What is the CSV?
The Confederación Sudamericana de Voleibol is volleyball's continental confederation for South America. Founded in 1946, it is the oldest of the FIVB's five continental confederations — and predates the FIVB itself, which was founded in 1947.[1] [2]
What does it do?
It runs the South American Championships, first held in 1951, the Copa América created in 2024, the South American Club Championships that qualify clubs for the FIVB Club World Championship, and a full age-group ladder from U14 to U23. It co-organises the Pan American Cups with NORCECA, and regulates transfers of players between its member federations — though it does not register individual athletes, which remains the national federations' job.[1] [3]
Who are its members?
Twelve national federations: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Note the twelfth — French Guiana, not Suriname, which belongs to NORCECA. The confederation moved its headquarters from Lima to Rio de Janeiro in 2003 and works in Spanish and Portuguese.[1] [2]
Why does it matter?
Because South America's continental championships are the qualification route to world championships and the Olympic Games for a region that includes Brazil and Argentina, two of the strongest volleyball nations on earth — so a continental medal here is a world-level result in all but name.[1] [3]
References
- CSV — Confederación Sudamericana de Voleibol. Accessed August 2026.
- CEV — institutional directory of confederations. Accessed August 2026.
- FIVB — confederations directory. Accessed August 2026.