The Volleyball Nations League 2026 will repeat the same competition formula as last season, featuring 18 national teams in each gender again.
A total of 116 matches per gender will be played across the Preliminary and Final phases, with every team playing a minimum of 12 matches.
In the Preliminary Phase, each participating team will play 12 matches spread across three competition weeks. There will be three pools per week played at three different venues with six teams each.
The top eight teams, as per the Teams Ranking System at the end of the Preliminary Phase, advance to the Final Phase (quarterfinals). The national team of the hosting territory of the event will have a guaranteed berth for the Final Phase.
The Final Phase will be played in a Final 8 direct elimination formula:
The 1st-ranked team will play a quarterfinal match against the 8th-ranked team, the 2nd-ranked team will play a quarterfinal match against the 7th-ranked team, the 3rd-ranked team will play a quarterfinal match against the 6th-ranked team, and the 4th-ranked team will play a quarterfinal match against the 5th-ranked team.
Quarterfinal 1: 1st-Ranked Team vs 8th-Ranked Team
Quarterfinal 2: 2nd-Ranked Team vs 7th-Ranked Team
Quarterfinal 3: 3rd-Ranked Team vs 6th-Ranked Team
Quarterfinal 4: 4th-Ranked Team vs 5th-Ranked Team
The teams that do not win the quarterfinals will be ranked 5th to 8th in the Final Standings of the VNL 2026 as per the Teams Ranking System (including the result of the Preliminary Phase).
The winner of Quarterfinal 1 will play a semifinal match against the winner of Quarterfinal 4 and the winner of Quarterfinal 2 will play a semifinal match against the winner of Quarterfinal 3.
Semifinal 1: Winner QF1 vs Winner QF4
Semifinal 2: Winner QF2 vs Winner QF3
Winners of the semifinals will play for the VNL Champion title whilst the teams that do not win the semifinals will play for 3rd place in the competition:
Final for Bronze: Loser SF1 vs Loser SF2
Final for Gold: Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2
