2026 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League

The 2026 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League is the eighth edition of the FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League, an annual women's international volleyball tournament. It is currently held from 3 June to 26 July 2026, with the final round to take place at the Macau East Asian Games Dome in Macau, China.[1]

2026 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League
Tournament details
Host nationChina
CityMacau (final round)
Dates3 June – 26 July
Teams18 (from 4 confederations)
Venue(s)10 (in 10 host cities)
Tournament statistics
Matches played45
Attendance168,898 (3,753 per match)
Official website
Volleyball Nations League

Following the results of the 2025 Nations League, South Korea were relegated and replaced by Ukraine as the highest-ranked non-VNL team in the FIVB World Rankings.

Host selection

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In January 2026, the FIVB announced China as the host for the Women's Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Finals. Macau was selected to stage the event, marking the first time in 15 years—since the 2011 FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix—that the city will host the women's finals.[2]

Qualification

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The tournament features 18 national teams. Following the 2025 season, South Korea were excluded after finishing last among the teams and replaced by Ukraine, who earned the right as the highest-ranked non-VNL team in the FIVB World Rankings.[3]

List of 2026 VNL participating teams
Country Confederation Previous appearances Best performance
Total First Last
 Belgium CEV 5 2018 2025 7th place (2019)
 Brazil CSV 7 2018 2025 Runners-up (2019, 2021, 2022, 2025)
 Bulgaria CEV 5 2019 2025 13th place (2023, 2025)
 Canada NORCECA 5 2021 2025 6th place (2024)
 China AVC 7 2018 2025 Runners-up (2023)
 Czech Republic CEV 1 2025 11th place (2025)
 Dominican Republic NORCECA 7 2018 2025 6th place (2021)
 France CEV 2 2024 2025 9th place (2025)
 Germany CEV 7 2018 2025 7th place (2025)
 Italy CEV 7 2018 2025 Champions (2022, 2024, 2025)
 Japan AVC 7 2018 2025 Runners-up (2024)
 Netherlands CEV 7 2018 2025 5th place (2018)
 Poland CEV 7 2018 2025 3rd place (2023, 2024, 2025)
 Serbia CEV 7 2018 2025 3rd place (2022)
 Thailand AVC 7 2018 2025 8th place (2022, 2024)
 Turkey CEV 7 2018 2025 Champions (2023)
 Ukraine CEV 0 None Debut
 United States NORCECA 7 2018 2025 Champions (2018, 2019, 2021)

Format

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Preliminary round

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The format of play is generally the same as in the 2022 edition. Each week, six teams will compete during the pool phase. Each team plays 12 matches during the pool stage. During three weeks, each team plays four times in a table that is set up by an algorithm, with all teams playing 12 times in total at the end of the first phase. The eight best teams advance to the quarter-finals, while the last-placed team loses its place to the highest FIVB-ranked team that did not compete this year. The only country that has already qualified for this phase is China for hosting the finals and if it does not finish the first phase among the top eight, the top seven will qualify with the Chinese team being ranked 8th.[4]

Final round

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The VNL Finals will see the top eight teams moving directly to the knockout phase, which will consist of eight matches in total: four quarterfinals, two semi-finals, and the bronze and gold medal matches.[4]

Final 8 direct elimination formula:

  • The first ranked team will play a quarterfinal match against the eighth ranked team, the second ranked team will play a quarterfinal match against the seventh ranked team, the third ranked team will play a quarterfinal match against the sixth ranked team, and the fourth ranked team will play a quarterfinal match against the fifth ranked team.
  • The national team of the hosting territory of the event will have a guaranteed berth for the Final round. If the host nation team do not finish in the top eight in the Preliminary round, they will replace the eighth place team and play as the eighth seed.

