Nations League Women 2026/27

The overhaul came in 2025, and it changed who gets to play. The field grew from 16 teams to 18, and the split between "core" and "challenger" teams — the tiered membership that had shaped the tournament since its launch — was scrapped. In its place came promotion and relegation decided by the final table: the team finishing 18th drops to the FIVB Volleyball Challenger Cup, and the highest-ranked team outside the competition, usually the Challenger Cup winner, takes the vacant place.

All 18 teams play a preliminary round-robin over three weeks, 12 matches each, in host cities that rotate rather than sit in one country. The top eight then travel to a single host for the knockout stage — quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the bronze and gold medal matches.

The competition was announced in October 2017 and launched the following year, taking over from the World Grand Prix, which had run from 1993 to 2017. It is organised by the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball and commercially managed by Volleyball World, a joint venture with IMG. Unlike the World Championship and the Olympic tournament, both quadrennial, it is staged every year, which makes it the senior women's game's regular fixture between the major cycles.

The United States hold three titles, won in 2018, 2019 and 2021; Italy also have three, from 2022, 2024 and 2025. The 2024 final went to five sets, Italy beating Japan 3–2. Turkey are the reigning champions, having beaten Brazil 3–1 in the 2026 final in Macau.