FIVB Women's Volleyball World Cup 2027: 18 of 32 Spots Confirmed as Continental Qualification Concludes

After all five women's continental volleyball championships came to an end, the first phase of the qualification process for the 2027 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Cup was officially completed. According to the summary published by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), 18 of the 32 teams that will take part in the finals are now known, after continental berths were allocated at the five continental championships held during 2026.

Besides defending champions Italy and the two co-host nations Canada and the United States of America, the list of 18 women's national teams that have secured their spots at the 2027 World Cup also includes Argentina, Brazil, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Japan, Kenya, Poland, Puerto Rico, Serbia, Thailand and Turkiye. Notably, all 18 berths were confirmed during the continental qualification phase alone, meaning that more than half of the final tournament field has already taken shape.

The first three berths

The first three berths at the 2027 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Cup were reserved for Italy, Canada and the United States of America. Italy received a berth as the winners of the 2026 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship and as defending champions of the event, while Canada and the United States of America were awarded berths as the two co-host nations of the 2027 edition.

Italy's early qualification allows the team to plan its preparation carefully and to rotate its squad at international events over the next two years. For Canada and the United States of America, home advantage is a factor highly rated by experts, especially given that the 2027 World Cup will feature 32 teams, a far larger scale than in previous editions.

NORCECA: Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico

At the 2026 NORCECA Women's Volleyball Continental Championship held in Santo Domingo, Cuba and the Dominican Republic became the first teams to book their tickets to the 2027 global event. Along with World Cup hosts Canada and the United States of America, who already had berths, the two teams reached the semifinals and thereby secured the first continental tickets.

In the final standings, Cuba finished third and the Dominican Republic finished fourth. The third NORCECA continental berth went to Puerto Rico, which placed fifth in the final ranking of the tournament in Santo Domingo.

The fact that three teams from the Caribbean and Central America region secured berths reflects the high level of competitiveness of women's volleyball in NORCECA, where teams play a dense schedule and standards are relatively even. Cuba and the Dominican Republic have long been familiar names on the world stage, while Puerto Rico has for many years maintained its status as one of the most difficult opponents in the region thanks to a fast-paced style and resilient defence.

Asia: Thailand, China and Japan

At the 2026 AVC Women's Volleyball Asian Championship held in the Chinese city of Tianjin, Thailand and China claimed the first two berths by advancing together to the gold medal match. Thailand then beat hosts China to take the continental crown, while the Chinese national team, one of the strongest forces in world women's volleyball, had to settle for second place on home soil.

Japan won the bronze medal match in Tianjin and became the third Asian team to qualify for the 2027 World Cup. The landscape of Asian women's volleyball therefore continues to be defined by the familiar trio of China, Japan and Thailand. These are also the three teams that most regularly represent the continent at world events and form the leading group in terms of results over many years.

Notably, Thailand's Asian title shows that the Southeast Asian side has made significant progress in competitive maturity, having beaten the host nation on its own court. For China, the runner-up finish was not the desired outcome, but the World Cup berth was still secured by reaching the final.

Africa: Egypt, Kenya and Cameroon

Egypt and Kenya were the first African teams to secure passage to the World Cup in Canada and the United States of America. They did so by progressing to the final of the 2026 CAVB Women's Volleyball African Nations Championship held in Nairobi, Kenya. Egypt went on to top the podium, while the host team Kenya had to settle for the runner-up position.

Cameroon celebrated the continental bronze medals in Nairobi and claimed Africa's third ticket to the World Cup. The presence of Cameroon alongside Egypt and Kenya shows that African women's volleyball is gradually forming a relatively stable leading group, in which Egypt and Kenya are the two teams with the most notable records on the continental stage.

Europe: Serbia, Poland and Turkiye

Three European teams booked their tickets to the 2027 World Cup after advancing to the semifinals of the 2026 CEV Women's Volleyball European Championship, alongside already qualified defending champions Italy. The other three EuroVolley semifinalists were Serbia, Poland and Turkiye, and these are precisely the three teams that picked up Europe's continental berths.

On the EuroVolley podium in Istanbul, the order was Turkiye, Italy and Serbia. Italy's qualification before the European Championship began created a special situation: a semifinal place at EuroVolley no longer carried direct qualification significance for that team, but it still helped determine the remaining three European qualifiers.