Pool composition

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The overview of pools was released on 28 January 2026.[1]

Week 1
Pool 1
Canada
Pool 2
Brazil
Pool 3
China

 Canada
 United States
 France
 Japan
 Ukraine
 Germany

 Brazil
 Italy
 Netherlands
 Turkey
 Dominican Republic
 Bulgaria

 China
 Serbia
 Belgium
 Poland
 Thailand
 Czech Republic

Week 2
Pool 4
Turkey
Pool 5
Philippines
Pool 6
Thailand

 Turkey
 Brazil
 France
 Belgium
 Germany
 China

 Japan
 Italy
 United States
 Serbia
 Dominican Republic
 Czech Republic

 Thailand
 Ukraine
 Bulgaria
 Canada
 Netherlands
 Poland

Week 3
Pool 7
Serbia
Pool 8
Hong Kong, China
Pool 9
Japan

 Serbia
 Bulgaria
 Czech Republic
 France
 Netherlands
 Germany

 China
 Italy
 Ukraine
 Canada
 Belgium
 Dominican Republic

 Japan
 Brazil
 Poland
 Turkey
 United States
 Thailand

Venues

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Preliminary round

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Week 1
Pool 1 Pool 2 Pool 3
Quebec City, Canada Brasília, Brazil Nanjing, China
Centre Vidéotron Nilson Nelson Gymnasium Nanjing Olympic Youth Sports Park Gymnasium
Capacity: 18,800 Capacity: 11,105 Capacity: 21,000
Week 2
Pool 4 Pool 5 Pool 6
Ankara, Turkey Pasig, Philippines Bangkok, Thailand
Ankara Arena PhilSports Arena Indoor Stadium Huamark
Capacity: 10,400 Capacity: 10,000 Capacity: 8,000
Week 3
Pool 7 Pool 8 Pool 9
Belgrade, Serbia Hong Kong, China Osaka, Japan
Belgrade Arena Kai Tak Arena Asue Arena Osaka
Capacity: 18,386 Capacity: 10,000 Capacity: 10,000

Final round

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All matches
Macau, China
Macau East Asian Games Dome
Capacity: 9,000

Competition schedule

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Preliminary round Final round
Week 1
3–7 Jun
Week 2
17–21 Jun
Week 3
8–12 Jul
Week 4
22–26 Jul
36 matches 36 matches 36 matches 8 matches

Pool standing procedure

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  1. Total number of victories (matches won, matches lost)
  2. In the event of a tie, the following first tiebreaker will apply, with the teams ranked by the most points gained per match as follows:
    • Match won 3–0 or 3–1: 3 points for the winner, 0 points for the loser
    • Match won 3–2: 2 points for the winner, 1 point for the loser
    • Match forfeited: 3 points for the winner, 0 points (0–25, 0–25, 0–25) for the loser
  3. If teams are still tied after examining the number of victories and points gained, the FIVB will examine the results in order to break the tie in the following order:
    • Sets quotient: if two or more teams are tied on the number of points gained, they will be ranked by the quotient resulting from the division of the number of all sets won by the number of all sets lost.
    • Points quotient: if the tie persists based on the sets quotient, the teams will be ranked by the quotient resulting from the division of all points scored by the total of points lost during all sets.
    • If the tie persists based on the points quotient, the tie will be broken based on the team that won the match between the tied teams during the Round Robin Phase. When the tie in points quotient is between three or more teams, these teams will be ranked taking into consideration only the matches involving the teams in question.

Squads

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Preliminary round

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Ranking

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Pos Team Pld W L Pts SW SL SR SPW SPL SPR Qualification or relegation
1  Brazil 5 5 0 14 15 4 3.750 459 360 1.275 Final round
2  Japan 5 5 0 13 15 6 2.500 496 437 1.135
3  Italy 5 4 1 13 14 4 3.500 428 375 1.141
4  United States 5 4 1 11 12 5 2.400 410 343 1.195
5  Poland 5 4 1 10 13 7 1.857 451 421 1.071
6  China[a] 5 4 1 10 12 8 1.500 451 421 1.071 Final round
7  Canada 5 3 2 10 12 8 1.500 475 463 1.026 Final round
8  Czech Republic 5 3 2 9 9 6 1.500 351 315 1.114
9  Turkey 5 3 2 8 10 9 1.111 522 496 1.052
10  Netherlands 5 2 3 6 8 9 0.889 375 384 0.977
11  Ukraine 5 2 3 5 9 13 0.692 448 485 0.924
12  Belgium 5 2 3 5 8 13 0.615 427 468 0.912
13  Serbia 5 1 4 6 9 12 0.750 456 463 0.985
14  Germany 5 1 4 5 7 13 0.538 421 449 0.938
15  France 5 1 4 3 7 14 0.500 423 484 0.874
16  Bulgaria 5 1 4 3 4 12 0.333 312 375 0.832
17  Thailand 5 0 5 3 6 15 0.400 309 371 0.833
18  Dominican Republic 5 0 5 1 3 15 0.200 324 428 0.757 Excluded from the Nations League
Updated to match(es) played on 17 June 2026. Source: VNL 2026 – Women's standings
Notes:
  1. Qualified as finals' host

