VNL 2025

VNL about to resume in Chiba

Poland, Brazil, France, Bulgaria and Korea join hosts Japan for women’s competition week three

Published 03:20, 08 Jul 2025

Czechia (CZE) vs. Japan (JPN) women - Pool 5 - Preliminary Phase #47931310

After a nine-day break from any Volleyball Nations League matches, VNL action will resume in Chiba, Japan on Wednesday, June 9, as women’s competition week three gets underway. Two of the best three teams in the league so far – Poland and Brazil – will be among the six competing in Chiba, in the company of hosts Japan, France, Bulgaria and Korea, in the order of their positions in the current VNL standings.

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A total of 12 matches will be played in Chiba this week, from July 9 to 13, with each of the six teams – Brazil, Bulgaria, France, Japan, Korea and Poland – appearing in four of them. The daily programs for Wednesday and Sunday will feature three games each, while Thursday, Friday and Saturday will offer two matches a day.

The week’s program will obviously be highlighted by the three matches between the three best performing teams in this group so far. Poland, the bronze medalists of the previous two VNL editions, are running second in the current standings, on a 7-1 win-loss record and 21 points. Three-time VNL silver medalists Brazil stand third on 7-1 and 20, while the silver medalists of the last edition, Japan, currently occupy fifth place on 6-2 and 18.

The big clash between Poland and Brazil will take place on Friday, at 19:20 local time (10:20 UTC). The home fans in Chiba are expected to flock to the volleyball arena to support Japan at the same starting times on Saturday against Poland, and on Sunday against Brazil, which will be the pool’s closing match.

In the week’s opener, Bulgaria, currently in 13th place on 3-5 and 9, will challenge Brazil. That game will serve off at 12:00 (03:00) on Wednesday. Later on the first competition day in Chiba, at 15:30 (06:30), Poland will take on Korea, who stand second from the bottom, in 17th place on 1-7 and 4, and will be fighting hard to avoid relegation. Wednesday’s program will conclude with a match between Japan and France at 19:20 (10:20). Like Bulgaria, the French team has a realistic shot at qualifying for the Finals for the first time in history. They take 11th place on 3-5 and 10.

“The first week was really good for us and we were very happy about our game quality. In the second week we also did a good job. Even if we lost some matches, we had a great fight and our game was progressing. In the third week we are at home and we have great teams here as our opponents. We are going to try our best in front of our spectators and I believe that we can do a good job here. Step by step, our target is to play very good volleyball and, of course, try to win as many matches as we can.” Ferhat Akbas, head coach of Japan

The VNL Preliminary Phase features three competition weeks, with each of the 18 teams playing a total of 12 matches. The eight best-ranked national teams in the Preliminary Phase will qualify for the Finals, which will be held in Lodz, Poland from July 23 to 27, with the host country already with a guaranteed spot.

Volleyball Nations League 2025: full schedule and results

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