Volleyball — Today's matches

How scoring works in volleyball

Volleyball uses rally scoring, which means every single rally ends with a point for one team or the other — it does not matter who served. If the serving team wins the rally, they keep the serve and add a point; if the receiving team wins it, they take the point, win back the serve, and rotate one position clockwise. Sets are played to 25 points and must be won by two clear points, so a tight set can run to 27–25, 31–29 or beyond — there is no cap. Matches are best of five sets, and if the first four are shared, the deciding fifth set is shortened to 15 points, still with the two-point margin.

That constant scoring is exactly what makes the live table above move so quickly. A run of four or five points usually comes from one strong server or a block getting on top of the opposing hitters, which is why momentum in this sport flips so fast.

The competitions worth following

The headline event on this page is the FIVB Volleyball Nations League, where 18 national teams play a preliminary round before the top sides advance to a knockout finals week. Around it sit the World Championship, the Olympic tournament, and continental events such as the European Championship. At club level, the strongest leagues are Italy’s SuperLega and Poland’s PlusLiga, with Türkiye’s top division close behind — the same players you see in national colours in summer spend the rest of the year in those competitions.

How the Nations League table is decided

Nations League points reward winning quickly. A 3–0 or 3–1 victory earns three points, while a 3–2 win splits the points two to the winner and one to the loser. If teams finish level on points, the table is separated first by number of wins, then by set quotient (sets won divided by sets lost), and then by the rally-points quotient. That is why a team can sit above another on the same points — the set scores above tell the full story.

A few terms that unlock the game

The libero is the defensive specialist in the different-coloured jersey who cannot attack or block but keeps rallies alive from the back row. A side-out is simply the receiving team winning the rally and taking back the serve. A kill is an attack that wins the point outright, which is why the player leaderboard on this page tracks kills for hitters and assists for setters — the two numbers that best describe who is driving each team.

You can follow the players behind those numbers in our players directory, and catch match reports and tournament news in the news section. For every other sport happening today, head back to the PinLiveScore homepage.

Volleyball questions, answered

How many sets does a team need to win a match?

Three. Matches are best of five, so a match can finish 3–0, 3–1 or 3–2.

Why did the losing team still get a point in a 3–2 match?

In the Nations League, a five-set match splits the points: two to the winner, one to the loser. It rewards teams for pushing a match the distance.

How is beach volleyball scoring different?

Beach matches are best of three sets, played to 21 points (15 in the decider), with teams switching ends regularly to balance out sun and wind.

How long does a volleyball match usually last?

Most matches finish in 90 minutes to two hours. A five-set match with long rallies can stretch beyond two and a half hours.