Volleyball World, the sport’s commercial vehicle, has today unveiled its first global deal with a betting firm, through a five-year tie-up with sports betting operator 1xBet.

The deal encompasses both volleyball and beach volleyball events - the Volleyball Nations League (VNL), Volleyball World Championships, and Club World Championships, as well as the Beach Pro Tour (BPT), and the Beach Volleyball World Championships.

1xBet, registered in Cyprus, will be able to leverage Volleyball World’s digital platforms and branding throughout live events during this partnership.

Finn Taylor, chief executive of Swiss-based Volleyball World, said: “This partnership represents volleyball’s first-ever global betting sponsorship and is a response to the sport's rising popularity. We are confident that 1xBet's global reach will assist us in connecting with new audiences, driving the commercial growth of volleyball, and further promoting the sport.”

1xBet, meanwhile, has described the half-decade agreement as “important to our global strategy to support sports.”

Last year, 1xBet had a partnership in place with the Professional Fighters League, the US-based mixed martial arts series.

Earlier this week, meanwhile, Volleyball World unveiled a partnership with telecommunications giant Vodafone for the Women’s VNL Pool.

Volleyball World was created as a joint venture between the FIVB volleyball global body and CVC Capital Partners, in early 2021, essentially becoming the sport’s commercial entity.