The host location for the VNL 2026 Finals has been revealed.

The reigning VNL champions for men and women are Poland and Italy respectively—two powerhouses in international volleyball at present.

The Federation of Volleyball recently officially announced the plans for the 2026 VNL season—an annual international tournament featuring top national teams. According to the schedule, VNL 2026 will take place over several weeks, spanning from June to August across 12 countries and 17 host cities, promising an exciting and emotionally charged summer for fans worldwide.

The most notable highlight of the 2026 season is China being chosen to host both the men's and women's final rounds. Specifically, the women's finals will be held in Macau at the end of July, while the men's finals will take place in Ningbo in early August—a city that successfully hosted the event in 2025. This marks a historic milestone, underscoring China's growing significance on the international volleyball map.

The women's tournament will kick off in early June at three opening venues: Canada, Brazil, and China, before moving through several stages in Europe and Asia. Immediately following, the men's competition will proceed, traveling across countries in the Americas and Europe before concluding in China. The 2026 season will also feature new participants, with the Ukrainian women's team and the Belgian men's team making their VNL debuts.

The announcement for VNL 2026 comes amid the tournament's rapid global growth in influence. The 2025 season set numerous records for viewership and engagement across television and digital platforms. VNL now reaches fans in over 200 territories, with a total live audience exceeding 883,000 in 2025—a 56% increase over three years. On the VBTV streaming platform, watch time surged by more than 240%, reaching over 819 million minutes.

In many countries, VNL's appeal even surpasses other major sports events. In Brazil, volleyball averages higher weekly audiences than Formula 1, Wimbledon, or the NBA, while the men's VNL final delivered the highest viewership in 25 years for Poland's Polsat Sport channel.

Regarding the new season, Mr. Ugo Valensi—CEO of Volleyball World—emphasized that VNL is not just a sports competition but is evolving into a global volleyball festival. Alongside top-tier matches, VNL 2026 will continue to expand community activities and heritage art projects, aiming to create lasting cultural and social impacts in each host city, bringing volleyball closer to audiences worldwide.