VolleyBar46# : Monday July 20, 2026

If you wish to publish an Italian translation of this article, any of our other articles, or any part of them, please cite the original source. Plagiarism is illegal!

We officially welcome you to the 46th episode of VolleyBar, and we’re proud to announce that on Saturday, July 18, our daily column turned three months old!
It was the very first daily volleyball column to bring together all the biggest volleyball news of the day in one place!
Since then, of course, we’ve even seen some rather poor imitations pop up in Italy under the names “press review” or “roundups”—apparently, some people decided that translating our articles into Italian almost word for word wasn’t enough.
So, we’ve reached another important milestone!

Today we start in Poland, where Mateusz Bieniek will remain with defending champions Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie until 2029!
Last season was an outstanding one for the team’s captain, as he won the Polish Championship and finished as runner-up in the CEV Champions League. On an individual level, he was named PlusLiga MVP and Best Middle Blocker of the CEV Champions League Final Four. He also helped the team secure the bronze medal at the FIVB Club World Championship!

Meanwhile, in France, as previously announced, Paris Volley has officially unveiled legendary Italian head coach Silvano Prandi as its new head coach.

The battle for the 2026 Volleyball Nations League title officially begins!
The stage is set, and only eight teams remain in the race for the 2026 Men’s Volleyball Nations League crown.
Who will rise above the rest and be crowned this year’s VNL champion?
The Finals will take place in Ningbo, China, from July 29 to August 2.

Still on the VNL, here are the 2026 Individual Award Winners:
* Best Scorer: Alex Nikolov (Bulgaria)
* Best Attacker: Alex Nikolov (Bulgaria)
* Best Server: Dmytro Yanchuk (Ukraine)
* Best Blocker: Jackson Howe (Canada)
* Best Setter: Antoine Brizard (France)
* Best Digger: Franco Massimino (Argentina)
* Best Receiver: Mathis Henno (France)

Congratulations to all of this year’s award winners!

New for VNL 2026: just like in the women’s competition, the traditional Dream Team will no longer be selected after the VNL Finals.
Instead, these individual awards are presented at the end of the preliminary round, with each winner receiving a $10,000 cash prize.
The Most Valuable Player (MVP) remains the only award announced after the VNL Finals. It will be selected from the players competing in the championship match through a combined vote by fans and a panel of volleyball experts.

China finished the preliminary round with a record of 1 win, 11 losses, and 4 points.
Despite these results, the team will compete in the VNL quarterfinals and is guaranteed to remain in the 2027 Volleyball Nations League thanks to its status as host nation of the 2026 VNL Finals.

China has recorded one of the worst performances in VNL history:

* Australia (2021): 1 win – 14 losses – 2 points
* Australia (2022): 1 win – 11 losses – 2 points
* China (2019): 1 win – 14 losses – 4 points
* China (2026): 1 win – 11 losses – 4 points

Meanwhile, Japan makes history!
Japan has become the first team in Volleyball Nations League history to complete the preliminary round without losing a single match.

* 3–0 vs Argentina 🇦🇷
* 3–0 vs Belgium 🇧🇪
* 3–2 vs Canada 🇨🇦
* 3–2 vs Italy 🇮🇹
* 3–2 vs France 🇫🇷
* 3–2 vs USA 🇺🇸
* 3–2 vs Iran 🇮🇷
* 3–1 vs Serbia 🇷🇸
* 3–1 vs Slovenia 🇸🇮
* 3–1 vs China 🇨🇳
* 3–2 vs Poland 🇵🇱
* 3–0 vs Ukraine 🇺🇦

Laurent Tillie’s Japan will face China in the Volleyball Nations League playoffs.

Still on the international stage, Cambodia makes history as SEA V Cup – Leg 1 Champions in Candon City, capturing its first-ever SEA V Cup title!
After making its tournament debut just last year, Cambodia completed a remarkable run by outlasting the reigning AVC Cup champions Indonesia in five sets: 25:23, 28:26, 23:25, 22:25, 15:11.
A historic milestone for Cambodian volleyball as they claim their first-ever gold medal in the competition.
Congratulations!

6th SEA V Cup – Leg 1 Final Standings

1.Cambodia
2.Indonesia
3.Thailand
4.Vietnam
5.Philippines
6.Myanmar

And the dream team:
Most Valuable Player:
• Veasna Voeurn (Cambodia)
Best Outside hitters:
• Farhan Halim (Indonesia)
• Veasna Voeurn (Cambodia)
Best Middle Blockers:
• Truong The Khai (Vietnam)
• Hendra Kurniawan (Indonesia)
Best Opposite:
• Napadet Bhinijdee (Thailand)
Best Libero:
• Josh Ybañez (Philippines)
Best Setter:
• Soun Channaro (Cambodia)

Another international news is that Iran captured the 2026 AVC Boys’ U18 Volleyball Championship title after defeating Japan in four sets: 23:25, 25:22, 25:17, 25:22.
After dropping the opening set, Iran rallied back in impressive fashion to win the next three sets and claim their 8th title in this tournament.

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