The Netherlands confirmed as host of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships 2027 by Board of Administration
The FIVB Board of Administration met online yesterday to continue strengthening the future of volleyball and beach volleyball, with key decisions, strategic updates and exciting developments for the sport explored.
A major highlight from the meeting was the official confirmation of the Netherlands as the host nation for the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships 2027. Find out more here.
FIVB President Fabio Azevedo presented the FIVB’s Investment Strategy, underscoring a powerful commitment to giving back to the sport. Between 2021 and 2024, the FIVB redistributed 74% of its revenue – over USD 100 million – into volleyball, through prize money, Volleyball Empowerment support and transfer reimbursements.
Further to this, Head of Volleyball Empowerment and National Federation (NF) Relations Hitesh Malhotra presented data on the impact of the Volleyball Empowerment programme. Notably, since 2017, 175 NFs have benefitted from coach support programmes aimed at building long-term technical capacity. Currently, there are 150 active coach support projects across the world.
Additionally, since 2022, there has been a 300% increase in the number of NFs supported by Volleyball Empowerment participating in the FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship, and a 320% increase for the Women’s edition.
The Development and Sustainability Department, led by Paulo Barone, also presented its latest work, while updates were provided by Volleyball World and the FIVB Volleyball Foundation.
Ahead of the meeting, the Board of Administration also received comprehensive updates on a busy calendar of upcoming events from Head of Volleyball Alise Kessler and Head of Beach Volleyball Yu Cao, with time allocated for questions during the meeting. These events include the ongoing 2025 edition of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL), as well as the FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship 2025, set to be hosted in the Philippines, and the Women’s World Championship which will take place in Thailand. This year’s Age Group World Championships and the 2025 Club World Championships were also covered.
In beach volleyball, the pre-meeting report focused on the Beach Pro Tour 2025, the highly anticipated FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships, which will take place this year in Adelaide, Australia from 14 to 23 November, and the FIVB Beach Volleyball Age Group World Championships.
The success of volleyball and beach volleyball at Paris 2024 featured prominently in the meeting, with FIVB Secretary General Hugh McCutcheon and General Sports Director Steve Tutton providing a detailed overview of the sports’ impact at the Games. They also previewed next week’s one-year anniversary celebrations at City Hall in Paris and shared insights into preparations for the Olympic Games LA28, as momentum continues to build.
FIVB Head of International Affairs and Communications Anna Manuelian presented a report on the inaugural World Volleyball Day, held on 7 July 2025. The celebration brought together millions of fans and stakeholders from around the globe, with digital engagement reaching an impressive 280 million people across social media platforms.
In terms of governance, the Board of Administration approved several changes to the composition of its Councils and Commissions. Hubert Tomaszewski of Poland was appointed to the Volleyball Council, while three-time Olympian and President of the FIVB Athletes’ Commission Louise Bawden of Australia was added to the VNL Council. Both were added as experts to their respective Councils and Commissions.
Meanwhile, Emanuel Rego of Brazil stepped down from his role as Secretary of the Heritage and Legacy Commission and has been succeeded by Australian beach volleyball legend and Sydney 2000 Olympic gold medallist Kerri Pottharst. Additionally, Marina Tsui of Hong Kong replaced Terry Sasser on the Finance Commission and Internal Auditors Commission. Tsui had previously been appointed as a substitute Internal Auditor during the 39th FIVB World Congress in Porto, Portugal.
Finally, the Board of Administration reviewed and approved the FIVB’s 2024 financial accounts, including the Profit & Loss Statement, Balance Sheet and the FIVB Controller’s Report. The 2025-2026 budget was also presented, setting the financial foundation for the next phase of global growth.
The FIVB Board of Administration will next meet in Manila, the Philippines during the FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship which is set to take place from 12 to 28 September 2025.
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