Sitting Volleyball World Championships open in Hangzhou
The 2026 World ParaVolley Sitting Volleyball World Championships, taking place from 10-17 July, feature 32 teams from around the world 10 Jul 2026
The 2026 World ParaVolley Sitting Volleyball World Championships opened on 10 July in Hangzhou, China, bringing together 32 national teams for eight days of competition.
Hosted at the World ParaVolley Development Centre, the tournament, which also serves as a qualification opportunity for the LA28 Paralympic Games, features 16 men's and 16 women's sitting volleyball teams. Pool play runs from 10-12 July, followed by the Round of 16 on 13 July and the knockout stage from 14 July. The semifinals are scheduled for 15 July, with medal and classification matches on 16 July. The men's and women's finals will be played on 17 July.
The Sitting Volleyball World Championships are held in China for the first time.
Please visit the World ParaVolley website for the schedule of competition
Men's competition
Defending world and Paralympic champions Iran started their title defense with a 3-1 win over Poland on the opening day. Iran will face Bosnia and Herzegovina and Japan in the group stage.
One of the most anticipated group-stage matches will take place on 11 July, when Iran meet Bosnia and Herzegovina in a rematch of both the Paris 2024 Paralympic final and the 2022 World Championship final.
World Cup winners Egypt launched their campaign with a 3-0 win over Rwanda and will later face the United States and Ukraine in Pool B.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan, which secured a historic bronze medal at the World Cup in Fort Wayne, defeated Croatia 3-0 and will take on Brazil and Iraq later in the tournament.
Tournament hosts China return to the World Championships after missing the 2022 event in Sarajevo due to pandemic-related circumstances. Playing at home for the first time on the world stage, China got off to a winning start, beating Thailand 3-0. The team will face Germany and Canada in Pool A.
Women's competition
Reigning women's world champions Brazil beat Thailand in straight sets on the first day of competition. They will play Pool D matches against Italy and France.
The United States, current Paralympic and World Cup champions, opened its campaign against the Netherlands before meeting Germany and Ukraine.
China will face Kenya, Rwanda and Iran in the group stage. The squad enters the tournament after a successful 2024 season that included silver-medal finishes at both the WPV Women's Super 6 in Nancy and the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
What to watch
Several nations made their World Championship debuts in Hangzhou. Thailand is participating in both the men's and women's tournaments for the first time, becoming the first Southeast Asian nation to qualify for the event in either category.
In the women's competition, France and Kenya also made their first appearances at a Sitting Volleyball World Championship.
The field features several of the sport's leading nations and recent major-event medalists. The United States competes as the reigning Paralympic and World Cup champion in the women's division, while Brazil holds the current world title. Egypt enters the men's tournament as World Cup champion, and Kazakhstan will aim to build on the momentum from the first world-level medal in its history.
With several powerhouse nations in contention, the 2026 World ParaVolley Sitting Volleyball World Championships promise to be one of the most significant events on the international sitting volleyball calendar.
Please visit the World ParaVolley website for more information about the World Championships
