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Starting with this staging, the World Championship will be expanded to include 32 teams, increasing from 24 teams.[1] The tournament will henceforth also be held biannually instead of quadrennially.[2]
Host selection
At least five FIVB member associations have expressed interest in bidding for the hosting of the 2025 championship. Multiple hosts could be selected.[3] Philippines initially bid but later withdrew as "there were a lot of procedures and changes".[4]
The qualification stage of the competition consists of four categories. The host(s) will secure the first place(s). The current world champions Serbia also automatically qualifies. The top three teams from each of the latest Continental Championships will also qualify. The final places will be allocated to the top teams who had not yet qualified as per FIVB World Ranking at the end of the national team season in the year prior to the World Championship.[7]
bItaly, 4th placers of the tournament qualified since Serbia, the runners-up of this tournament were the defending world champions.
Format
Pool phase
In the pool phase, the 32 teams will spread across eight pools of four teams playing in a round-robin system. The top two teams from each pool then advance to the direct elimination phase.
Direct elimination phase
In the direct elimination phase, the 16 teams will be matched up into eight matches in a knock-out stage: the winners will advance to the next stage, and the losers will be eliminated from the competition.