VNL 2026: Cuba condemns Canada, Italy stay in race for finals!

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Article wrote by Danilo from Osaka for Volleytimes, please respect his job.

The third (and last) competition week of the Preliminary Phase in the Volleyball Nations League 2026 continued today with three cities across the world – Osaka in Japan, Belgrade in Serbia and Chicago in the United States – hosting a total of 36 matches, which will finalize the standings as well as the top seven teams to the quarterfinals in Ningbo along with hosts China, and now also USA, Japan and Slovenia.

Live from Osaka, Cuba took a decisive step towards preserving their place in the Volleyball Nations League after defeating Canada 3-0 (25:22, 25:21, 29:27).
The rivals were close to their opponent but Cuba made the difference in blocking, scoring 11 points from this element against 6, and from the service line, with 5 aces to 2.
Miguel Ángel López led the winners with 16 points to his name, and Yant added 13. For Canada, Skyler Varga finished with 15 points, and Arthur Szwarc added 11.
With this success, Cuba now have 3 wins and 10 points and took a huge step towards remaining in the VNL, while Canada remained with only one win and 10 points before their last match against Belgium.
Even if they win against the Belgians, the Canadians can finish with at most 2 wins. This will not allow them to overtake any of their direct competitors, because Argentina, Cuba, and Belgium already have 3 wins each.
After the final point, the Cubans’ joy was even more emotional as, in the team photo after the victory, the entire team posed with the jersey of middle blocker Javier Concepcion, who sustained a severe injury during the second tournament of the Nations League and underwent surgery, causing him to miss the rest of the season.
With this gesture, his teammates fulfilled the promise they had given him – to preserve Cuba’s place in the VNL, so that Concepcion can return to the court and play in the tournament again after his recovery next year!

Italy stays in the race, improving to 7-4 after sweeping Argentina in straight sets: 25:22, 25:22, 25:22.
This victory keeps them firmly in the hunt for a spot in the 2026 Volleyball Nations League Finals, while Argentina drops to 3-8.

MORE TO FOLLOW

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

— Saturday | July 18, 2026—

👉🏼 Pool 9 – Week 3 – Osaka 🇯🇵
• 13.00 (Local Time) | Canada – Cuba 0-3 (22:25, 21:25, 27:29)
• 19.20 (Local Time) | Argentina – Italy 0-3 (22:25, 22:25, 22:25)

| Pool 7 – Week 3 – Belgrade 🇷🇸
• 16.30 (Local Time) | Türkiye – Slovenia
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Serbia – Germany

| Pool 8 – Week 3 – Chicago 🇺🇸
• 16.00 (Local Time) | France – Poland
• 20.00 (Local Time) | USA – Bulgaria

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🏐| STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Japan 27
2. USA 25
3. Poland 23
4. Slovenia 20
5. Italy 23
6. Türkiye 19
7. Ukraine 20
8. Bulgaria 17
9. Brazil 16
10. Serbia 15
11. France 13
12. Germany 13
13. Iran 11
14. Argentina 10
15. Cuba 10
16. Belgium 9
17. Canada 10
18. China 4

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🏐| NEXT GAMES

— Sunday | July 19, 2026—

| Pool 9 – Week 3 – Osaka 🇯🇵
• 12.00 (Local Time) | Belgium – Canada
• 15.30 (Local Time) | Cuba – Italy
• 19.20 (Local Time) | Japan – Argentina

| Pool 7 – Week 3 – Belgrade 🇷🇸
• 13.00 (Local Time) | Türkiye – Iran
• 16.30 (Local Time) | Ukraine – Germany
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Serbia – Slovenia

| Pool 8 – Week 3 – Chicago 🇺🇸
• 12.00 (Local Time) | China – Brazil
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Bulgaria – France
• 20.00 (Local Time) | USA – Poland

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