VNL 2026: Day 1 closed. All results from Ottawa and Brasilia. Historical winning debut for Belgium, France down Italy and the others…

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After the wins of Poland, Slovenia and Japan in Linyi, China, 2026 Volleyball Nations League continued today with games also in Canada and Brazil.

The U.S. National Team defeat Türkiye 1-3 (20:25, 25:20, 20:25, 23:25) to kick off week one at Volleyball Nations League in Ottawa, Canada.
The winners led in kills (59-53) and blocks (7-5), while Türkiye served six of eight aces in the match.

“I really liked how it wasn’t always smooth and pretty and easy on our side, but our team kept moving forward. Türkiye did a great job of storming back at the very end of that match (falling 25-23 after trailing 23-15). We didn’t panic or lose our poise. I love how they pushed us. Great competition means both sides push hard and our team responded well and we have a lot to get better at,” said U.S. head coach Karch Kiraly.

“2026 VNL, here we are. Some interesting rule tests this year, including more substitutions. Teams can do some different things, so it will be really exciting to see the evolution of the game in this year with a lot of people thinking not only about VNL, but also Olympic qualification later this year. It is a very important year.”

Opposite Jake Hanes led the charge with 21 points to his name including one block.

“We came out pretty strong and we wanted to compete well. We learned a couple of things the last week. Obviously, we want to finish a little bit stronger, but three points is three points,” said libero Erik Shoji after the game. “I think we were a little bit tight. We were working on the seams a little bit, putting the ball just a little over the net, so we tried to adjust to bring off a little bit for Micah (setter Ma’a) to better run the offense. After that we only gave up one ace in the third and fourth and that’s pretty good.”

Captain Matt Anderson also contributed with 15 points, one block and one ace, while Middle blocker Jeff Jendryk added three blocks.

On the same Pool, Olympic champions France down Italy 3-2 (19:25, 29:27, 23:25, 25:23, 16:14) in a thrilling game, twice rallying from a set down before sealing a well-deserved victory.
Mathis Henno led the winners scoring 18 points, while Italy’s Kamil Rychlicki, new opposite of Champions of Poland Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie, finished as the day’s top scorer with as many as 30 points.

“I am very happy about the spirit. They put a lot of pressure in serving, as we expected, and we struggled, but we managed to stay in the game and stay aggressive, so that was great,” said French setter and captain Antoine Brizard after the match.
“It’s always a special game with Italy. We love each other, we hate each other – we are so close, that, of course, we are really connected and we know each other perfectly, so these are always tight games.”

Close the picture on first day in Ottawa the tie break of Germany over the hosts Canada, 2-3 (26:24, 19:25, 25:20, 21:25, 13:15). Opposite Filip John and outside hitter Tobias Brand shared the top scorer honors with 19 points each, while Canadian outside hitter and captain Eric Loeppky led his team’s scoring with 15 points to his name.

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The biggest surprise came in Brasilia, where VNL debutants Belgium stunned World Championship runners-up Bulgaria 3-1 (20:25, 26:24, 26:24, 25:23).
After dropping the opening set, Belgium won the next three to earn a historic first victory in the competition, led by Pierre Perin with 16 points, while Bulgaria’s Aleksandar Nikolov registered a match-high 25.
The Belgians struggled early against a powerful Bulgarian attack and dropped the opening set 25-20. However, they quickly found their rhythm in the second one, improving serving and defensive play helping them edge a tense battle 26-24 to level the match.
Belgium carried that momentum also into the third set, showing resilience in several long rallies and capitalizing on Bulgarian serve errors. A spectacular defensive effort from libero Gorik Lantsoght paved the way for Pierre Perin to seal another 26-24 set win and his team ahead.
In the fourth set Basil Dermaux was forced off with a knee injury after an awkward landing but, despite losing one of their key performers, Belgium stayed composed and strong serving from Pierre Perin and crucial points from Ferre Reggers helped them reject a late Bulgarian comeback before closing out the match at 25-23!

After the match, Perin praised the team’s determination: “We never stopped believing, even during the difficult moments. To start our VNL journey with a win like this is something special,” he said.

Head coach Emanuele Zanini also highlighted his players’ attitude and adaptability: “The team showed great character, excellent serving and strong defense. We played with our own identity and found solutions throughout the match,” he stated.

Staying in Brazil, Serbia down Argentina 3-1 (25:23. 25:20, 25:27, 26:24), with Opposite Veljko Masulovic who led the charge for Serbia with a match-high 19 points, while outside hitter Luciano Vicentin was Argentina’s leading scorer with 17.

Hosts Brazil also opened their campaign with a win over Iran with the same result, 3-1 (25:21, 23:25, 25:15, 25:23).
In front of 3,470 fans in the stands for the last match of the day in country’s capital, the winners were led by opposite Darlan Souza, who scored 18 points, all in attack, while Outside Adriano Cavalcante tallied four aces from the serving line.
Iranian opposite Ali Hajipour (Haji) delivered a team-high 17 points.

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🏐| FIVB Volleyball Nations League 2026 | Games of the day

Wednesday | June 10, 2026

| Pool 3 – Week 1 – Linyi 🇨🇳
• 13.00 (Local Time) | Cuba – Poland 0-3 (16:25, 20:25, 21:25)
• 16.30 (Local Time) | China – Slovenia 2-3 (17:25, 25:20, 25:20, 23:25, 10:15)
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Ukraine – Japan 0-3 (22:25, 21:25, 22:25)

👉🏼 Pool 1 – Week 1 – Ottawa 🇨🇦
• 11.00 (Local Time) | Türkiye – USA 1-3 (20:25, 25:20, 20:25, 23:25)
• 16.00 (Local Time) | France – Italy 3-2 (19:25, 29:27, 23:25, 25:23, 16:14)
• 19.30 (Local Time) | Canada – Germany 2-3 (26:24, 19:25, 25:20, 21:25, 13:15)

👉🏼 Pool 2 – Week 1 – Brasilia 🇧🇷
• 13.00 (Local Time) | Belgium – Bulgaria 3-1 (20:25, 26:24, 26:24, 25:23)
• 16.30 (Local Time) | Serbia – Argentina 3-1 (25:23. 25:20, 25:27, 26:24)
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Brazil – Iran 3-1 (25:21, 23:25, 25:15, 25:23)

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🏐| STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Poland 3
2. Japan 3
3. Serbia 3
4. Belgium 3
5. Brazil 3
6. USA 3
7. France 2
8. Germany 2
9. Slovenia 2
10. Italy 1
11. China 1
12. Canada 1
13. Bulgaria 0
14. Türkiye 0
15. Argentina 0
16. Iran 0
17. Cuba 0
18. Ukraine 0

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🏐| NEXT GAMES

— Thursday | June 11, 2026 —

| Pool 3 – Week 1 – Linyi 🇨🇳
• 16.30 (Local Time) | China – Ukraine
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Slovenia – Poland

| Pool 1 – Week 1 – Ottawa 🇨🇦
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Germany – Italy
• 19.30 (Local Time) | Canada – France

| Pool 2 – Week 1 – Brasilia 🇧🇷
• 16.30 (Local Time) | Bulgaria – Iran
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Brazil – Belgium

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