Germany handed Brazil their first defeat of the 2026 Women’s Volleyball Nations League (VNL), battling to a 3-2 victory on the final day of Week 2 and opening the door for the United States to take over first place in the standings.
After losing a five-set thriller to hosts Türkiye a day earlier, Germany bounced back to defeat Brazil 26-24, 28-26, 15-25, 19-25, 16-14 in Ankara. The result ended Brazil’s unbeaten start to the tournament and lifted Germany’s hopes of reaching the VNL Finals.
Pia Timmer led the German attack with 16 points, while Romy-Aylin Jatzko added 14. Brazil’s top scorers were Ana Cristina Souza and Helena Wenk, who each finished with 21 points.
The defeat allowed the United States to climb to the top of the standings after a 3-1 victory over Serbia in Pasig City. Both teams now have seven wins and 20 points, but the Americans hold the advantage on set ratio.
In other matches, Belgium edged France in five sets, while Melissa Vargas produced a tournament-best 36 points to lead Türkiye past China in another five-set contest.
In the Philippines, defending champions Italy swept Japan in straight sets, while Czechia completed a remarkable comeback from two sets down to defeat the Dominican Republic.
Canada recorded one of the biggest upsets of the week in Bangkok, overcoming Poland in five sets behind a 26-point performance from Kiera Van Ryk. Bulgaria also prevailed in five sets against Ukraine, while the Netherlands closed the week with a straight-sets victory over Thailand.
With only hosts China already qualified for the Finals, all seven remaining places remain up for grabs ahead of the third and final preliminary week, scheduled for July 8-12 in Hong Kong, Osaka and Belgrade.
Results – Women’s VNL 2026 (June 21)
Ankara, Türkiye
- Germany def. Brazil 3-2 (26-24, 28-26, 15-25, 19-25, 16-14)
- Belgium def. France 3-2 (25-17, 20-25, 21-25, 25-18, 15-8)
- Türkiye def. China 3-2 (25-21, 26-28, 23-25, 25-16, 15-12)
Pasig City, Philippines
- United States def. Serbia 3-1 (25-22, 18-25, 25-16, 25-20)
- Italy def. Japan 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-18)
- Czechia def. Dominican Republic 3-2 (17-25, 24-26, 25-18, 31-29, 15-10)
Bangkok, Thailand
- Canada def. Poland 3-2 (25-23, 21-25, 25-16, 11-25, 15-13)
- Bulgaria def. Ukraine 3-2 (25-22, 19-25, 21-25, 25-15, 17-15)
- Netherlands def. Thailand 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 2