It has been revealed where the Women's Volleyball World Champion will be determined in 2027. The Honda Center in Anaheim, California, will host the entire final phase of the World Championship – the quarterfinals, semifinals, and final.
The choice of venue is particularly interesting because just one year later, the Honda Center will also be the arena for the men's and women's Olympic volleyball tournaments at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
Thus, the best women's national teams in the world will have a kind of dress rehearsal for the Olympics precisely at the place where the Olympic medals will be distributed next summer.
FIVB announced the American host cities for the 2027 Women's World Championship. In addition to Anaheim, matches will be held in Omaha, Nebraska, and Orlando, Florida. The USA and Canada are co-hosts of the tournament, with the Canadian cities yet to be announced.
The CHI Health Center Arena in Omaha and the Kia Center in Orlando will host group stage matches and the Round of 16, after which the tournament will move to the Honda Center for the decisive battles.
The World Championship will take place from August 20 to September 5, 2027, with the participation of 32 national teams.
18 of the 32 participants are already known
Following the conclusion of the five continental qualification tournaments, 18 of the 32 participants for the 2027 World Championship are now known.
Defending world champion Italy received a direct spot in the tournament, as did co-hosts USA and Canada.
The remaining 15 teams so far secured their quotas through the continental championships, with each of the five confederations producing three participants.
From Europe, these are Turkey, Serbia, and Poland. The three teams reached the semifinals of EuroVolley 2026 along with already qualified Italy, thus taking the three European quotas.
From Asia, Thailand, China, and Japan qualified; from Africa – Egypt, Kenya, and Cameroon; from South America – Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia; and from the NORCECA zone – Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico.
Thus, the confirmed participants so far are: Italy, USA, Canada, Turkey, Serbia, Poland, Thailand, China, Japan, Egypt, Kenya, Cameroon, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico.
There are still 14 vacant spots. These will be allocated according to the FIVB world ranking among national teams that have not yet qualified.
The 2027 World Championship will also offer Olympic quotas
The World Championship will also have a direct bearing on Olympic qualification. The three highest-ranked teams that have not yet secured a quota for Los Angeles 2028 will receive Olympic visas.
This means that the Honda Center could prove to be a doubly special place for some participants – there they will pursue the world title in 2027 and at the same time the opportunity to guarantee their return to the same venue for the Olympic Games a year later.
Ticket prices for the 2027 World Championship will be announced in mid-October, when the tournament groups are also expected to be revealed.
Photo: Troutfarm27/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
