VNL 2021: Every match counts

At the 2021 FIVB Volleyball Nations League, the teams are competing not only for match points, but also for FIVB Volleyball World Ranking points as the new dynamic ranking system introduced in 2019 considers the odds among the teams to make every match count, by adding or subtracting ranking points.

Following the first three days of incredible action in the women’s competition, some of the World Ranking highlights include Japan scoring the highest number of World Ranking points (15.7) in one match by defeating China 3-0 which saw the team climb from seventh to fourth in the ranking. The ranking is updated after each match in official competitions.

Meanwhile, USA has now moved to first place in the Women’s World Ranking, with China in second, Brazil in third and Turkey in fifth place. The current top 10 teams also include Serbia, Russia, Italy, Dominican Republic and Netherlands ranked sixth to tenth respectively.

To follow the FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Ranking live, click here, while the FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Ranking can be found here.

The FIVB Volleyball World Ranking plays a fundamental role in qualification and seeding for the Olympic Games and Volleyball World Championships. As an example, for the FIVB Volleyball World Championships 2022, 11 women’s and 12 men’s teams will qualify through the World Ranking and the seeding distribution of the pools will also use the ranking.

Based on both teams' score and historical match data, the algorithm calculates the probabilities of all six outcomes of the match (3-0, 3-1, 3-2, 2-3, 1-3 or 0-3). The actual result of the match is then compared with the expected results that were previously calculated. If a team over-performs and exceeds expectations, the team scores world ranking points. If the team under-performs, then the team loses world ranking points. The closer the actual match result is to the most expected outcome, the smaller the number of world ranking points that will be won and lost.

The new World Ranking System considers match results from the following official competitions:

• Olympic Games and qualification

• World Championships and qualification

• Volleyball Nations League

• Volleyball Challenger Cup

• World Cup

• Continental Championships and qualification

• FIVB recognised international events, including annual official competitions organised by Continental Confederations with a minimum of four participating teams

The new World Ranking System makes it easier for fans to track the success of their team and compare them against a competitor, and absolutely fair for the teams that play their best in official competitions.