FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship 2025 captivates global audiences and breaks engagement records

Global broadcast highlights

From Europe to Asia, the Championship delivered some of the most-watched live sports broadcasts of the year. The final between Bulgaria and Italy drew an average live audience of 2.8 million viewers on RAI 2, ranking among the top five live sports broadcasts in Italy outside football.

In Bulgaria, the Final made history as the first event ever simulcast across all four main national TV stations. Meanwhile, in Poland, the semi-final between Poland and Italy reached 1.9 million viewers on Polsat’s free-to-air channel—almost a quarter of the national TV audience at that time. Across the final weekend, six of the seven most-watched sports broadcasts in Poland were Men’s World Championship matches, a testament to volleyball’s dominance in one of its most established markets.

Digital and social growth

VBTV, Volleyball World’s global OTT service, added to this success with more than 5 million views and 180 million watch minutes across the competition. The Italy–Bulgaria final became the most-watched match on VBTV with 220,000 streams, while the USA–Bulgaria quarterfinal attracted 207,000 views.

On social media, the Championship proved one of the most engaging volleyball events to date. Across Volleyball World’s global channels, more than 129,500 new followers joined during the pool phase through to the quarterfinals. In China alone, localized activity generated 22.1 million engagements and nearly 30,000 new followers, cementing volleyball’s position as one of the fastest-growing sports on digital platforms.

A landmark moment for volleyball

The Philippines provided a stunning backdrop for a truly global event, combining record-breaking engagement with unforgettable performances on the court.

FIVB President Fabio Azevedo said:

“This World Championship has once again shown volleyball’s incredible power to unite and inspire. It was brilliant to bring the Men’s World Championship to a new region for the first time, and we are already excited to return to the Philippines for the Women’s edition in 2029. The passion for our sport in the country was clear for all to see, and with accessibility at the heart of everything we do, it is brilliant to see these record-breaking results online too. Thank you to our partners and all the fans for making it a truly memorable competition!”

Volleyball World CEO Ugo Valensi added:

“These record-breaking results are not only proof of volleyball’s global popularity but of the value our sport delivers to broadcasters and partners. By elevating the broadcast product and embracing new forms of digital storytelling, we are capturing audiences at scale while building deeper connections with fans. Our strategy in China—working with streamers to expand our reach—shows how innovative approaches can bring millions of new fans into the sport, while creating measurable value for our commercial partners. The Men’s World Championship has set a new standard for what volleyball can achieve, and we are only at the beginning of this growth journey.”

The FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship 2025 confirmed volleyball’s place among the world’s most compelling, engaging, and commercially valuable sports.

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