History
The International Volleyball Federation (IVF) held the first men's world championship in 1949 on an outdoor tennis court in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Only ten countries, all from Europe, entered the tournament.
The first women's tournament was held in Moscow in 1952.
The Soviet Union led Eastern European domination of the early tournaments, winning four of the first five men's championships and the first three women's championships. Czechoslovakia won two of the first six men's titles and finished second in the other four tournaments.
After East Germany and Poland won men's championships, the Soviet Union won two more, followed by a title for the United States in 1986 and then three consecutive championships for the Italian men's team.
In the women's championship, Japan came on to challenge the Soviet Union in 1960, finishing second and then winning three of the next four championships, with another second-place finish along the way.
Beginning in 1978, Cuba and China came to the fore, with Brazil, Peru, and the United States also winning medals. The Soviet Union won its last championship in 1990. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, the Russian women's team has had two third-place finishes.
Since 1962, the world championship tournaments have been held every four years, in even-numbered years between the Summer Olympics. (However, the 1966 women's championship was postponed to 1967 because Peru withdrew from hosting the tournament, which was eventually held in Japan.)
In 1997, the IVF began holding a biennial world championship tournament in beach volleyball.