Volleyball is a team game in which there are 6 players on the court in each team. Substitutions are made during breaks, and each player can enter and exit the court multiple times. Points in volleyball are awarded for hitting the ball into the opponent's court over the net, so that they cannot return it (the ball doesn't even have to land in the court, it can also hit the opponents' hands and go out of bounds). Points are also scored when a player from the opposing team hits the ball into the net and it doesn't go over to the other side, or when the net is touched during a jump, for example. The ball is usually played with the hands - it cannot be caught - but plays with other parts of the body are allowed. Each team in possession of the ball has the right to make 3 touches on their side before attacking/hitting the ball into the opponent's court. Each action starts with a serve from behind the end line of the court.

Player positions are very important in volleyball, each player has a specific role - the receiver, left and right attackers, middle blocker, setter, and libero (after each point scored, players rotate one position clockwise). A volleyball match is played to 3 winning sets, each set is played to 25 points, with a 2-point advantage required (so you cannot win 25-24, but the game continues until for example 26-24, 27-25, etc.). In case of a 2-2 tie in sets, a tie-break is played to 15 points (or 2 points advantage).

Women's volleyball and men's volleyball

There are no differences between men's volleyball and women's volleyball except for the fact that the net dividing the court in half for men is hanging several centimeters higher. This is, of course, due to the height differences between men and women, as women would often not be able to defend against a flying ball with a block. Overall, women's volleyball relies more on technique and endurance, while men's volleyball focuses more on strength. Both genders have their most important international tournaments, European cups, and national league competitions in volleyball.

Volleyball – the most popular competitions (Nations League, Champions League, European Championships, World Championships)

The greatest prestige in volleyball comes from winning Olympic laurels - volleyball has been a permanent feature of the Olympics since 1964. The fight for medals in the World Volleyball Championships has longer traditions - men have been competing since 1949, and women since 1952. These tournaments were usually held every 4 years, but changes will be made in 2025 and a two-year cycle will be introduced. Both in the men's and women's all-time rankings, players who once competed under the flag of the USSR are leading. The same goes for the history of the European Volleyball Championships, which is the longest-running major tournament in this discipline - the first volleyball EURO took place in 1948 (men) and 1949 (women).

A highly esteemed triumph in the volleyball world is winning the Nations League, which was previously called the World League. Both men and women compete there for the title of the best among 16 national teams with the highest rankings in the world. These are quite specific competitions, where the preliminary phase includes 3 tournaments held in 3 different countries (each team will play a total of 12 matches there, so they won't meet with 3 teams). The top 8 teams after the preliminary phase participate in the grand final. The Nations League is traditionally held before major tournaments, after the end of league matches, in May 2024 (women will start on May 14, and men on May 22).

For club teams, the most important competitions are the Champions League and the Women's Champions League. This name has been in use since the 2000/2001 season, previously, similar to football, the competitions were called the European Cup of National Champions. Analyzing all editions, teams from the USSR or Russia have the most victories among men and women. In the May finals of this year's (2024) edition of the Champions League, the final will be an internal affair of teams from Italy (Imoco Volley Conegliano and Vero Volley Monza), while in the Champions League, the Polish Jastrzębski Węgiel will face the Italian Itas Trentino.

Volleyball live – find your match

The fastest and easiest way to find live volleyball broadcasts on TV and online is by browsing the list of available streams from different countries on our website.

Volleyball results – check on our website

Current volleyball results, concerning the most important competitions involving both national teams and clubs, can be found on many sports results websites. We especially recommend our website, where you can also find data on the latest results achieved by individual teams.