The Road to Los Angeles 2028 – synthesized and clear

The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have officially launched the new Olympic cycle by approving the qualification systems for volleyball and beach volleyball for the Los Angeles 2028 Games. The process will cover the period 2026 2028 and will determine the participants in both tournaments, which will take place from July 14 to 30, 2028.

Indoor volleyball will be played at the Honda Center a modern sports arena, while beach volleyball will be hosted at Alamitos Beach in Long Beach a symbolic location where the sport originated over a century ago.

Indoor Volleyball: 12 men's and 12 women's teams

The total number of participants in the Olympic volleyball tournament remains unchanged 12 teams for men and 12 for women. The USA, as the host country, has a guaranteed spot in both tournaments.

The three main qualification pathways

1. Continental Championships 2026 (5 spots for each gender)
Between August 21 and September 27, 2026, continental championships will be held in Asia, Africa, Europe, South America, and NORCECA. The winner of each zone earns a direct Olympic quota.

A special case is the NORCECA zone: since the USA is already qualified as the host, the Olympic spot will be determined through a mini-playoff among the top four teams (excluding the USA), with semifinals and a final.

2. World Championships 2027 (3 spots for each gender)
The Women's World Championship (August 20 September 5, 2027) will be co-organized by the USA and Canada, and the Men's World Championship (September 10 26, 2027) will be held in Poland.
The top three teams in the final standings, who have not yet qualified, receive Olympic quotas.

3. FIVB World Ranking 2028 (3 spots for each gender)
The final quotas will be distributed after the end of the preliminary phase of the Volleyball Nations League 2028 in June.
The three highest-ranked teams of each gender who have not qualified by then will be selected. Priority will be given to continents without representation, and then to the best in the ranking.

Summary:
The composition of each Olympic tournament will be formed by:

5 continental champions
3 teams from the World Championships
3 teams from the world ranking
1 spot for the host country (USA)

The deadline for team confirmation and registration is June 26, 2028.

Beach Volleyball: 24 pairs for men and 24 for women

A total of 48 teams (pairs) will participate in the beach volleyball tournament, with each NOC able to enter up to two teams per gender. The USA has one guaranteed spot but can earn a second through standard qualification pathways.

Four paths to Olympic quotas

1. Continental Qualification – 2026 (5 spots per gender)
Winners of the continental championships or finals in 2026 secure a quota for their NOC.

2. World Championships – 2027 (1 spot per gender)
The World Championships in the Netherlands in 2027 will grant one direct quota each to the men's and women's champions, subject to a maximum of two teams per NOC.

3. Olympic Ranking – 2028 (14 spots per gender)
The bulk of the quotas will come from the Olympic Ranking, which will close in 2028. The top 14 teams per gender will receive a quota.

4. Olympic Qualification Series (OQS) – 2028 (3 spots per gender)
The last chance for qualification will be a special qualification series, for which additional details will be announced in 2026.

Bulgaria's path to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games is long, multi-stage, and highly dependent on accumulating points in the world rankings. The good news is that the men's national team has already made a significant breakthrough – starting from 19th place and climbing to 9th position within one calendar year. This fundamentally changes the country's starting point in the Olympic race.

When will the Olympic matches be played

All indoor volleyball matches will take place at the Honda Center from July 15 to 30, 2028.
The group stage will be between July 15 and 23, the quarterfinals on July 24 and 25, the semifinals on July 26 (men) and July 27 (women), and the medal matches will be played between July 28 and 30, with the gold medal finals on July 29 (men) and July 30 (women).

The new qualification system for Los Angeles 2028 is more structured, long-term, and clearly distributed over time. For strong volleyball nations, the main path goes through continental and world championships, while the world ranking remains the last chance for those who have not succeeded earlier. FIVB's goal is clear – global representation, but also the highest possible sporting level for the Olympic tournament.