Both the men’s and women’s Volleyball competitions begin with a preliminary phase: the 12 teams in each event are divided into two pools of six, and each team plays every other team in their pool. The eight best teams (the top four from each pool) from this phase qualifies for the knockout phase, with the winners of the semi-finals eventually going head to head for the gold.
All matches are the best of five sets, with the first four sets going to 25 points. The fifth set goes to 15 points, and all sets must be won with at least a two-point advantage.
For a complete set of rules, please refer to the website of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), the governing body for the sport.
Find out more about the men's and women's competitions at the Olympic Games on the International Olympic Committee website.