Week 1

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Pool 1

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Date Time Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Attd Report
3 Jun11:00Ukraine 0–3 United States16–2517–2523–25  56–755,000P2 Boxscore
3 Jun16:30France 1–3 Japan25–2312–2522–2513–25 72–981,826P2 Boxscore
3 Jun20:00Canada 1–3 Germany26–2825–2218–2518–25 87–1002,528P2 Boxscore
4 Jun16:30Ukraine 3–2 Germany25–2130–2814–2519–2515–13103–1122,165P2 Boxscore
4 Jun20:00Canada 3–0 United States25–2225–2230–28  80–723,646P2 Boxscore
5 Jun16:30Ukraine 1–3 Japan20–2525–1616–2520–25 81–913,417P2 Boxscore
5 Jun20:30France 2–3 United States21–2525–2325–2725–2311–15107–1133,864P2 Boxscore
6 Jun16:30Canada 3–1 France21–2525–2025–1928–26 99–9010,483P2 Boxscore
6 Jun20:00Germany 0–3 Japan20–2515–2524–26  59–765,606P2 Boxscore
7 Jun11:00Ukraine 2–3 France25–1825–1520–2519–2510–1599–983,554P2 Boxscore
7 Jun14:30United States 3–0 Germany25–2225–1525–12  75–495,269P2 Boxscore
7 Jun18:00Canada 2–3 Japan27–2920–2525–2330–2812–15114–1207,172P2 Boxscore

Pool 2

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Date Time Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Attd Report
3 Jun13:00Dominican Republic 2–3 Turkey25–1720–2516–2525–2311–1597–105791P2 Boxscore
3 Jun16:30Italy 3–0 Bulgaria25–2225–1627–25  77–632,401P2 Boxscore
3 Jun20:00Brazil 3–1 Netherlands25–1725–1525–2725–23 100–826,896P2 Boxscore
4 Jun16:30Turkey 0–3 Netherlands23–2517–2518–25  58–752,776P2 Boxscore
4 Jun20:00Brazil 3–1 Dominican Republic23–2525–1825–1125–15 98–698,956P2 Boxscore
5 Jun16:30Dominican Republic 0–3 Bulgaria19–2519–2513–25  51–752,121P2 Boxscore
5 Jun20:00Netherlands 0–3 Italy22–2518–2522–25  62–754,085P2 Boxscore
6 Jun11:00Brazil 3–0 Bulgaria25–2325–1725–13  75–539,139P2 Boxscore
6 Jun15:30Italy 3–1 Turkey25–1626–2825–1925–15 101–783,200P2 Boxscore
7 Jun11:00Dominican Republic 0–3 Netherlands20–2519–2517–25  56–753,227P2 Boxscore
7 Jun14:30Brazil 3–2 Italy25–1525–2222–2524–2615–12111–1009,802P2 Boxscore
7 Jun18:00Bulgaria 1–3 Turkey12–259–2525–2218–25 64–97620P2 Boxscore

