It was held from 30 August to 15 September 2002 in Berlin, Bremen, Dresden, Münster, Schwerin, Riesa, Leipzig, and Stuttgart, Germany.

The tournament saw the discontinuation of Cuba's historic eight consecutive world titles, as the team finished fifth after being eliminated by the United States in the quarterfinals.

The Final round was played in a single elimination format, with placement matches determining the top eight positions.

Winners and losers of each semifinals played a final placement match for 1st to 8th places.

FIVB reserved the right to seed the hosts as head of Pool A regardless of the World Ranking.