Personal observations, reactions and impressions from the volleyball I watch. Not every thought here is a statistical conclusion – sometimes it is simply what stood out to me as a fan.
The first thing I will remember about the 2026 Men’s Volleyball Nations League is how competitive it felt.
There were many teams capable of causing problems for almost anyone, plenty of unpredictable results, and very few matches where I felt the outcome was completely obvious before the first serve.
But now that the tournament is over, the standings and final results are not the only things that remain in my mind.
Japan made me believe even more in their future. Poland once again showed just how frightening their depth can be. The United States reminded everyone why they can never be written off. Slovenia finally turned years of competitiveness into a VNL medal. At the same time, Italy, Brazil and France left me with questions.
And then there were teams such as Ukraine, Türkiye and Bulgaria, whose performances made the international picture even more interesting.
These are not intended to be definitive conclusions about every team. They are simply the impressions that stayed with me after watching the 2026 VNL.
Japan Looked Like a Team Ready to Belong Among the Elite
Japan were probably the team that impressed me most during the preliminary round.
Going through that stage without a defeat immediately attracted attention, but for me it was not only about the results. There was something convincing about the direction in which this team seemed to be moving.
I believe Laurent Tillie has made an important contribution since taking charge of Japan in 2024. There was a time when I personally viewed Japan more as a good middle-level international team than as a genuine candidate for the biggest titles. That perception has changed.
This is now a relatively young team, but not an inexperienced one. Players such as Ran Takahashi already look capable of carrying significant responsibility, and I see plenty of potential for this generation to achieve something important in future national-team competitions.
The Finals slightly changed the feeling around their tournament.
Their quarterfinal win over China was not as convincing as I expected. Then came the semifinal against the United States.
Japan lost, but strangely enough, that match strengthened rather than weakened my opinion of them. It was a real battle, with long and spectacular rallies, and I finished it feeling that Japan genuinely belonged in a match of that level.
The bronze-medal defeat to Slovenia was different.
After an exhausting five-set semifinal, Japan had very little time to recover. I also had the feeling that mentally it must have been difficult to reset after coming so close to playing for gold. That is only my impression as a viewer, but Slovenia seemed to arrive at the bronze match with a different kind of motivation.
For Japan, the VNL ended without a medal. For me, though, their tournament still confirmed something more important: this is no longer a team I am surprised to see competing with the very best.
Poland’s Depth May Be Their Greatest Weapon
Poland finished second in the preliminary round and ultimately won the VNL title, which did not feel particularly surprising to me.
What was more interesting was seeing the difference between various versions of Poland during the tournament.
When they played with what looked like a second or even third-choice lineup, opponents could create problems for them. Suddenly Poland looked beatable.
Then the main players arrived, and the whole picture changed.
At full strength, Poland did not merely look difficult to beat. At times, even taking a single set from them seemed like a serious achievement.
The balance of this roster is remarkable. Many key players are around their late twenties or early thirties – old enough to possess enormous experience, but still at an age where they can perform at the highest level.
And then you look at the bench.
For me, Kamil Semeniuk in the final was one of the clearest examples. He started outside the starting six, came onto the court and became one of the players who changed the match against the United States.
That is what makes Poland so dangerous. It is not simply six excellent players. There are players waiting on the sidelines who can completely change the direction of a match.
Nikola Grbić also made one of the most interesting decisions of the final by moving Wilfredo León to the opposite position. It was an unusual move, but it worked.
Looking at this group, I find it difficult not to consider Poland among the major medal – and probably title – candidates for the 2026 European Championship, the 2027 World Championship and even the 2028 Olympic Games.
A lot can change in two years. But right now, this Polish team looks built to remain at the top.
The United States Once Again Showed Why I Never Write Them Off
If there is one team that I feel can always create serious problems for Poland, it is the United States.
For years, their core has included players such as Micah Christenson, Matt Anderson and Erik Shoji. Different players have been added around them at different tournaments, but somehow the Americans continue to remain capable of extraordinary performances.
Their path through the 2026 VNL Finals was a perfect example.
First came the stunning victory over Italy, including 14 aces. Then they defeated a Japanese team that had not lost a match in this VNL before the semifinal.
I enjoyed that Japan-USA match so much that I watched it again.
Then came Poland.
Even in the final, the Americans turned what initially looked like a small chance of winning the title into something very real. After going 0-1 down, they moved ahead 2-1, and at 20-19 in the fourth set they were only a handful of points away from becoming VNL champions.
Poland ultimately stopped them, but the tournament again reminded me how dangerous the United States can be when everything comes together.
The big question for me is what comes next.
Christenson still looks capable of playing at a very high level for more than one season. Anderson is a different case. He turned 39 in April 2026, and his national-team career stretches all the way back to 2008.
How long can he continue doing this at such a level?
I do not know.
But the fact that this is even a question in 2026 says a great deal about his longevity.
Slovenia’s Medal Felt Like the Reward for Something Much Bigger
Slovenia have fascinated me for roughly the last decade.
They do not come from a country with the kind of domestic league that I would normally associate with a constant production line of world-class players. And yet, generation after generation, they somehow remain competitive internationally.
For a long time, I associated much of their success with a particular veteran core: Tine Urnaut, Alen Pajenk, Mitja Gasparini and Tonček Štern.
Urnaut in particular has always struck me as an extremely intelligent player.
Naturally, that raised a question: what happens when this generation begins to disappear?
The 2026 VNL gave us at least part of the answer.
Slovenia finally won their first VNL medal, giving veterans such as Urnaut and Pajenk a special achievement relatively late in their national-team careers.
