When the VNL (Volleyball Nations League) 2026 got underway this week, the world’s top women’s national teams returned to the court for an opening week packed with incredible action.
But on the benches, another important story was also taking shape.
Across the opening week of the women’s VNL 2026, 13 of the 18 participating teams registered at least one female coach among their team staff: Helia Rogerio de Souza Pinto (Brazil), Carolyn O’Dwyer (Canada), Yang Hao (China), Karmen Kocar (Czechia), Candida Estefany Arias Perez (Dominican Republic), Sabrina Dridi (France), Logan Tom (Germany), Shizuka Mishima (Japan), Henrianne Verhoek (Netherlands), Agnieszka Rabka (Poland), Jelena Blagojević (Serbia), Onuma Sittirak (Thailand) and Tayyiba Haneef-Park (USA).
It marks a powerful early impact for the FIVB’s female coach initiative. Approved by the FIVB Board of Administration in 2025, it aims to encourage all women’s national teams competing in the VNL to include at least one female coach from 2026 onwards.
The objective is simple. More women in coaching. More women visible across the game. More opportunities for female coaches to gain experience at the highest level of international volleyball.
To further strengthen the initiative, the FIVB provides each women’s national team participating in the VNL with financial support when a female coach is registered on O2bis. Teams meeting this requirement also benefit from an additional coach on the bench, allowing six team staff members instead of five.
The same commitment is also being built into the next generation of international volleyball. At the Volleyball Age Group World Championships, teams must include at least one female coach on their roster, including at this year’s FIVB Girls’ U17 World Championship 2026 set to take place from 6 to 16 August in Santiago, Chile.
For the FIVB, this is part of a wider Strategic Vision 2032 commitment to make volleyball more accessible, affordable and understandable for everyone.
Volleyball is the most gender-equal team sport in the world. With equal prize money, equal participation, equal rules and a gender-balanced global fanbase, equality is part of the sport’s DNA. It is the FIVB’s “Together as One” philosophy in action: equal opportunities, equal visibility and equal respect, on and off the court.
Now, the focus is on ensuring that volleyball continues to serve as a platform for the growth, empowerment and visibility of women in sport across all levels.
The start of VNL 2026 shows that progress is already being made. It also shows what can happen when commitment is matched with practical support.