This outcome also reflects the reality that European women's volleyball is one of the regions with the densest concentration of strong teams in the world. Even after three berths were awarded, many other quality teams from the continent remain outside the list of 18, underlining how demanding the race for tickets is in Europe.

South America: Brazil, Argentina and Colombia

At the end of the penultimate competition day at the 2026 CSV Women's Volleyball South American Championship in Rio de Janeiro, the three teams that would book tickets to the 2027 World Cup were already known: Brazil, Argentina and Colombia. On the following day, the order on the continental podium was confirmed accordingly, with Brazil taking gold, Argentina silver and Colombia bronze.

Brazil continues to assert its position as the number one team in South American women's volleyball, while Argentina and Colombia are two names that reflect the steady development of the region. For Colombia, appearing at the 2027 World Cup is an opportunity to gain further experience at the highest level of national team competition.

The 18 teams that have secured berths at the 2027 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Cup

1. Italy (defending champions)
2. Canada (co-host)
3. United States of America (co-host)
4. Cuba (NORCECA)
5. Dominican Republic (NORCECA)
6. Puerto Rico (NORCECA)
7. Thailand (Asia)
8. China (Asia)
9. Japan (Asia)
10. Egypt (Africa)
11. Kenya (Africa)
12. Cameroon (Africa)
13. Serbia (Europe)
14. Poland (Europe)
15. Turkiye (Europe)
16. Brazil (South America)
17. Argentina (South America)
18. Colombia (South America)

A view from Vietnamese women's volleyball

For Vietnamese volleyball fans, the most notable piece of information from the FIVB summary is that the Vietnamese women's national team is not among the 18 teams that have secured berths at the 2027 World Cup in this phase. Asia's three berths went to Thailand, China and Japan, matching the group of teams that have dominated regional women's volleyball for many years.

The gap between the leading group in Asia and the rest, including Vietnam, remains a long-term challenge that requires coordinated investment, from youth development and the quality of the domestic league to the organisation of regular international training camps and matches. Thailand's Asian title, won on Chinese soil, is proof that a Southeast Asian team can reach the top of the region with a methodical and consistent development strategy.

On a positive note, the fact that the 2027 World Cup will feature 32 teams, with 14 berths still undetermined, means opportunities remain, although the source has not detailed the mechanism for allocating the remaining spots. Vietnamese women's volleyball will therefore need to closely follow further FIVB announcements to set appropriate goals for the coming competition cycle.

The remaining 14 berths and what has not been announced

The FIVB summary confirms that 18 of the 32 teams have secured berths, which means 14 berths remain undetermined. The source did not specify the criteria for allocating these 14 berths, nor did it announce a specific timeline for the next qualification phase.

In principle, once the continental qualification phase is over, the remaining berths are usually allocated through mechanisms set by the international federation, such as the world ranking or additional qualification tournaments. However, fans should wait for official FIVB announcements for accurate information rather than relying on unverified assumptions.

Key takeaways from the first qualification phase

First, all five continental championships concluded during 2026, keeping the qualification process on schedule and allowing teams that qualified early to plan their long-term preparation.

Second, host nations of the continental championships all made their mark. China reached the Asian final at home but were beaten by Thailand; Kenya reached the African final in Nairobi but lost to Egypt; Turkiye won EuroVolley on home soil in Istanbul; Brazil won the South American title in Rio de Janeiro.

Third, there were few major surprises in the list itself. Most of the teams that qualified are familiar names in world women's volleyball, showing the stability of the current hierarchy on the international map.

Fourth, the presence of representatives from Africa and South America such as Cameroon and Colombia shows that opportunities to play at the 2027 World Cup have expanded considerably compared with previous editions, thanks to the 32-team format.

Fifth, allocating three berths per continent gives continental confederations a clearer role in the qualification system while ensuring geographic representation at the finals.

Conclusion

The first phase of qualification for the 2027 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Cup has ended with 18 national teams certain to appear in Canada and the United States of America. Among them, Italy, Canada and the United States of America were confirmed first, followed by continental berths awarded to Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Thailand, China, Japan, Egypt, Kenya, Cameroon, Serbia, Poland, Turkiye, Brazil, Argentina and Colombia.

With 14 berths still to be decided, the qualification process still has much ahead. Nevertheless, the fact that more than half of the participants have been confirmed after the continental phase alone shows that the 2027 World Cup is taking clear shape in terms of both scale and composition, while setting concrete targets for the teams still chasing a ticket.