FIVB Volleyball World Championship
Volleyball · FIVB
2025HolderItaly
- Latest
- Men: Philippines 2025, Italy beat Bulgaria 3–1 in the final at Pasay City; women: Thailand 2025, Italy beat Türkiye 3–2 at Bangkok [9C-M25; VW-W25]
- Next
- 2027: Poland (men), United States and Canada (women)
- Most titles
- Men: Soviet Union, 6; women: Soviet Union and Russia together, 7
- India
- Men: 8th in 1952 and 21st in 1956, the only two appearances
- Cycle
- Every four years until 2022; every two years (odd years) from 2025
Winners, newest first
2025GoldSilver3rdItalyRunners-up: Bulgaria
- Bronze
- Poland
- Runners-up
- Türkiye
- Bronze
- Brazil
2022Gold3rdSilverItalyRunners-up: Poland
- Bronze
- Brazil
- Runners-up
- Brazil
- Bronze
- Italy
2018SilverGold3rdPolandRunners-up: Brazil
- Bronze
- United States
- Runners-up
- Italy
- Bronze
- China
2014Silver3rdGoldPolandRunners-up: Brazil
- Bronze
- Germany
- Runners-up
- China
- Bronze
- Brazil
2010GoldSilver3rdBrazilRunners-up: Cuba
- Bronze
- Serbia
- Runners-up
- Brazil
- Bronze
- Japan
2006Gold3rdSilverBrazilRunners-up: Poland
- Bronze
- Bulgaria
- Runners-up
- Brazil
- Bronze
- Serbia and Montenegro
2002Gold3rdSilverBrazilRunners-up: Russia
- Bronze
- France
- Runners-up
- United States
- Bronze
- Russia
1998Gold3rdSilverItalyRunners-up: FR Yugoslavia
- Bronze
- Cuba
- Runners-up
- China
- Bronze
- Russia
1994GoldSilver3rdItalyRunners-up: Netherlands
- Bronze
- United States
- Runners-up
- Brazil
- Bronze
- Russia
19903rdGoldSilverItalyRunners-up: Cuba
- Bronze
- Soviet Union
- Runners-up
- China
- Bronze
- United States
1986Silver3rdGoldUnited StatesRunners-up: Soviet Union
- Bronze
- Bulgaria
- Runners-up
- Cuba
- Bronze
- Peru
1982GoldSilver3rdSoviet UnionRunners-up: Brazil
- Bronze
- Argentina
- Runners-up
- Peru
- Bronze
- United States
1978GoldSilver3rdSoviet UnionRunners-up: Italy
- Bronze
- Cuba
- Runners-up
- Japan
- Bronze
- Soviet Union
1974Silver3rdGoldPolandRunners-up: Soviet Union
- Bronze
- Japan
- Runners-up
- Soviet Union
- Bronze
- South Korea
1970SilverGold3rdEast GermanyRunners-up: Bulgaria
- Bronze
- Japan
- Runners-up
- Japan
- Bronze
- North Korea
19663rdGoldSilverCzechoslovakiaRunners-up: Romania
- Bronze
- Soviet Union
1962GoldSilver3rdSoviet UnionRunners-up: Czechoslovakia
- Bronze
- Romania
- Runners-up
- Soviet Union
- Bronze
- Poland
1960GoldSilver3rdSoviet UnionRunners-up: Czechoslovakia
- Bronze
- Romania
- Runners-up
- Japan
- Bronze
- Czechoslovakia
19563rdGoldSilverCzechoslovakiaRunners-up: Romania
- Bronze
- Soviet Union
- Runners-up
- Romania
- Bronze
- Poland
1952Gold3rdSilverSoviet UnionRunners-up: Czechoslovakia
- Bronze
- Bulgaria
- Runners-up
- Poland
- Bronze
- Czechoslovakia
1949Gold3rdSilverSoviet UnionRunners-up: Czechoslovakia
- Bronze
- Bulgaria
Editions to 1974, men and women, were decided by a final round robin, not a final match.
