Poland, Slovenia and Italy secured their places in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2026 Finals on Saturday, ensuring a strong European presence in the tournament’s knockout stage.
The three teams join hosts China, along with Japan and the United States, in the Finals, which will take place in Macao from July 29 to August 2. The remaining two spots will be decided on the final day of the Preliminary Phase, with Bulgaria, Türkiye and Ukraine still in the hunt.
Defending champions Poland punched their ticket with a resilient 3-1 comeback victory over Olympic champions France in Chicago. Bartłomiej Bołądź led the way with 18 points, while Wilfredo León and Kamil Semeniuk each added 13.
Slovenia also booked their place after overcoming Türkiye 3-1 in Belgrade. Nik Mujanović delivered a standout performance with 27 points as the Slovenians secured qualification and left Türkiye needing a result on the final day.
Italy completed the European trio by sweeping Argentina in Osaka. Yuri Romanò scored 15 points to lead the world champions.
Bulgaria strengthened their chances of reaching the Finals with a 3-1 win over the United States. Aleksandar Nikolov starred with 32 points, moving Bulgaria into the provisional qualification places.
In other matches, Serbia’s hopes of advancing ended after a dramatic five-set loss to Germany despite leading by two sets. In Osaka, Cuba secured their place in the 2027 VNL with a straight-sets victory over Canada.
Results
- Poland beat France 3-1 (17-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-18)
- Slovenia beat Türkiye 3-1 (25-22, 20-25, 25-21, 25-23)
- Italy beat Argentina 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-22)
- Bulgaria beat United States 3-1 (27-25, 22-25, 26-24, 25-18)
- Germany beat Serbia 3-2 (21-25, 26-28, 25-16, 25-18, 15-13)
- Cuba beat Canada 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 29-27)