The first six players to be called to the Brazilian men’s national team ahead of the upcoming Volleyball Nations League 2023 season were announced. Head coach Renan Dal Zotto put forward the names of three opposites, two outside hitters and a libero, for whom the club seasons have already finished.
VNL 2023
First six athletes on Brazil’s VNL squad announced
Published 09:07, 20 Apr 2023
Darlan in action at the VNL 2022 Finals
The team currently in position four in the FIVB World Ranking will rely on the services of two of the opposites who helped Brazil reach the podium at the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship in Poland and Slovenia and claim the bronze medals – 25-year-old Felipe Roque and 20-year-old Darlan Souza. Darlan’s brother, 29-year-old Alan Souza, who suffered an injury during VNL 2022 and skipped the World Championship after that, is the third opposite named by Dal Zotto.
Another World Championship bronze medallist, 21-year-old Adriano Cavalcante, is one of the outsides on the coach’s list. The other is 24-year-old Victor Cardoso, who was part of Brazil’s VNL 2022 squad.
Former youth and junior international Alexandre Elias, a 25-year-old libero, who was on the VNL 2022 roster, but did not get to compete in any of the matches and make his debut for the senior team, is the sixth player announced by Dal Zotto.
Brazil will open their VNL 2023 first week campaign on June 7 with a game against Germany in Ottawa, Canada. Later on, they will travel to Orleans, France and Pasay City, Philippines for weeks two and three, respectively, hoping to advance to the Finals in Gdansk, Poland from July 19 through 23.
The South American Championship is set to take place in August and September, before Brazil host one of the three FIVB Road to Paris Volleyball Qualifiers from September 30 through October 8, when they will compete with Cuba, Czechia, Germany, Iran, Italy, Qatar and Ukraine for two tickets to next year’s Olympic Games in France.
- Watch Volleyball Nations League 2023 on VBTV