2025HolderItaly
- Latest
- Men: Philippines 2025, Italy beat Bulgaria 3–1 in the final at Pasay City; women: Thailand 2025, Italy beat Türkiye 3–2 at Bangkok [9C-M25; VW-W25]
- Next
- 2027: Poland (men), United States and Canada (women)
- Most titles
- Men: Soviet Union, 6; women: Soviet Union and Russia together, 7
- India
- Men: 8th in 1952 and 21st in 1956, the only two appearances
- Cycle
- Every four years until 2022; every two years (odd years) from 2025
Winners, newest first
20253rdGoldSilverItalyRunners-up: Bulgaria
- Bronze
- Poland
- Runners-up
- Türkiye
- Bronze
- Brazil
2022Silver3rdGoldSerbiaRunners-up: Poland
- Bronze
- Brazil
- Runners-up
- Brazil
- Bronze
- Italy
20183rdSilverGoldSerbiaRunners-up: Brazil
- Bronze
- United States
- Runners-up
- Italy
- Bronze
- China
20143rdSilverGoldUnited StatesRunners-up: Brazil
- Bronze
- Germany
- Runners-up
- China
- Bronze
- Brazil
20103rdSilverGoldRussiaRunners-up: Cuba
- Bronze
- Serbia
- Runners-up
- Brazil
- Bronze
- Japan
2006SilverGold3rdRussiaRunners-up: Poland
- Bronze
- Bulgaria
- Runners-up
- Brazil
- Bronze
- Serbia and Montenegro
2002Gold3rdSilverItalyRunners-up: Russia
- Bronze
- France
- Runners-up
- United States
- Bronze
- Russia
1998GoldSilver3rdCubaRunners-up: FR Yugoslavia
- Bronze
- Cuba
- Runners-up
- China
- Bronze
- Russia
1994GoldSilver3rdCubaRunners-up: Netherlands
- Bronze
- United States
- Runners-up
- Brazil
- Bronze
- Russia
1990GoldSilver3rdSoviet UnionRunners-up: Cuba
- Bronze
- Soviet Union
- Runners-up
- China
- Bronze
- United States
1986SilverGold3rdChinaRunners-up: Soviet Union
- Bronze
- Bulgaria
- Runners-up
- Cuba
- Bronze
- Peru
1982GoldSilver3rdChinaRunners-up: Brazil
- Bronze
- Argentina
- Runners-up
- Peru
- Bronze
- United States
19783rdGoldSilverCubaRunners-up: Italy
- Bronze
- Cuba
- Runners-up
- Japan
- Bronze
- Soviet Union
1974SilverGold3rdJapanRunners-up: Soviet Union
- Bronze
- Japan
- Runners-up
- Soviet Union
- Bronze
- South Korea
1970GoldSilver3rdSoviet UnionRunners-up: Bulgaria
- Bronze
- Japan
- Runners-up
- Japan
- Bronze
- North Korea
1967Gold3rdSilverJapan
- Runners-up
- United States
- Bronze
- South Korea
1962SilverGold3rdJapanRunners-up: Czechoslovakia
- Bronze
- Romania
- Runners-up
- Soviet Union
- Bronze
- Poland
1960GoldSilver3rdSoviet UnionRunners-up: Czechoslovakia
- Bronze
- Romania
- Runners-up
- Japan
- Bronze
- Czechoslovakia
1956Gold3rdSilverSoviet UnionRunners-up: Romania
- Bronze
- Soviet Union
- Runners-up
- Romania
- Bronze
- Poland
1952Gold3rdSilverSoviet UnionRunners-up: Czechoslovakia
- Bronze
- Bulgaria
- Runners-up
- Poland
- Bronze
- Czechoslovakia
Editions to 1974, men and women, were decided by a final round robin, not a final match.
India at the World Championship
India's men finished 8th at the 1952 championship in the Soviet Union and 21st at the 1956 championship in France. They have not qualified since; India was suspended for the 2018 cycle. India's women's record is still to source.
More about this tournament
Medal table (men and women, top 10)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soviet Union | 11 | 4 | 4 | 19 |
| 2 | Italy | 7 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| 3 | Brazil | 3 | 7 | 3 | 13 |
| 4 | Japan | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| 5 | Poland | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| 6 | Cuba | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| 7 | Czechoslovakia | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| 8 | China | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 9 | United States | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| 10 | Russia | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
History
How it began
The first men's championship was played in Czechoslovakia in 1949, and the first women's in Moscow in 1952. The Soviet Union won both.
Champions by era
The Soviet Union won six men's titles to 1982 and, with Russia, seven women's titles. Italy won three men's titles in a row in the 1990s and two more in 2022 and 2025. In 2025 Italy held the men's and women's titles at the same time, and its women were the first since Cuba in 2002 to hold the Olympic and world titles together.
Firsts and facts
- First men's championship: Czechoslovakia, 1949; first women's: Moscow, 1952.
- First women's championship hosted by two countries: Netherlands and Poland, 2022.
- Bulgaria's 2025 final was its first for 55 years, since 1970. [9C-M25]