VNL 2026

Osaka, Belgrade and Chicago welcome men’s VNL teams for crucial week three

The last 36 matches will finalize the lineup for the quarterfinals

Published 10:58, 14 Jul 2026

France (FRA) vs. Poland (POL) men - Gold Medal Match #19284605

France and Poland are set to meet in a remake of the Paris 2024 final this week in Chicago

The third and last competition week of the Preliminary Phase in the men’s Volleyball Nations League 2026 is about to serve off on Wednesday 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 and propel the top seven teams to the quarterfinals in Ningbo along with hosts China.

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Each of the 18 participating teams will play another four games this week, while the match schedule in each of the three pools features three games on Wednesday, two each on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and another three on Sunday.

Undefeated Japan play at home and need just two more wins to book ticket to the Finals

After two weeks of action, Japan seem to be among the favorites not only to advance to the Finals, but also to do so as the top-standing team of the Preliminary Phase. They are the only undefeated team so far in the competition and will have the home-court advantage in the pool to be played in Osaka, hosting the teams of Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Cuba and Italy. If they win two of their four games, Japan will be guaranteed a spot in Ningbo.

However, the table leaders will start off with a tough encounter with reigning world champions and current number two in the FIVB World Ranking Italy, who stand on a 5-3 win-loss record in sixth place, right in the area, where the fiercest races for quarterfinal spots will take place. The greatly anticipated match between the only two teams in Osaka that are within the playoffs zone of the current standings is set to serve off at 19:20 local time (10:20 UTC) on Wednesday.

The competition week will start in Osaka with a game between Canada and Argentina at 12:00 (03:00) on Wednesday. These two teams, standing 16^th on 1-7 and 15^th on 2-6, respectively, have distant mathematical chances of progressing to the Finals, but they are much more likely to be focused on the fight to avoid the last place and stay in the VNL.

The team that is currently in that dangerous 18^th place – winless Cuba on 0-8 – will try to change that as they take on VNL rookies Belgium at 15:30 (06:30). The European team is in 13^th place on 3-5 and still has a realistic shot at the quarterfinals.

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Huge battles coming up in Belgrade

The pool in Belgrade features as many as three teams that a currently above the cut-off line for the Finals, but far from having a safe place among the quarterfinalists. They are fourth-placed Slovenia on 6-2, fifth-placed Ukraine on 5-5 and seventh-placed Turkiye on 5-3. In addition, Germany and hosts Serbia are not far below the cut-off, in 10^th and 11^th place, respectively, on 4-4 each. Iran, the sixth team in the pool, are 14^th on 2-6 and will rather fight for survival in the league than for qualifying for the Finals. That means that, at least until things start to settle, every single match in the Serbian capital will offer a determined battle.

Action in Belgrade will serve off at 13:00 local time (11:00 UTC) with a game between Germany and Slovenia on Wednesday. Later on the first day, Iran will challenge trending Ukraine at 16:30 (14:30), while the home team will entertain Turkiye at 20:00 (18:00).

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Remake of Paris 2024 Olympic final to highlight week in Chicago

Hosts USA and defending VNL champions Poland are the two teams from the top seven in the current standings that will be competing in Chicago this week. In fact, they are set to close the entire Preliminary Phase on Sunday with a match against one another at 20:00 local time (01:00 UTC on Monday), a remake of the Paris 2024 Olympic semifinals that offered a five-set saga. They are on 6-2 each, with the Americans in second place and the Poles in the third.

The program in Chicago will even offer a remake of the Olympic final itself, as France and Poland are set to lock horns on Saturday at 16:00 (21:00). The reigning two-time back-to-back Olympic champions, however, are currently below the line for the Finals, in 12^th place on 4-4, and will have to work hard this week to catch up and qualify for Ningbo.

That applies even to mighty Brazil, who are in ninth place on 5-3, and to the silver medalists of the last World Championship Bulgaria, who are just below the playoffs zone, in eighth place, also on 5-3. Finals hosts China are also in the Chicago pool. They are second from the bottom of the table, in 17^th place on 1-7.

The competition in Chicago will serve off with a game between Bulgaria and Poland at 12:00 (17:00) on Wednesday, followed by France and Brazil at 16:00 (21:00) and by USA and China at 20:00 (01:00 +1 day).