Official: Sofia to host Volleyball Nations League in 2028!

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Sofia has officially been confirmed as a host city for the 2028 Volleyball Nations League, adding another major international event to Bulgaria’s growing volleyball calendar.
The tournament will take place in May at Arena 8888 Sofia, with the Bulgarian capital hosting the second of three preliminary-round events.

The announcement was made by Bulgarian Volleyball Federation president Lyubomir Ganev, who confirmed that the agreement had been finalised and that the federation had received the signed contract from Volleyball World and the FIVB on November 9.

“Today we finally signed the contract for the Volleyball Nations League in 2028. We will host a tournament in Sofia. I can officially confirm it, as today we also received the signed agreement from Volleyball World,” Ganev said.

The appointment will make Bulgaria a VNL host for the third time within four years. Burgas welcomed part of the competition in 2025 and is scheduled to do so again in 2027, meaning the country will stage tournaments in consecutive seasons before the event moves to Sofia in 2028.
The timing adds further significance to the assignment.
The 2028 VNL season will take place in the build-up to the Los Angeles Olympic Games, requiring an earlier international calendar, with the competition expected to conclude in June. The results in the tournament will also contribute to the FIVB world ranking, which will play a decisive role in allocating the final three Olympic places after the preliminary phase. Those quotas will go to the highest-ranked teams that have not already qualified, in accordance with the Olympic qualification system.
Hosting a tournament in such an important season gives Sofia the opportunity to welcome some of the world’s leading national teams at a time when ranking points could prove particularly valuable. For the participating sides, every match may carry implications beyond the immediate VNL standings.

Ganev also disclosed the financial terms of the agreement. The hosting fee for the 2028 tournament amounts to $350,000, compared with $250,000 for the corresponding events in 2025 and 2027. That represents a 40 per cent increase in the organisational fee.
Despite the higher cost, the Bulgarian federation is already looking beyond 2028.
Ganev revealed that Bulgaria has expressed interest in hosting the 2029 Volleyball Nations League Finals, an event for which the hosting fee is expected to range between $1.5 million and $2 million.
For now, however, the confirmed priority is Sofia 2028.
With another VNL tournament secured and the Olympic qualification race set to add extra sporting significance, Bulgaria is preparing to play a prominent role in the international volleyball calendar once again.

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