Honda Center Anaheim: A Dress Rehearsal for Olympic 2028 Volleyball and Lessons for Vietnam

When the International Volleyball Federation finalized the plan to bring a high-level volleyball event to the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, experts immediately saw a clear strategic message. This is not merely a tournament held at a new venue. With Los Angeles hosting the 2028 Olympics, the event is designed as a comprehensive dress rehearsal, taking place exactly one year before the Games, to test everything from venue operations to spectator experience. The Honda Center is a famous multipurpose arena in Orange County, about an hour's drive from downtown Los Angeles. With a capacity of over 18,000 seats, it has hosted many major sports and music events. But volleyball has never been a central sport in the U.S. market, where fans devote most attention to American football, basketball, and baseball. Therefore, FIVB's choice of an iconic American arena for an Olympic rehearsal event means much more than simply picking a venue. It signals ambition to make volleyball a mainstream entertainment sport in the U.S. market while using the country's media power to promote the sport globally. According to initial information, the event is expected to feature top national teams. The competition format will be modeled on the Olympic group stage, with consecutive matches, team travel schedules, rest days between matches, and different session times throughout the day, all designed to simulate as closely as possible what teams will face at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. International referees will officiate, the challenge system will be fully operational, and medical and doping procedures will follow Olympic standards. The goal is to give teams a realistic experience and test the entire process before the actual Games. Media and broadcasting are key focuses. The U.S. has one of the world's most developed sports media industries. Producing a high-quality televised volleyball match will help FIVB test how attractive the sport appears through American production lenses. Camera systems, statistical graphics, electronic scoreboards, 360-degree live streams—all these technologies will be evaluated in a competitive environment against other sports. This is an invaluable test: if volleyball can capture American audiences in such fierce competition, it can do the same elsewhere. Another important aspect is the Olympic qualification mechanism. In the new cycle, the volleyball Olympic qualification system will continue to be adjusted. The Honda Center event will likely serve as a major ranking-point milestone on the FIVB world rankings. Teams performing well will earn valuable points, improving their seeding in qualifying draws. Thus, this will be a fight not only for honor but also for a ticket closer to the Olympics. For Vietnamese volleyball, although not directly involved, the event offers notable signals. First, it shows world volleyball is becoming more professional in organization and operations. National federations must raise their logistical, analytical, and media capacities to compete internationally. Second, how top teams prepare for a major event can serve as an invaluable reference for our national women's team coaches. Observing how they manage athletes through a dense schedule and use data to adjust lineups is a quiet learning process that does not always require direct presence. As a longtime observer, I have noticed that not every team knows how to maximize such tournaments. Some use events to test young players and give new faces opportunities regardless of results. Others treat them as ranking-point opportunities, fielding their strongest lineups with maximum competitive spirit. This philosophical difference is clearly reflected in results and team development. For Vietnamese volleyball, the lesson is to define clear objectives for each tournament so that valuable exposure is not wasted. However, there is a contrarian view. Continuously hosting major events in the U.S. and Europe may create an imbalance in access opportunities across continents. Asia, especially Southeast Asia, is among the most dynamic volleyball markets in the world with huge fan bases. Yet most top events are held in the West. Asian teams must endure dozens of hours of travel, jet lag, and high costs to participate. In the long run, this could affect volleyball's growth in Asia. FIVB needs a balance in allocating major events so volleyball is truly a global sport, not a privilege of a few regions. Looking at the Honda Center event, I feel both familiar and strange. Familiar because wherever it is played, volleyball remains about numbers: attack efficiency, block success rate, meters run per athlete. Strange because for the first time, an international volleyball event is elevated into an American-style entertainment show. Volleyball in Anaheim will no longer be a simple match. It will be a performance, a stage, a test. The question for us is: when will Vietnamese volleyball have an event of similar scale, and are we ready for that night?