VNL 2026: first week in China completed – Japan stun Slovenia! Victories for China and Poland

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First Week of 2026 Volleyball Nations League in Linyi, China, has been closed today with last three games.

The day started with defending champions Poland who avoided another big upset performing a comeback after a 2-0 deficit against Ukraine by 2-3 (25:19, 25:18, 22:25, 21:25, 11:15). On 2-2 and 7 each, Poland and Ukraine stand sixth and seventh in the standings, respectively. Opposite Aliaksei Nasevich was the best scorer of that match with 19 points, while outside hitter Dmytro Yanchuk led Ukraine with 13, including three aces.

Menwhile, hosts China finally scored their first win, with a 3-0 (25:21, 25:19, 25:23) success over Cuba, jumping up to 11th place on 1-3 and 4 points in the standings, leaving the opponents second from the bottom, in 17th place on 0-4 and 1 point.
In front of a nearly 6,800 volleyball fans in the stands, the two opposites – China’s Wen Zihua and Cuba’s Alejandro Gonzalez – shared the match top scorer honors with 13 points each.

In the upset of the day, Yuji Nishida hits his 1000th point and 100th ace in VNL as his Japan inflicted to Slovenia first loss to stay unbeaten!
Japan close the week undefeated in four matches played, led by opposite Nishida, who tallied 17 points (50% in attack, 1 block and three aces) in his team’s 3-1 (25:27, 25:16, 25:22, 25:22) victory over last season’s semifinalists.
Outside hitter and captain Yuki Ishikawa also scored three aces in a match-high 23 points, while their teammate Ran Takahashi finished with 16 points, and middle blocker Akihiro Yamauchi also reached the double digits with 10.
Opposite Toncek Stern led Slovenia with 21 points, including two aces and a kill block, while Nik Mujanovic, who went back to the left-winger position, added 18 points, also including two aces and one block. The other Slovenian outside Klemen Sen put down 11 points.

“It was a tough match, because we lost the first set, but in the second, the third and the fourth sets we came back and we are so happy. The Slovenian team served very well, so we needed to stay patient. To win all four matches here is great for us,” Ishikawa said after the game.

The last day of the first competition week continues with the game between Belgium and Iran in Brasilia. The second fixture in the Brazilian capital will offer a southern European classic between Bulgaria and Serbia, while a South American derby between Brazil and Argentina will close the day. The games in Ottawa, Canada, are Germany against France, Canada against Turkiye and USA against Italy.

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

— Sunday | June 14, 2026 —

👉🏼 Pool 3 – Week 1 – Linyi 🇨🇳
• 13.00 (Local Time) | Ukraine – Poland 2-3 (25:19, 25:18, 22:25, 21:25, 11:15)
• 16.30 (Local Time) | China – Cuba 3-0 (25:21, 25:19, 25:23)
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Slovenia – Japan 1-3 (27:25, 16:25, 22:25, 22:25)

| Pool 2 – Week 1 – Brasilia 🇧🇷
• 11.00 (Local Time) | Belgium – Iran 3-2 (25:23, 25:22, 23:25, 17:25, 15:12)
• 14.30 (Local Time) | Bulgaria – Serbia 0-3 (28:30, 22:25, 23:25)
• 18.00 (Local Time) | Brazil – Argentina 3-2 (18:25, 24:26, 25:19, 25:23, 15:9)

| Pool 1 – Week 1 – Ottawa 🇨🇦
• 11.00 (Local Time) | Germany – France 3-1 (40:38, 19:25, 25:20, 25:22)
• 14.30 (Local Time) | Canada – Türkiye 2-3 (21:25, 25:17, 23:25, 25:14, 8:15)
• 18.00 (Local Time) | USA – Italy 2-3 (18:25, 25:15, 19:25, 25:18, 10:15)

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

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🏐| NEXT GAMES

— Wednesday | June 24, 2026—

| Pool 5 – Week 2 – Gliwice 🇵🇱
• 13.00 (Local Time) | China – Türkiye
• 16.30 (Local Time) | Argentina – Germany
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Poland – Belgium

| Pool 6 – Week 2 – Ljubljana 🇸🇮
• 13.00 (Local Time) | Bulgaria – Italy
• 16.30 (Local Time) | Ukraine – Brazil
• 20.30 (Local Time) | Slovenia – Canada

| Pool 4 – Week 2 – Orléans 🇫🇷
• 13.30 (Local Time) | Serbia – Japan
• 17.00 (Local Time) | Cuba – USA
• 20.30 (Local Time) | France – Iran

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