The schedule for the 2026 World ParaVolley Sitting Volleyball World Championships has been confirmed, with 32 teams set to compete in Hangzhou, China, from 10 to 17 July.
The tournament will be the first opportunity for teams to secure qualification for the LA28 Paralympic Games, with the men’s and women’s champions earning direct qualification places.
The World Championships, hosted at the World ParaVolley Development Centre, will feature 16 men’s teams and 16 women’s teams. The competition opens with a three-day pool stage from 10 to 12 July, with teams divided into four pools of four in each tournament. All teams will then progress to the Round of 16 on 13 July.
The knockout phase begins on 14 July, with teams continuing to compete for both championship honours and final placings. Semifinals are scheduled for 15 July, followed by bronze medal matches and classification contests on 16 July. The men’s final will be played on 17 July at 11:00 local time, with the women’s final following at 14:00.
The event will be the first edition of the Sitting Volleyball World Championships to be held in China and will also introduce an official video challenge system at a World Championships for the first time.
The competition pools were confirmed earlier this year, but the release of the schedule now provides a clearer picture of the opening path facing many of the tournament favourites.
Reigning men’s world and Paralympic champions Iran begin their title defence against Poland on 10 July before facing Bosnia and Herzegovina and Japan. The meeting between Iran and Bosnia and Herzegovina on 11 July brings together the finalists from both the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and the 2022 World Championships.
Defending women’s world champions Brazil open against Thailand before taking on Italy and France in Pool D. The United States, the reigning women’s Paralympic and World Cup champions, begin against the Netherlands before facing Germany and Ukraine over the following two days.
World Cup champions Egypt start their campaign against Rwanda before meeting the United States and Ukraine in Pool B. Kazakhstan, which claimed a historic bronze medal at the World Cup in Fort Wayne, open against Croatia before facing Brazil and Iraq.
Hosts China return to the World Championships after missing the 2022 edition in Sarajevo due to the pandemic. Competing on home soil for the first time, China open against Thailand in the men’s tournament and will also face Germany and Canada in pool play. The China women’s team will begin their quest against Kenya, then will take on Rwanda and Iran. The women’s team bagged two silver medals in France in 2024, including the WPV Women’s Super 6 in Nancy and the Paralympic Games in Paris.
Several opening-day matches will immediately put contenders on court. World Cup champions Egypt face Rwanda, Kazakhstan meet Croatia and hosts China take on Thailand in the men’s competition. In the women’s tournament, Brazil open against Thailand, while the United States begin against the Netherlands.
The tournament will also feature several World Championship debutants. Thailand will make its first appearance in both the men’s and women’s competitions, becoming the first Southeast Asian country to qualify for the event. France and Kenya will make their World Championship debuts in the women’s tournament.
The field includes several recent major champions and medal winners. The United States are the reigning Paralympic and World Cup champions in the women’s competition, while Brazil are the defending world champions. Egypt arrive as World Cup champions, and Kazakhstan will look to build on the first world-level medal in its history.
Check out the full match schedule here.
