The World Society for Virology (WSV) is a non-profit organization established in 2017 to connect virologists around the world with no restrictions or boundaries, and without membership fees. The WSV brings together virologists regardless of financial resources, ethnicity, nationality or geographical location to build a network of experts across low-, middle- and high-income countries. To facilitate global interactions, the WSV makes extensive use of digital communication platforms. The WSV’s aims include fostering scientific collaboration, offering free educational resources, advancing scientists’ recognition and careers, and providing expert virology guidance. By fostering cross-sectional collaboration between experts who study viruses of humans, animals, plants and other organisms as well as leaders in the public health and private sectors, the WSV strongly supports the One Health approach. The WSV is a steadily growing society with currently more than 1,170 members from 86 countries across all continents. Members include virologists at all career stages including leaders in their field as well as early career researchers and postgraduate students interested in virology. The WSV has established partnerships with The International Vaccine Institute, the Elsevier journal Virology (the official journal of the WSV) and an increasing number of other organizations including national virology societies in China, Colombia, Finland, India, Mexico, Morocco and Sweden.