Volleyball Leagues & Organizations

Volleyball is governed worldwide by the FIVB, which runs world events such as the World Championship and the VNL, and by five continental confederations, which run competitions in their own regions. The strongest club volleyball is played in national professional leagues such as Italy's SuperLega and Poland's PlusLiga.

World governing body

FIVB (founded 1947)

Confederations

CEV, NORCECA, CSV, AVC, CAVB

US governing body

USA Volleyball

Top national-team events

Olympics, World Championship (World Cup from 2027), VNL

Strong domestic leagues

Italy, Poland, Turkey, Brazil, Japan

Governing bodies & confederations

The Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), founded in 1947 and based in Lausanne, Switzerland, is the world governing body for indoor and beach volleyball. It writes the official rules, organizes the world championships and publishes the world rankings. Each of its five confederations is responsible for the sport in its region:

• CEV — Confédération Européenne de Volleyball: governs volleyball in Europe.
• NORCECA — North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation: North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
• CSV — Confederación Sudamericana de Voleibol: South America.
• AVC — Asian Volleyball Confederation: Asia and Oceania.
• CAVB — Confédération Africaine de Volleyball (African Volleyball Confederation): Africa.

How volleyball is organized in the US

• USA Volleyball is the national governing body. It's the US member of the FIVB, picks the national teams, and runs junior and adult club volleyball through its regions (see club volleyball).
• High school volleyball plays under rules written by the NFHS (National Federation of State High School Associations).
• College volleyball in the NCAA has championships for women's and men's indoor volleyball and, since 2016, for women's beach volleyball (see recruiting). The rules differ by gender: NCAA women's volleyball has its own rulebook, while NCAA men's volleyball plays USA Volleyball's rules with NCAA modifications.
• AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals), founded in 1983, runs the main US pro beach tour.

That's why some rules on this site, like libero serving, differ between FIVB and US play.

Major international competitions

Internationally, countries compete with national teams and clubs compete against other clubs. The headline events are:

• Olympic Games: volleyball's biggest stage, contested by national teams (indoor and beach) every four years.
• FIVB World Championship: the FIVB's flagship world title for national teams. Since 2025 it has been held every two years (in odd-numbered years) with 32 teams; before that it was held every four years. The FIVB has announced that the tournament will be known as the FIVB Volleyball World Cup, starting with the 2027 edition (men in Poland, women in the United States and Canada).
• Volleyball Nations League (VNL): an annual national-team competition launched in 2018, replacing the former World League (men) and World Grand Prix (women).
• CEV Champions League: Europe's top annual club competition, run by the CEV.
• FIVB Club World Championship: usually held every year, bringing together leading club champions from around the world.
• Beach Volleyball World Championships: the FIVB's world title for beach pairs, held every two years since 1997.
• Beach Pro Tour: the international beach circuit for pairs, run by the FIVB and Volleyball World since 2022, when it replaced the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour.

To see how national teams stack up, browse the men's and women's FIVB world rankings, or the beach rankings for men and women.

Top domestic professional leagues

Most of the world's best club players compete in a handful of strong national leagues. Among the most prominent:

• Italy — SuperLega (men) and Serie A1 (women): widely regarded as among the strongest leagues in the world.
• Poland — PlusLiga (men): one of the best-attended and most competitive men's leagues.
• Turkey — Efeler Ligi (men) and Sultanlar Ligi (women): the women's league in particular is a global powerhouse.
• Brazil — Superliga (men and women): the leading league in the Americas.
• Japan — SV.League (men and women): launched for the 2024–25 season as Japan's new top professional league.
• United States: a young but fast-growing women's professional scene, with League One Volleyball (LOVB) and Major League Volleyball (MLV) both playing pro seasons. The landscape is still changing, so check each league's website for current teams.

Deep dive: how the game is organized

National teams vs clubs

Volleyball runs on two tracks. National teams represent their country at the Olympics, the World Championship and the VNL, qualifying through their confederation. Clubs employ professional players and compete in their domestic league and in continental or world club competitions. Many top players do both — club volleyball for most of the year, national-team duty in the international windows.

Names and formats change

League titles often carry a sponsor's name, newer professional leagues are still being established, and the FIVB periodically reformats its calendar. For current schedules and official league names, check the league's or governing body's website.

Where volleyball came from

This global structure grew from a single YMCA invention in 1895 — see the history of volleyball for how the sport and its federation developed.

Frequently asked questions