, the Olympics, continental championships, qualifying tournaments and annual official confederation events with at least four teams.

A worked example

Made up to show the arithmetic; the expected result is assumed, because the cut-points are not published. At the Asian Championship (weight 35), a stronger team is expected to do well: say its EMR is +0.8.

It wins 3-1: (1.5 − 0.8) × 35 ÷ 8 = about +3.06. The opponent loses 3.06.
It loses 1-3 instead: (−1.5 − 0.8) × 35 ÷ 8 = about −10.06. The opponent gains 10.06.

Beach volleyball (outline)

A different system: each pair's points from its eight best results as a team in FIVB-sanctioned or homologated tournaments over 365 days. Updated every Monday after a tournament that gives points. Ties go first to points from the World Championships and Beach Pro Tour Elite and Challenge events among those eight; then to the higher sum of the two players' technical points; then to the best single result. The points table for each event is not saved here.

Variations

Ranking	Covered here
Indoor, senior national teams	Yes
Beach volleyball	In outline
Club and youth	No