16 European teams to fight for glory at the 2025 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship

The 20th edition of the FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship will throw off on Friday, 22 August, in Thailand, with 32 teams at the start, divided into eight pools of four teams each, with the top two teams in each pool progressing to the next phase of the competition.

Half of the participating teams – 16 – come from Europe, with the continent being the best represented at the start of the competition, including the winners of the last two editions of the competition, Serbia.

A plethora of superstars are ready to deliver in the 20th edition of the world volleyball competition, with familiar faces at the start of the competition, with familiar faces aiming for greatness, such as reigning European champions, Türkiye, which are aiming for their maiden medal in the competition, or Italy, which have won the title only once, in 2002.

Italy, which have proven their strength in the 2025 FIVB Women’s Nations League this summer, winning the trophy, will be favoured in Pool B, due to take place in the Phuket Municipal Stadium, where they face two other European sides, Belgium and Slovakia, plus Cuba, which last finished in the top-10 in 2006.

Türkiye, the reigning European champions, have been drawn in Pool E, facing two other European sides, Bulgaria and Spain, as well as Canada, having not finished higher than the sixth place secured in 2010, when the competition finished in Japan. But with a strong team and a mastermind on the bench in Daniele Santarelli, Türkiye have big ambitions in Thailand.

The title holders, Serbia, have been drawn in Pool H, where they will be favoured to progress with matches against Japan, Cameroon and Ukraine being played, as the experienced European side is looking for their third title in a row, a performance only managed by the Soviet Union in the inaugural three editions of the competition.

Bronze medallists at the CEV EuroVolley Women 2023, the Netherlands will be facing some tough competition in Pool A, where they face hosts Thailand, Egypt, as well as Sweden, which will be boasting an MVP-calibre player in Isabelle Haak.

France and Greece are headed to Pool C, where they meet Brazil and Puerto Rico, while Czechia and Slovenia, with the latter side making their debuts at the FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship, are in Pool D, alongside with title contenders USA and Argentina.

Poland and Germany will definitely be favoured in Pool G, where they face Vietnam and Kenya, while the only pool not to contain European sides is Pool F, where China, Colombia, Mexico and the Dominican Republic will collide for the places in the knockout phase.

The preliminary round is scheduled to take place in Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Nakhon Ratchasima between 22 and 27 August. The top 16 teams will then start the knockout phase on 29, 30, 31 August and 1 September.

The quarter-finals will be played in Bangkok on 3 and 4 September, with the semi-finals scheduled for 6 September. The medallists will then be known on 7 September.