VNL Men's Finals Kick Off Wednesday in Ningbo, China
Eight teams begin the men's VNL Finals in Ningbo, China, on Wednesday, with Slovenia, Turkiye, Japan, China, Italy, USA, Poland, and Ukraine in action.
The 2026 Volleyball Nations League men's Finals begin Wednesday in Ningbo, China, running through Sunday. Eight teams will contest the quarterfinals, with semifinals on Saturday and medal matches on Sunday.
Wednesday's first quarterfinal pits Slovenia against Turkiye. Slovenia finished third in the Preliminary Phase and are unbeaten against Turkiye in seven straight official meetings. Turkiye reached the quarterfinals for the first time in team history after finishing sixth in the league round.
The second quarterfinal features hosts China against unbeaten Japan, who topped the Preliminary Phase with a perfect 12-0 record. Japan lead the all-time head-to-head with China 5-1.
On Thursday, world champions Italy face the United States in the first quarterfinal. Italy reached the VNL final last year, while the U.S. has three silver medals but no title. Italy has won the last two meetings between the sides.
Thursday's second quarterfinal sees defending champions and world number one Poland take on Ukraine, who reached the Finals for the first time this year after a strong league-round campaign.
