The second-ever World Volleyball Day on 7 July 2026 belonged to the fans. One year after the Global Volleyball Movement made history with the inaugural celebration – reaching more than 280 million people across social media – volleyball lovers of all ages, on every continent, returned to make the day even bigger, sharing the sport through their own eyes under this year’s theme: #VolleyballYourWay.
The invitation was simple: show the world where you play, who you play with and what volleyball means to you. And fans delivered, everywhere. From casual beach rallies in Australia and the Pacific to pick-up games in parks across Europe, from school playgrounds in Asia and Africa to community courts across the Americas, timelines around the world filled with the moments that make volleyball special – proof that all it takes is a ball, some space and the desire to play.
That’s the beauty of World Volleyball Day. Whether competing at the highest level or picking up a ball for the very first time, every volleyball story is worth celebrating – and this year, fans in every time zone told those stories in their thousands, using #WorldVolleyballDay, #WVD2026 and #VolleyballYourWay to join a single global conversation that rolled across the planet.
Grassroots communities on every continent organised their own tournaments, rallies and pick-up games to mark the occasion. In Holyoke, Massachusetts – the birthplace of the sport – young players and supporters flocked to the International Volleyball Hall of Fame’s day of celebrations, capped by a unique exhibition match played through the eras of volleyball history. In Doha, more than 150 young people came together for a day of tournaments and challenges, while in Bhubaneswar, India, fans watched the country’s next generation of stars in an exhibition match on the sport’s global day.
The celebrations were made even greater by the #WVD2026 giveaway series, which put prizes into the hands of the Global Volleyball Movement in the weeks leading up to the big day. Seven volleyballs and beach volleyballs signed by the world’s top players, seven annual VBTV subscriptions and seven exclusive artworks from the Olympic Games Paris 2024 all found new homes with fans across the globe.
Then came the grand prize. On World Volleyball Day, fans had one final chance to win the biggest reward of the campaign: a seven-day, all-inclusive trip to a 2026 FIVB event of their choice, including the option of the Women’s Volleyball Nations League Finals in Macau or the Men’s Volleyball Nations League Finals in Ningbo. Entry was simple – share what volleyball means to you in a public post, add #WorldVolleyballDay, and follow @fivb, @volleyball.foundation and @volleyballworld. Entries poured in from every corner of the world before the lucky winner was announced on 8 July.
But World Volleyball Day is about far more than prizes. It is a celebration of the values that unite the Global Volleyball Movement – teamwork, friendship, respect, perseverance and belonging – and of a sport with a place for everyone, no matter their age, background, location or ability level.
While we won’t be able to feature every single post, we have loved seeing every piece of content celebrating World Volleyball Day 2026 – from every continent and in every language. Thank you to every fan who grabbed a ball, gathered their friends, family or teammates, and played their own way. A new tradition is here to stay – and it belongs to all of you, wherever in the world you play.
See you on 7 July 2027!
