Progress and empowerment: FIVB Board of Administration approves key proposals from FIVB Commissions and Councils

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, April 14, 2025.- Among the proposals approved were the establishment of World Volleyball Day (7 July), the expansion of the World Ranking, and much more!

The FIVB Board of Administration took several key decisions on various proposals from the Commission and Councils during its meeting, all aligned with the FIVB Strategic Vision 2032’s mission to serve the Global Volleyball Movement.

Volleyball Council – World Ranking expansion

The Board approved a World Ranking proposal aligned with the current international volleyball landscape. The new proposal expands the number of event categories included and aims to foster the expanded participation of national teams. The FIVB’s dynamic World Ranking system provides an accurate assessment of a team’s technical performance, and is a credible tool for tracking a team’s progress and development over time.

Under the new framework, each Continental Confederation may include up to two Annual Continental Events in the World Ranking, while each Zonal Association may include one Annual Zonal Event. To be eligible for World Ranking points, official competitions must feature a minimum of four senior national teams.

Another key change is related to team inactivity. Previously, teams were considered inactive after one year without competition. Following the Board’s approval, this period has now been extended to two years, effective as of 2025.

The Board also approved several competition structure updates in volleyball. Notably, team rosters for Age Group World Championships will expand from 12 to 14 players to align with evolving competition demands. Meanwhile, the structure of U17 events will be brought into line with U19 and U21 tournaments, featuring 24 teams, the same qualification processes, competition formats, and world ranking points allocation.

Following the request of the Volleyball Federation of Serbia, the FIVB U19 Girls’ World Championship will see logistical adjustments, with the addition of an extra day to assist with travel, and a change in host city from Belgrade to Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia.

Heritage and Legacy Commission – World Volleyball Day!

Following the approval of the FIVB Board of Administration, 7 July has officially been established as World Volleyball Day. The date commemorates the first public demonstration of volleyball by William Morgan in 1895, and will annually serve as a global celebration of volleyball.

Beach Volleyball Commission – Beach volleyball turnaround

In line with the FIVB Strategic Vision 2032, in which beach volleyball turnaround is one of 15 priorities, the Board approved a proposal to launch a test in 2025 to allow beach volleyball coaches to coach on the field of play.

Focused on enhancing athlete development and creating richer in-game narratives, the pilot will cover 15 events from 23 July to 5 October 2025, including four Elite, three Challenge and eight Futures events. Should the trial be positive, then phase two of the test will see the initiative extended to all remaining events in 2025 and 2026, including the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships Adelaide 2025.

Medical Commission – 2026 FIVB Medical Congress

The Board also approved the proposal to organise a FIVB Medical Congress in 2026. The Congress will explore medicine, health and fitness within the context of volleyball. Further details will be released in due course.

Rules of the Game & Refereeing Commission – Enhancing clarity and flow

Several changes were approved to streamline the sport and make it more accessible to fans.

In volleyball, to reduce sudden rally interruptions, teams will no longer be able to request a mid-rally Challenge. Instead, teams can request a Challenge at the end of rally to review the referees’ decision regarding any action during the rally, including the service.

In both volleyball and beach volleyball, a new interpretation of the double touch rule was approved for testing. Double contact will be allowed during the setting action, provided the ball remains on the same side of the court, with faults only called for two clear consecutive touches. For balls played into the opponent’s court, as well as catches and lifts, the current interpretation will still apply. In volleyball, this new rule interpretation will be applied during the VNL 2025, then assessed before wider application across events. Meanwhile, in beach volleyball, it will be applied at the Gstaad Elite, Montreal Elite, Brazil Challenge and Baden Challenge, before being applied more widely.

Finally, the Board approved changes to the beach volleyball video challenge regulations to align with a regulation existing in volleyball where the referee’s decision remains final, but the team retains its Challenge in case of inconclusive video evidence.

Coaches Commission – New initiatives

Following the Board’s approval, a test will be conducted at the VNL 2025, age group and senior world championships, to amend out-of-rotation rules for the receiving team. Specifically, it will test the out of rotation error for the receiving team where the referees’ whistle defines the rotation, and the toss of the serve defines the moment that the athlete can change position on the court.

In addition, ongoing efforts will continue to promote female coaches and increase their visibility as role models within the sport. The Board approved a proposal for all female national teams at the VNL 2026 and Age Group World Championships to have at least one female coach registered on the match roster list

Communication Commission – Global Volleyball Movement campaign in 2025.

The Board supported the recommended launch of the Global Volleyball Movement campaign, a major digital initiative designed to expand the sport’s reach and enhance engagement worldwide. The campaign aims to strengthen volleyball’s relevance in society and promote positive change through sport.

Legal Commission – Regulatory updates

Finally, the FIVB Board of Administration approved proposed updates to the Terms of Reference (Article 5.5 of the FIVB General Regulations), reflecting recent changes to the structure and naming of the FIVB Commissions and Councils.

In addition to the Terms of Reference, important amendments to the FIVB Sports Regulations were approved to allow for more flexibility for younger athletes. Among the key regulatory changes were updates to the rules regarding national team representation and Federation of Origin (FoO). A player may now change their Federation of Origin to the Federation of Origin of his/her nationality if their FoO differs from the nationality they held prior to the initial determination of their FoO. This change must be made before either the player is registered on an O-2 form for the national team of their original FoO or before the player reaches the age of 18.

Further updates were made to the special case related to eight-year residency. Specifically, the maximum age at which a player can benefit from this special case has been increased to 38 years old. Players who apply for this special case may also have previously represented a senior national team of their initial Federation of Origin but will not be eligible to represent the national team of their new Federation.

The tracked change version of the updates to the Regulations will be published next week on the FIVB website.