Honda Center Anaheim – A Dress Rehearsal for Women's Volleyball ahead of the 2028 Olympics

In early July, the women's volleyball world is heating up, but not because of a familiar tournament in Europe or Asia. In Anaheim, California, the Honda Center is being renovated for its court surface, lighting system and media areas. This is part of a plan to turn the famous arena into a true Olympic-standard test environment, where international women's volleyball teams will compete in a tournament seen as the most important warm-up before the 2028 Summer Olympics. The organizers have confirmed the news, drawing attention from experts and women's sports fans around the world. Unlike ordinary friendly tournaments, the event at Honda Center has special strategic meaning. Los Angeles, the host city of the 2028 Olympics, lies less than 50 km from Anaheim. One year before the opening ceremony, women's volleyball teams have a rare chance to get used to competition conditions in Southern California: from court quality and indoor lighting control to time-zone and climate differences. Moreover, the tournament is designed to simulate the exact schedule of an Olympic Games, with matches played continuously over many days, demanding physical fitness and squad depth. According to data I have recorded through several Olympic editions, many teams have proved the importance of playing at the actual Olympic venue before the main tournament. For instance, the Brazilian women's volleyball team had a long training camp in Rio de Janeiro before the 2026 Olympics and later won a bronze medal. A similar story happened with the US team in Tokyo when they arrived early in Japan to adapt to the hot and humid climate. However, an official tournament held in an Olympic-like arena is rare. It allows teams to test not only tactics but also logistics, travel, nutrition and recovery in a nearly real environment. Importantly, this tournament is not only for the world's top teams. The format is designed to be open, giving opportunities to teams from many regions, including developing volleyball nations. The organizers have also confirmed that the media system will run at Olympic standards, including high-quality live broadcasting, press conference rooms, mixed zones and media work areas. This provides a valuable chance for national federations to assess their organizational capacity before entering Olympic qualification. For Asian teams, especially Southeast Asian women's volleyball, being present in Anaheim carries a larger cultural meaning. Teams from this region rarely have the chance to compete in the United States, where school sports and the college model are fundamental. The contrast between the Asian style – defense-oriented, fast and disciplined – and the American-European style – based on power, athleticism and tactical variation – will be an interesting test. Such matches often bring more valuable lessons than a dozen friendly games within the region. However, it would be a mistake to view this tournament only through results. Its core value lies in changing the mindset about women's volleyball – a sport pushed to the margins for decades. Vietnamese fans, where women's volleyball receives great attention but players still struggle with limited training conditions, will find much to reflect on in this event. A well-organized tournament in an American city, with international media and a large audience, built by people working for women's sports – that is an image Vietnamese women's volleyball can aim for in the future, even if the road is long. From a professional perspective, organizing the tournament at Honda Center shows progress in infrastructure and governance. The arena with 17,174 seats will provide a totally different experience compared to smaller gyms. Athletes must adapt to the distance from the court to the stands, louder noise and greater media pressure. These are the factors women's volleyball teams often face at the Olympics, but they are rarely reproduced in friendly tournaments. Therefore, the value of this training trip lies in its authenticity. In a related development, the Olympic qualification system for women's volleyball is also being updated. National teams need to accumulate points to improve their world ranking, and international tournaments like the one in Anaheim will be opportunities to gain points. Although there is no official confirmation about the Vietnamese women's volleyball team participating, closely following this tournament still has strategic value. Vietnamese experts can learn from how organizers run the event, how they approach fans and media, and apply those lessons to domestic tournaments. More importantly, the event sends a message to the global women's sports community. For years, women's sport has been treated as a secondary version of men's sport, with limited budgets, unreasonable schedules and indifferent media. People say women's football is not fast enough. I say they have not been patient enough to see the speed of the heart. The same is true for women's volleyball. The event in Anaheim, with the scale and organizational level of a men's tournament, will be a powerful statement that women's volleyball deserves serious investment. It is also an answer to those who still doubt the appeal of women's volleyball – a sport increasingly attracting fans and sponsors worldwide. For athletes, playing at an arena like Honda Center is a major step forward mentally. It is not only a place to test themselves, but also a place to prove their value. When a female player comes out of the tunnel to the cheers of thousands of spectators, she will feel that she is truly a professional athlete. That is a feeling that not many women's volleyball environments can give to young