International volleyball giants will clash at NOW Arena in 2025

A five-day, six-team international men’s volleyball tournament is headed to the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates in summer 2025, featuring some of the biggest names in the sport.

The arena will host one of the second-round tournaments of the 2025 Volleyball Nations League, now in its eighth year. Tickets for the tournament go on sale Tuesday at noon and are accessible via the tournament’s website: tickets.volleyballworld.com/chicago25.

National teams from the United States, Canada, China, Italy, Brazil and Poland will compete in multiple matches over the five-day span, beginning with three matches Wednesday, June 25.

Poland took third place in last year’s tournament, while France defeated Japan for the gold medal.

This is the second time a VNL tournament has been played in the Chicago area. The last event held locally was in 2019 and organizers said the finals featuring Team USA drew 35,000 spectators.

Sponsored by Volleyball World, an international organization that drives growth, innovation and investment in volleyball around the globe, the VNL tournament begins with three round-robin style tournaments in three countries in early June. A second round of tournaments, which includes the one in Hoffman Estates, takes place later in the month. The third round of preliminaries is in July, while the finals run July 30 through Aug. 3.

Teams earn points based on their performances in the preliminary rounds in an attempt to make it to the final tournament.

“We are excited to return to the Chicago area, which has one of the biggest fan bases for volleyball in the world,” said Finn Taylor, CEO of Volleyball World. “This year marks a historic moment as the VNL expands to 18 teams — providing even more nations with the opportunity to play on the global stage.”

Organizers note the tournaments serve as a pipeline for Olympic qualification, making it an important event on the sports calendar for prospective Olympians and fans.