But perhaps even more importantly, the next generation is already there.
Players such as Rok Možič and Nik Mujanović look ready to take greater responsibility and continue what the veterans built.
That is why Slovenia’s bronze felt more meaningful to me than simply finishing third in one tournament. It felt like a bridge between two generations.
Italy Left Me With More Questions Than Answers
Italy were one of my disappointments of this VNL.
My biggest concern is their depth.
When the second-choice players were used, it often seemed difficult for Italy to compete evenly with many opponents. That would be less worrying if the strongest lineup looked untouchable, but the quarterfinal against the United States raised another question.
Italy were close to full strength and still failed to win a set.
Alessandro Michieletto missed the season through injury, and to me it looked as though Italy never really found an equivalent replacement for what he normally provides.
That does not suddenly make Italy a weak team.
But if they want to keep challenging consistently for major medals, this VNL suggested to me that there are areas of the roster that deserve attention.
Ukraine and Türkiye Are Progressing – But in Different Ways
Ukraine and Türkiye are two teams whose recent international development I find particularly interesting.
Türkiye entered the VNL in 2024, Ukraine followed in 2025, and by 2026 both had reached the Finals.
Yet I came away with quite different impressions of them.
Ukraine showed that they can genuinely hurt top teams.
Wins against Brazil and Italy were significant results and helped Ukraine continue climbing the FIVB World Ranking. When Ukraine find their rhythm, I feel they can cause problems even for opponents with much bigger international reputations.
But there is another side.
They do not always look equally comfortable against teams closer to their own level. My impression is that fatigue and limited depth may sometimes play a role. In several positions – particularly middle blocker and opposite – there does not yet seem to be a fully equivalent replacement available.
Türkiye give me almost the opposite feeling.
They did not collect many spectacular victories against the very biggest teams, with France being the major exception, but they consistently beat opponents they were expected to compete with.
Eight preliminary-round victories tell their own story.
They lost to USA, Italy, Poland and Slovenia – teams from the upper end of the competition – but generally did not allow themselves unnecessary defeats elsewhere.
Even their 3-0 quarterfinal loss to Slovenia was far more competitive than the scoreline suggests, with the second and third sets finishing 35-33 and 39-37.
If I had to simplify the difference, I would put it this way:
Ukraine already look capable of beating elite teams, but can still stumble against more manageable opponents. Türkiye appear more consistent against the teams they are supposed to beat, but still need another step against the elite.
Both trajectories are worth watching.
Bulgaria May Be Building Something Special
If I had to choose one young team whose future particularly interests me, it would be Bulgaria.
Aleksandar Nikolov finished the preliminary round as its leading scorer and attacker, while his younger brother Simeon Nikolov – only 19 during the competition and already 208 cm tall – gives Bulgaria an extremely intriguing setter for the future.
The average age of their main 14-player group was around 23.7.
And this young team finished only one place away from reaching the Finals.
Bulgaria ended eighth with seven wins and five defeats, including victories over the United States, Ukraine and Italy.
What makes their tournament even more interesting is where they lost their chance.
Their defeats to Belgium and Serbia came during the opening week. Looking back, those early matches proved costly.
Young teams often need time.
If this Bulgarian generation continues developing together, I suspect we may look back at VNL 2026 not as a missed opportunity, but as one of the first signs of what was coming.
Brazil and France Were My Biggest Disappointments
Brazil and France both left me expecting more.
Brazil finished with seven wins and five defeats while using what appeared to be a lineup close to their strongest available group.
That is why their results caught my attention.
Brazil are still Brazil, and one tournament does not define them, but this VNL made the competition around them look much stronger. There are now plenty of teams capable of challenging them.
France were perhaps even more difficult to understand.
They started by beating Italy 3-2, but defeats to Canada, Türkiye and Germany quickly changed the direction of their tournament.
At the same time, I have the feeling we may be watching the beginning of a generational transition.
The performances of younger players were one of the more encouraging parts of their campaign. Mathis Henno, at 21, became France’s leading scorer in this VNL, while the 18-year-old Iyegbekedo was their most productive blocker.
Perhaps France’s VNL was less about winning this particular tournament and more about finding out what the next version of this team might look like.
Cuba Survived; Canada Could Not
There were also two interesting stories near the other end of the table.
For much of the tournament, I had the impression that Cuba were not showing their best version. But when their VNL survival became a real issue, the experienced players seemed to respond.
Cuba won three of their final four matches, beating Belgium, Argentina and Canada, and did enough to remain in the competition.
Canada were not so fortunate.
Their only victory came against France, and they ultimately lost their VNL place.
Yet calling Canada completely uncompetitive would be unfair based on what I watched.
They played seven five-set matches.
They lost all seven.
That statistic almost perfectly describes their tournament to me: close enough to fight, close enough to hope, but never quite able to finish the job.
My Biggest Takeaway From VNL 2026
More than anything, this VNL left me feeling that the gap between the traditional powers and the next group of teams is getting smaller.
Poland may currently have the deepest and most complete squad. USA can still produce extraordinary volleyball. Japan increasingly look like they belong at the very top. Slovenia have shown that their story did not end with one veteran generation.
At the same time, Bulgaria are coming. Ukraine and Türkiye are progressing. France appear to be searching for their next generation. Italy have questions to answer. Brazil can no longer expect reputation alone to separate them from a growing group of challengers.
And that, for me, was what made the 2026 VNL so enjoyable.
It was not simply about discovering who would win.
Almost every week gave me another reason to reconsider what I thought I knew about one team or another.
By the end, Poland had the trophy.
But I was left thinking about far more than the champions.
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