On the penultimate day of the Men's VNL 2026 Preliminary Phase, three European teams — Poland, Slovenia and Italy — mathematically secured their spots in the Finals, set to take place from July 29 to August 2 in Macao.
They join Japan, the United States and hosts China among the top seven in the overall standings. Two berths remain open and will be contested on the last day of competition between Bulgaria (seven wins, 20 points), Türkiye (seven wins, 19 points) and Ukraine (six wins, 20 points).
**Defending champions Poland come back against France.** In Chicago, defending champions Poland overcame Olympic champions France 3-1 (17-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-18) after dropping the first set. Opposite Bartłomiej Bołądź led all scorers with 18 points (14 kills, four blocks), while outside hitters Wilfredo León and Kamil Semeniuk each added 13 points.
**Slovenia secure qualification, deny Türkiye.** In an all-European clash in Belgrade, Slovenia defeated Türkiye 3-1 (25-22, 20-25, 25-21, 25-23), booking their ticket to Macao while shutting the door on their opponents. Opposite Nik Mujanović was outstanding with 27 points (23 kills, four aces). Turkish opposite Adis Lagumdzija matched him with 25 kills, one block and one ace.
**World champions Italy dominate Argentina.** The world champions had the smoothest path, cruising past Argentina 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-22) in Osaka. Opposite Yuri Romanò led Italy with 15 points (13 kills, one block, one ace), but the milestone belonged to captain and setter Simone Giannelli, who added seven points (four kills, three blocks) and surpassed 100 career VNL kill blocks, now sitting at 102.
**What's next.** Sunday, July 19, features the final nine matches of the Preliminary Phase. Key deciders include Bulgaria vs. France, Türkiye vs. Iran and Ukraine vs. Germany, which will determine the last two spots for Macao. The Finals run from July 29 to August 2, 2026, featuring the top seven teams plus host China.
Sources
- https://en.volleyballworld.com/volleyball/competitions/volleyball-nations-league/news/europeans-shine-saturday-book-their-tickets-to-vnl-finals
