France Sweep Bulgaria to End Their Finals Hopes
Bulgaria missed the VNL Finals after a straight-set defeat to France ended their qualification hopes on the final day.
Bulgaria missed a place in the 2026 Volleyball Nations League Finals after losing 3–0 to France in Chicago.
The Olympic champions completed a 25–21, 25–22, 25–21 victory in the final match of Bulgaria’s preliminary-round campaign.
Earlier victories for Türkiye and Ukraine meant Bulgaria needed to beat France to claim one of the remaining places in the eight-team Finals. Gianlorenzo Blengini’s team remained competitive in every set but could not find a way past the French.
The defeat left Bulgaria outside the Finals for the second consecutive season. They also narrowly missed qualification in 2025.
Despite the disappointment, Bulgaria showed progress during the tournament. Their best result in Chicago came with a 3–1 victory over hosts USA.
Bulgaria will now turn their attention to their next international competitions as they continue developing under Blengini.
