The tournament is played in two different stages. In the first stage, the sixteen participants are divided in four groups of four teams each. A single round-robin format is played within each group to determine the teams' group position (as per criteria below). The three best teams of each group (total of 12 teams) progress to the second stage, with group winners advancing to the quarterfinals while second and third placed teams advancing to the playoffs.
Pool standing criteria
Number of matches won
Match points
Sets ratio
Points ratio
Result of the match between the tied teams
Match won 3–0 or 3–1: 3 match points for the winner, 0 match points for the loser
Match won 3–2: 2 match points for the winner, 1 match point for the loser
The second stage of the tournament consists of a single-elimination, with winners advancing to the next round. First, the playoff is played (involving groups second and third places) to determine which teams will join the group winners in the quarterfinals, followed by semifinals, 3rd place match and final.
Three venues (each in a different city) were selected to be used in the tournament. Two located in Azerbaijan (at Baku and Ganja) and one in Georgia (at Tbilisi).[6]