girls. In such an environment, the sweat in the gym, the silent sacrifices and the long nights away from home become something to be proud of. Of course, doubts remain. Some sports managers argue that holding the tournament in the United States, where women's volleyball does not have a long tradition like Asia or Europe, is not logical. They point out that travel and accommodation costs in California are high, while the commercial value of women's volleyball in the US market is not yet evident. However, this skepticism is partly why the tournament matters. Without trying, we cannot know the real potential. From the floodlights of Lyon, I learned that women also know how to make history; and now, the lights of Honda Center are getting closer. History has shown that bold decisions in sport often come from seemingly risky steps. For women's volleyball, the milestone in Anaheim can be compared to the time when women's football began to receive proper investment from federations, opening a new era. A decade ago, few believed that a Women's World Cup final could sell out an 80,000-seat stadium. But it happened, and women's volleyball is on a similar path. The Honda Center event may only be a small starting point, but it lays the foundation for bigger changes in the way women's volleyball is organized, broadcast and commercialized globally. In this context, the role of media is crucial. Live broadcasting with Olympic-standard production quality will help women's volleyball reach a new audience, especially in the US market, where women's sports are booming thanks to the growth of the WNBA, the NWSL and college sports. Vietnamese fans, who are used to following international volleyball through television and social media, will also have another attractive playground. This helps elevate the status of women's volleyball in the world sports system. Tactically, teams coming to Anaheim will have the chance to test new options in front of a real audience. In modern volleyball, psychological factors are sometimes more important than technique. A team used to playing in large arenas will not be overwhelmed by the passionate atmosphere of Olympic fans. Conversely, teams with less experience may struggle to maintain concentration. The Honda Center exercise is exactly the chance for coaches to observe and adjust their team's mental state, a factor difficult to simulate in training. The story of a dress rehearsal also reminds us of a long-standing philosophy in sport: the best preparation is to compete under the same conditions as possible. Women's volleyball teams at the 2028 Olympics will face a dense match schedule, frequent travel between venues and enormous media pressure. Without prior experience, these pressures can become barriers. Teams that take advantage of tournaments like the Honda Center will have a huge mental edge, while those that ignore this factor may pay with their results. For the writer, who has followed women's volleyball in Southeast Asia for many years, the Honda Center news has a deeper personal meaning. There was a time when Vietnamese women's volleyball could only dream of playing in world-class arenas. During my early years as a journalist, a female player once told me she did not dare to dream too far. But now, that distance is no longer too wide as tournaments expand and Asian systems are strongly invested. Seeing the Honda Center prepare to welcome girls wearing many colors, I remember a retired female player saying: People may not remember the score, but they will remember the feeling of standing on the court in their own colors. The event in Anaheim is certainly not the only one affecting the women's volleyball landscape before the 2028 Olympics. Tournaments in Europe, Asia, South America and other regions are still vibrant, each with its own role. But what makes Honda Center special is its rehearsal nature – a full system test where mistakes can be fixed before the real Olympics. For federations, it is a test of organizational capacity. For teams, it is a test of tactics and psychology. For fans, it is a promise of an Olympic Games worth waiting for. Ultimately, the story goes beyond one tournament. It raises a bigger question: can what women's volleyball is doing become a model for other women's sports? If a sport once seen as secondary can hold an Olympic-class event in the US, there is no reason why other women's sports cannot do the same. Women's football paved the way, women's basketball is strengthening its position, and now it is women's volleyball's turn. The Honda Center event is one piece of that larger picture. A victory for a women's team is never only about that team. It is a message that inspires an entire generation. For Vietnamese sport, the clearest lesson lies in how investment is viewed. A team cannot appear at the Olympics without a strong domestic league system and a long-term development strategy. A stage like Anaheim only realises its meaning when teams – for example, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team – truly have the ability to compete and are given the chance to participate. Therefore, the question fans should ask is not when Vietnam will be in the Olympics, but what we have prepared for that day. The Honda Center awaits a historic summer, and so does the world of women's volleyball. Whether or not Vietnam appears in the competition, the message is clear: women's sport is entering an unprecedented stage of development. Big arenas, media deals, talented athletes and loyal fans – all are converging to create an era of pride. And for those lucky enough to witness a day in Anaheim, they will forever remember the sight of young women stepping onto the court, shedding every prejudice, leaving only love for the ball.