| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host nation |  Japan |
| Dates | 16–30 November |
| Teams | 12 (from 5 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 7 (in 6 host cities) |
| Champions |  Brazil (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Italy |
| Third place |  Serbia and Montenegro |
| Fourth place |  United States |
| Tournament awards | |
| MVP | Takahiro Yamamoto |
| Official website | |
| 2003 FIVB World Cup | |
The 2003 FIVB Men's World Cup was held from 16 to 29 November 2003 in Japan. Twelve men's national teams played in cities all over Japan for the right to a fast lane ticket into the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.
Teams were made up as follows: hosts Japan, continental champions and vice-champions from Europe, Asia, NORCECA and South America, continental champion from Africa plus two wild-card teams nominated jointly by FIVB and the Japan Volleyball Association. Teams played a single-round robin format (66 games overall), in two parallel groups (site A and site B). The men played in Tokyo, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Nagano, Hamamatsu, and Okayama.