The 2027 Men's Volleyball World Championship will culminate in Krakow. The former capital of Poland will host the semi-finals and medal matches, and the news was announced by the president of the Polish Volleyball Federation, Sebastian Świderski.

The stakes are extremely high – the top three teams in the final standings will win direct quotas for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. This makes the championship a strategically key tournament in the Olympic cycle.

The Bulgarian trace in Krakow – a memory from Euro 2017.

The arena in Krakow is not unfamiliar to the Bulgarian national team. It was there that "the Lions" played during the 2017 European Championship and reached the quarter-finals of the tournament.

Back then, Bulgaria showed a solid performance in the group stage and the knockout rounds, and the atmosphere in the Polish arena was at a high level – full stands, excellent organization, and the volleyball euphoria typical of Poland. For the national players, this was one of the most memorable participations on the European stage in the last decade.

This very arena will once again be the stage for the biggest battles – this time for a world title and Olympic quotas.

The initial plan – finals in Warsaw.

According to Świderski, the initial idea was for the finals to be held at the National Stadium in Warsaw. Extensive discussions were held, but Krakow subsequently came forward with a specific initiative during the Wagner Memorial last year.

After months of negotiations, a letter of intent was signed, officially making the city the fifth host of the championship. Expectations are for between 15,000 and 16,000 spectators to fill the stands for the semi-finals and medal matches.

Five cities and 32 teams – the scale grows.

The 2027 World Championship will take place in five Polish cities:

• Gdańsk

• Olsztyn

• Łódź

• Katowice

• Krakow

The format remains 32 teams, divided into 8 groups. Unlike the 2025 World Championship in the Philippines, where matches were played in only two venues, Poland will rely on a broader infrastructure.

This will be the first time the country independently organizes a World Championship with 32 teams, after co-hosting with Slovenia in 2022.

Draw in the salt mine and a possible winter format.

The draw for the group stage is planned to take place in the Wieliczka Salt Mine – one of the most iconic places in Poland.

In parallel, a potential relocation of the World Championships to the winter period is being discussed, aiming for better synchronization of the international calendar after the 2028 Olympics. Final decisions have not yet been made, but discussions with FIVB continue.

A tournament of historical significance

With the three direct quotas for Los Angeles 2029, the 2027 World Cup will have significance far beyond the battle for medals. For Bulgaria, the memory of Euro 2017 in Krakow remains positive, and the opportunity to play in this hall again with such a stake adds additional emotional charge.

Krakow has already proven it can be the stage for great volleyball nights. In 2027, it will decide not only the world title but also part of the Olympic fate of the leading national teams.

Photos:pzps.pland Nikolay Varadinov