From 2018, the World Grand Prix was replaced by the FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League and Challenger Cup.

[1][2] World Grand Prix was created in 1993 as part of the FIVB's marketing strategy to promote the sport of volleyball by establishing annual international competitions.

Because it is purely commercial competition, the winner of the Grand Prix championship is generally not considered a world champion.

The history of Grand Prix's previous winners is a clear indication of how women's volleyball has been dominated, since the early 1990s, by four teams: Cuba, Brazil, Russia and China.

In 1993, the Cubans padded their already impressive record of a gold medal in the 1992 Olympic Games by winning the first edition of the Grand Prix.

They were also running for the gold in 1994, but were defeated by an underranked Brazil: at that time, the Brazilians had never been able to catch a single medal in any major women's volleyball competition.

Russia took revenge in 1999, and defeated Brazil in straight sets to win their second Grand Prix title.