VNL 2026: Türkiye to Finals for first time ever, 3 points also for a hopeful Ukraine and Slovenia in last games in Belgrade

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The third and last week of the Preliminary Phase of Volleyball Nations League 2026 continued today in three cities across the world – Osaka (Japan), Belgrade (Serbia) and Chicago (USA) – hosting a total of 36 matches, which will determine the final standings but also the top seven teams who will
play the quarterfinals in Nigbo together with hosts China, undefeated Japan and USA, that claimed their tickets on Thursday, Slovenia, Poland and Italy.

Turkey’s 3-1 (17:25, 25:22, 25:16, 25:19) victory over Iran has produced a historic outcome in the Volleyball Nations League.
The winners, competing in the tournament for just the third time, has secured a place in the Finals for the first time in its history.
The victory improves Türkiye to 8-4, an achievement that marks an incredible turnaround for the team. After making its VNL debut in 2024, Türkiye nearly suffered relegation by finishing 16th, followed by a 17th-place finish in 2025. Just two years later, they have completed a remarkable rise by earning their first-ever VNL Finals appearance.
Congratulations, Türkiye!
And this was not the only upset, as yesterday we had also another two unprecedented moments: for the first time in the eight editions of the VNL, Brazil and France has failed to qualify for the final stage.
Since the tournament’s inaugural edition in 2018, the South Americans had always reached the Finals, finishing fourth in both 2018 and 2019, first in 2021, sixth in 2022 and 2023, seventh in 2024, and third in last year’s 2025 edition.
That streak of seven consecutive Finals appearances comes to an end in 2026, while Turkey celebrates a historic milestone by reaching the competition’s top eight teams for the first time!

Meanwhile, Ukraine keeps VNL Finals dream alive after defeated Germany in four sets to remain in contention for a spot in the 2026 Volleyball Nations League Finals: 25:23, 20:25, 25:22, 26:24. Maksym Tonkonoh left the court with 21 points including 3 blocks.
Now, all eyes turn to the Bulgaria vs. France match.
If Bulgaria wins, Ukraine will be eliminated from VNL Finals contention.
If Bulgaria loses, Ukraine will qualify for the VNL Finals.
The start of the match was difficult for the Ukrainians, who fell behind 4:9 after a series of errors. Gradually, however, the team found its rhythm, and Oleh Plotnytskyi led the comeback with excellent performance from the service line, scoring two consecutive aces. In the decisive moments, Vladyslav Shchurov stopped the German attack with a monster block and secured the first set’s victory with 25:23.
Germany leveled the score after strong blocking and serving in the second set, which they won 25:20.
However, in the third set, Ukraine once again took the initiative with Maksym Tonkonoh and Oleh Plotnytskyi who led the team to a conspicuous lead, which the Ukrainians managed to maintain until the end for a 25:22 victory.
The fourth set was the most dramatic. Germany led 17:13, but the Ukrainians made an impressive run of six consecutive points, with two aces from Dmytro Yanchuk, while the block working excellently. In a tense finish, Ukraine showed stronger nerves and closed out the match with a 26:24 win.
The top scorer for the winners was the only 18-year-old opposite Maksym Tonkonoh with 21 points. (Updated: France swept Bulgaria in just three sets!)

In the evening, Slovenia closed out the preliminary round of the 2026 Volleyball Nations League with a straight-set sweep over hosts Serbia: 25:19, 25:21, 25:22.
The victory improves Slovenia to an impressive 10-2 record heading into the VNL Finals, while Serbia ends its campaign at 5-7 and a final third place. Bomber Nik Mujanovic top-scored the winners with 17 points, while his counterpart Veljko Masulovic led Serbia with 15.
In final standings, Serbia occupied 11th place on 5-7 and 16.

And so, with the end of Preliminary Phase, all seven teams joining hosts China into the upcoming Finals in Ningbo set to take place from July 29 to August 2, are known.
The last two tickets in the quarterfinals were assigned on Sunday, when Turkiye and Ukraine, who will participate in the Finals for the first time in the history of the VNL, secured their spots alongside Japan, Poland, Slovenia, Italy, the United States and the hosts China.

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

— Sunday | July 19, 2026—

| Pool 9 – Week 3 – Osaka 🇯🇵
• 12.00 (Local Time) | Belgium – Canada 3-0 (25:22, 25:22, 25:19)
• 15.30 (Local Time) | Cuba – Italy 1-3 (25:17, 19:25, 21:25, 17:25)
• 19.20 (Local Time) | Japan – Argentina 3-0 (25:22, 25:22, 25:16)

👉🏼 Pool 7 – Week 3 – Belgrade 🇷🇸
• 13.00 (Local Time) | Türkiye – Iran 3-1 (17:25, 25:22, 25:16, 25:19)
• 16.30 (Local Time) | Ukraine – Germany 3-1 (25:23, 20:25, 25:22, 26:24)
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Serbia – Slovenia 0-3 (19:25, 21:25, 22:25)

| Pool 8 – Week 3 – Chicago 🇺🇸
• 12.00 (Local Time) | China – Brazil 0-3 (16:25, 20:25, 21:25)
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Bulgaria – France 0-3 (21:25, 22:25, 21:25)
• 20.00 (Local Time) | USA – Poland 0-3 (20:25, 21:25, 19:25)

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🏐| FINAL STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Japan 30
2. Poland 29
3. Slovenia 26
4. Italy 26
5. USA 25
6. Türkiye 22
7. Ukraine 23
8. Bulgaria 20
9. Brazil 19
10. France 16
11. Serbia 16
12. Germany 15
13. Belgium 12
14. Iran 11
15. Argentina 10
16. Cuba 10
17. ~~Canada 10~~
18. China 4