Pool 3

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Date Time Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Attd Report
3 Jun11:30Belgium 2–3 Poland20–2525–2223–2525–1813–15106–105394P2 Boxscore
3 Jun15:00Thailand 0–3 Serbia24–2622–2519–25  65–76498P2 Boxscore
3 Jun19:30China 0–3 Czech Republic20–2520–2524–26  64–762,654P2 Boxscore
4 Jun15:00Czech Republic 0–3 Poland22–2522–2520–25  64–75365P2 Boxscore
4 Jun19:30China 3–2 Thailand25–1424–2625–1923–2515–7112–912,456P2 Boxscore
5 Jun15:00Belgium 0–3 Czech Republic20–2522–2515–25  57–75390P2 Boxscore
5 Jun19:30Serbia 2–3 Poland25–1719–2518–2525–2215–17102–106829P2 Boxscore
6 Jun15:00Thailand 2–3 Belgium25–2025–2223–2522–2514–16109–108990P2 Boxscore
6 Jun19:30China 3–0 Serbia25–2125–2125–21  75–6317,816P2 Boxscore
7 Jun11:30Thailand 0–3 Czech Republic14–2519–2511–25  44–75544P2 Boxscore
7 Jun15:00Belgium 3–2 Serbia25–2025–2221–2520–2515–11106–103957P2 Boxscore
7 Jun19:00China 3–1 Poland16–2525–1825–2326–24 92–9010,276P2 Boxscore

Week 2

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Pool 4

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Date Time Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Attd Report
17 Jun12:30Germany 2–3 China27–2523–2525–1820–256–15101–108374P2 Boxscore
17 Jun16:00France 0–3 Brazil22–2519–2515–25  56–75837P2 Boxscore
17 Jun19:30Turkey 3–0 Belgium25–1425–1325–23  75–509,337P2 Boxscore
18 Jun16:00Belgium  Brazil  0–0 Boxscore
18 Jun19:30Turkey  France  0–0 Boxscore
19 Jun16:00France  China  0–0 Boxscore
19 Jun19:30Belgium  Germany  0–0 Boxscore
20 Jun16:00China  Brazil  0–0 Boxscore
20 Jun19:30Turkey  Germany  0–0 Boxscore
21 Jun12:30Belgium  France  0–0 Boxscore
21 Jun16:00Germany  Brazil  0–0 Boxscore
21 Jun19:30Turkey  China  0–0 Boxscore

Pool 5

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Date Time Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Attd Report
17 Jun12:00Dominican Republic 0–3 United States20–2519–2512–25  51–75625P2 Boxscore
17 Jun16:00Czech Republic 0–3 Italy18–2521–2522–25  61–751,285P2 Boxscore
17 Jun20:00Japan 3–2 Serbia20–2526–2418–2532–3015–7111–1111,732P2 Boxscore
18 Jun16:00Czech Republic  United States  0–0 Boxscore
18 Jun20:00Serbia  Italy  0–0 Boxscore
19 Jun16:00Dominican Republic  Serbia  0–0 Boxscore
19 Jun20:00Japan  Czech Republic  0–0 Boxscore
20 Jun16:00United States  Italy  0–0 Boxscore
20 Jun20:00Japan  Dominican Republic  0–0 Boxscore
21 Jun12:00Serbia  United States  0–0 Boxscore
21 Jun16:00Czech Republic  Dominican Republic  0–0 Boxscore
21 Jun20:00Japan  Italy  0–0 Boxscore

Pool 6

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Date Time Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Attd Report
17 Jun13:00Canada 3–1 Netherlands20–2525–1925–1725–20 95–81887P2 Boxscore
17 Jun17:00Bulgaria 0–3 Poland12–2522–2523–25  57–751,860P2 Boxscore
17 Jun20:30Thailand 2–3 Ukraine23–2525–1926–2825–2210–15109–1095,248P2 Boxscore
18 Jun17:00Ukraine  Poland  0–0 Boxscore
18 Jun20:30Thailand  Bulgaria  0–0 Boxscore
19 Jun17:00Ukraine  Netherlands  0–0 Boxscore
19 Jun20:30Bulgaria  Canada  0–0 Boxscore
20 Jun17:00Netherlands  Poland  0–0 Boxscore
20 Jun20:30Thailand  Canada  0–0 Boxscore
21 Jun13:00Bulgaria  Ukraine  0–0 Boxscore
21 Jun17:00Canada  Poland  0–0 Boxscore
21 Jun20:30Thailand  Netherlands  0–0 Boxscore

