Ukraine have earned the right to compete in the 2026 edition of the women’s Volleyball Nations League and have officially confirmed their participation. They will take the place of relegated Korea and will appear in the women’s VNL for the first time in the competition’s history. This way, Ukraine will have both their men’s and women’s national teams play in the world’s most prestigious annual volleyball competition, after the men’s squad made their successful debut this year and stopped just short of qualifying for the Finals.
Ukraine are the highest ranked among the teams other than those who took part in women’s VNL 2025. They stand 15th in the women’s FIVB Volleyball World Ranking on a score of 192.10 points, slightly higher than that of the two closest candidates – Puerto Rico (190.09) and Argentina (189.05).
Earlier this season, Ukraine won the CEV Volleyball European Golden League. They went through the league stage on a 5-1 win-loss record and finished second to advance to the Finals in Sweden, where they got back at the hosts for the only loss they suffered earlier in the competition with a straight-set semifinal win, and went on to defeat Hungary in a four-set gold medal showdown to claim the crown.
In the process, Polish head coach Jakub Gluszak’s team net-gained a total 19.96 World Ranking points, enough to surpass both Puerto Rico and Argentina, who were ahead of Ukraine in the chart before the start of the season, in the nip-and-tuck race between the three teams to qualify for VNL 2026.
Ukraine are also set to take part in the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship, serving off on August 22 in Thailand.
