Women's World Championship 2025 Host Cities

The FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship 2025 will mark the first edition of the tournament held in Thailand, with four cities in the country set to welcome matches from 22 August to 7 September. Pool play will take place across the four host cities - Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Nakhon Ratchasima -, with the country's capital Bangkok hosting the elimination rounds.

Bangkok

Thailand's capital and its most populous city, Bangkok was founded in the 15th century, as a village that served as a trading post on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River in the country's central region. The city became the country's capital in the 1700s and is currently home to over nine million people.

The city has an extensive tradition of hosting international sports events, having welcomed four editions of the Asian Games and one of the World University Games. The Thai capital also has a long background in volleyball events, having the 2024 Volleyball Nations League Women's Finals as the most recent one in a list that also includes VNL matches in 2018, 2019 and 2023, as well as several FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix events between 2008 and 2017, including the 2016 Finals.

Chiang Mai

The largest city in Northern Thailand, Chiang Mai is also the second most populous in the entire country. Located 700km north of the capital Bangkok, it has a population of 1.2 million people. The city was founded in 1296 and its name means "new city" in Thai.

Home to matches of the Southeast Asia Volleyball League in 2023, Chiang Mai also hosted a Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Challenge event in the same season. The city also had the 1995 Women's Asian Championship.

Nakhon Ratchasima

Located 250 km northeast of Bangkok, Nakhon Ratchasima is the third-largest city in the country. It was built in the 17th century to serve as a stronghold of the Ayutthaya Kingdom's northeast frontier. Home to over 450,000 people, the city is also known as Korat.

Home to one of Thailand's most popular women's volleyball teams, Nakhon Ratchasima has hosted many international events over the years, such as the VNL 2018, the 2019 U19 Women's World Championship, the 2021 Asian Olympic Qualifier, four editions of the Asian Championship and this year's Asian Club Championship.

Phuket

The capital of Phuket Island, the largest island in the country, the city of Phuket is one of the oldest in Thailand, serving as an important port on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula, where Chinese immigrants first landed. Located about 800km south of Bangkok, Phuket has a population of roughly 80,000 people.

The city has a long tradition of welcoming international beach volleyball events, having most recently served as the host city of the 2021 FIVB U19 and U21 World Championships. Prior to that, it hosted several FIVB World Tour tournaments from 2005 to 2013, as well as the 2014 Asian Beach Games.