Week 3

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Pool 7

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Date Time Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Attd Report
8 Jul13:00France  Netherlands  0–0 Boxscore
8 Jul16:30Czech Republic  Germany  0–0 Boxscore
8 Jul20:00Serbia  Bulgaria  0–0 Boxscore
9 Jul16:30Czech Republic  Netherlands  0–0 Boxscore
9 Jul20:00Serbia  France  0–0 Boxscore
10 Jul16:30Bulgaria  Czech Republic  0–0 Boxscore
10 Jul20:00Germany  Netherlands  0–0 Boxscore
11 Jul16:30Bulgaria  France  0–0 Boxscore
11 Jul20:00Serbia  Germany  0–0 Boxscore
12 Jul13:00France  Czech Republic  0–0 Boxscore
12 Jul16:30Bulgaria  Germany  0–0 Boxscore
12 Jul20:00Serbia  Netherlands  0–0 Boxscore

Pool 8

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Date Time Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Attd Report
8 Jul11:30Belgium  Dominican Republic  0–0 Boxscore
8 Jul17:00Ukraine  Italy  0–0 Boxscore
8 Jul20:30China  Canada  0–0 Boxscore
9 Jul17:00Belgium  Canada  0–0 Boxscore
9 Jul20:30China  Ukraine  0–0 Boxscore
10 Jul17:00Ukraine  Dominican Republic  0–0 Boxscore
10 Jul20:30Belgium  Italy  0–0 Boxscore
11 Jul16:30Canada  Italy  0–0 Boxscore
11 Jul20:00China  Dominican Republic  0–0 Boxscore
12 Jul11:00Belgium  Ukraine  0–0 Boxscore
12 Jul16:30Canada  Dominican Republic  0–0 Boxscore
12 Jul20:00China  Italy  0–0 Boxscore

Pool 9

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Date Time Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Attd Report
8 Jul12:00Turkey  Poland  0–0 Boxscore
8 Jul15:30Thailand  United States  0–0 Boxscore
8 Jul19:20Japan  Brazil  0–0 Boxscore
9 Jul13:00United States  Poland  0–0 Boxscore
9 Jul19:20Japan  Thailand  0–0 Boxscore
10 Jul13:00United States  Turkey  0–0 Boxscore
10 Jul19:20Poland  Brazil  0–0 Boxscore
11 Jul15:30Thailand  Brazil  0–0 Boxscore
11 Jul19:20Japan  Turkey  0–0 Boxscore
12 Jul12:00United States  Brazil  0–0 Boxscore
12 Jul15:30Thailand  Turkey  0–0 Boxscore
12 Jul19:20Japan  Poland  0–0 Boxscore

Final round

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QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal
 
          
 
22 July
 
 
 
 
25 July
 
 
 
 
 
23 July
 
 
 
 
 
26 July
 
 
 
 
 
22 July
 
 
 
 
 
25 July
 
 
 
 
 
23 July
 
 3rd place match
 
 
 
26 July
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Quarterfinals

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Date Time Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Attd Report
22 Jul     0–0 Boxscore
22 Jul     0–0 Boxscore
23 Jul     0–0 Boxscore
23 Jul     0–0 Boxscore

Semifinals

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Date Time Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Attd Report
25 Jul     0–0 Boxscore
25 Jul     0–0 Boxscore

3rd place match

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Date Time Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Attd Report
26 Jul     0–0 Boxscore

Final

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Date Time Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Attd Report
26 Jul     0–0 Boxscore

Final standing

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See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 "Volleyball World Unveils 2026 VNL Host Cities Across 12 Countries" (Press release). FIVB. 28 January 2026. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  2. Marques, Renato (27 January 2026). "VNL women's finals to return to Macau after 15 years". Macau Daily Times. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  3. "Ukraine to debut in women's VNL 2026". Volleyball World. 5 August 2025. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  4. 1 2 "VNL 2026 Competition Formula". Volleyball World. Archived from the original on 12 January 2025. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
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