Slovenia make history with first-ever VNL medal after defeating Japan 3-1 in Final for bronze!

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After falling short in three previous bronze medal matches – including three in a row – Slovenia finally broke through, defeating Japan 3-1 (25:21, 26:28, 25:22, 25:22) to claim the country’s first-ever medal in the men’s Volleyball Nations League.
It was a closely contested battle from the opening rally.
The first set remained evenly balanced until Slovenia produced a decisive late surge, turning an 18-20 score into a commanding 24-20 advantage before closing it out 25-21. Japan responded in dramatic fashion in the second, saving their best for the closing stages to edge a thrilling 28-26 set and level the match.
Slovenia regained control in the third. Although Takahashi and his teammates repeatedly erased three-point deficits, Fabio Soli’s side remained composed, maintaining their attacking efficiency and sealing the set 25-22. The fourth followed a similar pattern, with the Europeans taking charge early and building a comfortable lead. Japan threatened a comeback after cutting the gap to 22-20 late in the set, but Mujanovic stepped up when it mattered most, guiding Slovenia to the victory that secured a long-awaited place on the VNL podium.

Nik Mujanovic and Rok Mozic were the driving forces behind one of the greatest achievements in Slovenian volleyball history, finishing with 24 and 23 points, respectively, while Ran Takahashi led Japan with 20 points.

Slovenia also held the statistical edge, recording 10 blocks to Japan’s six and six aces to three. Although Soli’s team committed more unforced errors (33 to 23), they outperformed their opponents in both attack (52% efficiency compared to Japan’s 44%) and reception, posting a 50% positive reception rate against Japan’s 46%.

“Yesterday, my roommate Jan Kozamernik and I saw that the head-to-head between Japan and Slovenia was 8-3 to them and 7-0 in the last matches, but I had a feeling, because we were really doing something crazy in this VNL. I am so happy! This team deserves it. I said to Tine and Pajenk that they were waiting for a medal for 20 years and it came,” said Rok Mozic after the game.
“We’ve had a lot of fourth places and it was very unlucky. Now we are so happy – it’s like gold for us! I always say, I just want to finish a tournament with a win, and it finally happened and I am really proud of this team. We did something special and it will be remembered forever!”

Next is the VNL 2026 gold medal showdown between the United States and Poland, set to serve off at 19:30 local time.

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🏐| FIVB Volleyball Nations League 2026 | FINALS
📍Ningbo Beilun – China 🇨🇳

— Sunday | August 2, 2026 —

👉🏼 🥉BRONZE MEDAL MATCH | 15.40 (Local Time) | Japan – Slovenia 1-3 (21:25, 28:26, 22:25, 22:25)
• 🥇GOLD MEDAL MATCH | 19.30 (Local Time) | USA – Poland 2-3 (21:25, 25:23, 27:25, 23:25, 10:15)

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