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LATEST EDITION ANALYSIS<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How VNL 2026 Changed the 2027 Field<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Preliminary Phase and the Final Standings tell different parts of the 2026 VNL story. Japan went 12\u20130<\/strong> in the men\u2019s Preliminary Phase, while Poland and Slovenia both finished 10\u20132 before the Finals reshaped the podium. In the women\u2019s competition, the United States and Italy each went 10\u20132, but T\u00fcrkiye ultimately won the title in Macao.<\/p>\n\n\n\nUnder the published 2026 promotion-relegation rules, the team finishing last in the Final Standings<\/strong> is relegated. Canada finished 18th in the men\u2019s Final Standings and Bulgaria finished 18th in the women\u2019s Final Standings.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor 2027, the FIVB later confirmed a one-season expansion from 18 to 19 teams per gender<\/strong>. Russia\u2019s men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams will join as the highest-ranked teams not yet qualified, while the expansion also preserves places for Finland men<\/strong> and Slovenia women<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
COMPETITION GUIDE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 2026 VNL featured 18 national teams in each gender<\/strong>. Every team played 12 Preliminary Phase matches across three competition weeks. The seven best teams advanced to the Finals together with the Finals host, creating an eight-team knockout field.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe women\u2019s Finals were held in Macao, China<\/strong>, from 22\u201326 July, while the men\u2019s Finals were staged in Ningbo, China<\/strong>, from 29 July\u20132 August. The team finishing last in the Final Standings is relegated, while the highest-ranked eligible non-participant in the FIVB World Ranking is promoted for the next edition.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
EDITION STORY<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What Defined VNL 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n
MEN\u2019S TITLE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Poland defended the crown in another five-set final against the USA<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Poland won 3\u20132 in Ningbo to secure another VNL title, with Tomasz Fornal named tournament MVP.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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BREAKTHROUGH<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Slovenia finally converted another Finals run into a medal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
After several deep VNL runs without a podium finish, Slovenia beat Japan 3\u20131 in the bronze-medal match to earn its first VNL medal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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WOMEN\u2019S TITLE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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T\u00fcrkiye returned to the top behind Melissa Vargas<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
T\u00fcrkiye beat Brazil 3\u20131 in Macao to win its second VNL title. Melissa Vargas was named MVP after also leading the women\u2019s Finals scoring chart.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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FINAL-PHASE SCORING<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Jake Hanes and Melissa Vargas set the attacking pace<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Hanes led the men\u2019s Finals with 66 points, while Vargas topped the women\u2019s Finals with 83. Matt Anderson, Rok Mo\u017ei\u010d, Ana Cristina and Julia Bergmann were also among the most productive scorers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n
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QUICK ANSWERS<\/p>\n\n\n\n
VNL FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n
How many teams play in the Volleyball Nations League?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The 2026 VNL featured 18 men\u2019s and 18 women\u2019s national teams.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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How do teams qualify for the VNL Finals?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The seven best teams from the Preliminary Phase advance together with the Finals host, creating an eight-team knockout field.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Who won the 2026 VNL?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Poland won the men\u2019s title and T\u00fcrkiye won the women\u2019s title.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Does the VNL affect the FIVB World Ranking?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Yes. VNL matches are eligible international matches and can change FIVB World Ranking points, but the VNL standings and the FIVB World Ranking remain separate systems.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Why does VolleyBond keep one VNL page instead of making a new URL every year?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The tournament profile is evergreen. The newest edition stays at the top, while recent champions and previous-edition context remain available lower on the page.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","gender":[],"country":[],"region":[],"season":[],"competition":[],"class_list":["post-271","tournaments","type-tournaments","status-publish","hentry"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/backcomcenter.com\/vbclone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tournaments\/271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/backcomcenter.com\/vbclone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tournaments"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/backcomcenter.com\/vbclone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/tournaments"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backcomcenter.com\/vbclone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/backcomcenter.com\/vbclone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"gender","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backcomcenter.com\/vbclone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/gender?post=271"},{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backcomcenter.com\/vbclone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=271"},{"taxonomy":"region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backcomcenter.com\/vbclone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/region?post=271"},{"taxonomy":"season","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backcomcenter.com\/vbclone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/season?post=271"},{"taxonomy":"competition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backcomcenter.com\/vbclone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/competition?post=271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}