Pro Volleyball Federation announces historic merger with Major League Volleyball

The GIST: According to reports, the Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF) is merging with Major League Volleyball (MLV), a separate professional women’s volleyball league that planned to launch in 2026. Through the merger, the combined leagues will rebrand as MLV, but will consider its forthcoming season as PVF’s third consecutive season.

• While the volleyball space has become crowded and the idea of a merger was floated around before MLV was even announced, AU and LOVB’s existing leagues operate differently and aren’t in direct competition the way PVF and MLV were on track to be. Seeing double.

The context: This January, MLV announced a 2026 launch after securing more than $100M in funding. The Omaha Supernovas — the popular PVF team that drew a third (!!!) of the league’s attendance last season — were slated to leave PVF to become a founding MLV franchise, along with at least nine other new teams.

• Though it makes sense that investors want to capitalize on volleyball’s surging popularity, these leagues are still start-ups and can be especially fragile in crowded markets. Having the PVF’s most popular team jump ship to MLV and its new crop of investors with over $100M in funding also could have made PVF backers wary.  

• Even with MLV looming, the PVF saw impressive returns through its first two seasons. The league notched over 80M social impressions, saw nearly 1M engagements, and added over 250K social followers. Since its 2024 launch, overall attendance has topped 750K with 45 national broadcasts, including an All-Star Match on CBS that peaked at 445K.

The details: The new-look league — which is now valued at over $325M — is anticipated to start with eight confirmed teams in January 2026 and is kicking off free agency tomorrow. While the Vegas Thrill are sitting out this season, all other existing PVF teams will remain, along with a new Dallas club and two previously announced MLV franchises in California and D.C. that will join in 2027.

Lingering thoughts: A merger between these leagues seems to be a shrewd play, similar to what we’ve seen in women’s hockey and pickleball. Combining start-up leagues eliminates competition that could have threatened both entities, especially with these direct competitors vying for the same players, fans, and investors.

• While everyone is jousting for an opportunity, those in the space seem to be mindful of what’s best for the growth of the game. For MLV and the PVF, pooling resources seems to be the financially strongest move, one that signals to potential partners that this is the way.