The Men's Volleyball Nations League 2026 started with a day full of intrigue, twists, and several results that hinted from the very beginning that the battle for spots in the Final Eight would be far from easy.
In the first nine matches of the tournament, fans witnessed three five-set thrillers, an Olympic champion France victory against world champion Italy, a dramatic comeback by Slovenia against China, and a historic success for debutant Belgium against Bulgaria.
Although it's too early for general conclusions after only one match played per team, the first day gave clear signals as to which teams have entered the competition confidently and which will need to quickly adjust their performance. Unfortunately, Bulgaria is among the latter.

Bulgaria squandered a match that was fully within their capabilities.

Undoubtedly, the most painful news for Bulgarian fans came from Brazil, where the national team lost to debutant Belgium 1:3 (25:20, 24:26, 24:26, 23:25).
At first glance, the result seems surprising, but the development of the match shows how little separated Bulgaria from a completely different outcome. After convincingly winning the first set, Gianlorenzo Blengini's team had opportunities to close out the next two sets, but missed crucial moments at their ends.
The Belgians demonstrated composure in the most important rallies and won three consecutive contested sets to record their first victory in VNL history.
Aleksandar Nikolov was once again the engine of the Bulgarian attack with 25 points. Asparuh Asparuhov added 15, but it proved insufficient against the inspired Belgian squad.
The success brought Belgium nearly ten points for the world ranking, while Bulgaria dropped from ninth to tenth place in the FIVB standings.

France won the clash between the Olympic and world champions.

The most anticipated match on the schedule pitted France against Italy in Ottawa.
The match fully lived up to expectations and offered top-class volleyball. The French won 3:2 (19:25, 29:27, 23:25, 25:23, 16:14), after trailing twice in the score.
Italy may regret missed opportunities, especially after the impressive performance of opposite Kamil Rychlicki. He scored 30 points and became the top scorer on the first day of the tournament.
The French, however, showed character in decisive moments. In the tie-break, they missed two opportunities to finish the match, but didn't falter on the third, starting the tournament with a valuable victory against one of the main favorites. This match was officiated by our best referee, Ivaylo Ivanov.

Poland showed why they are #1 in the world.

The opening match of the tournament pitted world number one Poland against Cuba.
The champions from the last VNL edition left no doubt about their superiority, winning 3:0 (25:16, 25:20, 25:21).
The Poles controlled the proceedings throughout, with Bartosz Gomulka scoring 15 points. Middle blocker Jakub Majchrzak also made a strong impression, finishing with six successful blocks.
After just the first day, Poland topped the provisional standings thanks to the best point ratio among the winners.

Japan looks like a medal contender.

The Japanese also started convincingly, despite the scandal that shook the team immediately before the start of the tournament, when middle blocker Go Murayama was removed from the national team after an investigation against him began.
The Asian team defeated Ukraine 3:0 (25:22, 25:21, 25:22), controlling the game for most of the match.
Yuji Nishida scored 13 points, and Ran Takahashi added another 12 for the winners.
After strong performances in recent seasons and a weak World Championship, Japan once again appears among the teams that can influence the battle for top positions.

China was close to one of the sensations of the day.

Slovenia avoided an unpleasant surprise against host China.
The Europeans lost the first set, won one back, after which the Chinese took a 2:1 lead. However, instead of finishing what they started, the host allowed the Slovenians to return to the match.
Ultimately, Slovenia snatched a 3:2 victory (25:17, 20:25, 20:25, 25:23, 15:10).
Slovenian team leader Rok Mozic was above everyone on the court with 25 points and once again confirmed his status as one of the best scorers in world volleyball.

Germany won the drama in Ottawa.

Another match reached a tie-break.
Germany prevailed over host Canada 3:2 (24:26, 25:19, 20:25, 25:21, 15:13) and started the tournament with a very valuable success.
The Germans showed stability in the decisive moments of the fifth set, with Philipp John and Tobias Brand scoring 19 points each.
The victory allowed Germany to move up in the world rankings and overtake Canada.

Successful start for USA, Serbia and Brazil.

The USA began their campaign with a 3:1 victory over Turkey (25:20, 20:25, 25:20, 25:23).
The Americans did not show their best, but managed to control the key moments in three of the four sets. Opposite hitter Jake Hanes finished with 21 points.
In Brazil, Serbia defeated Argentina 3:1 (25:23, 25:20, 25:27, 26:24) in one of the most evenly matched games of the day. The Serbs missed an opportunity to finish the match in three sets, but ultimately achieved success after a strong finish to the fourth set.
Host Brazil also started successfully after a 3:1 victory over Iran (25:21, 23:25, 25:15, 25:23). In front of over 3400 spectators in the capital Brasilia, Bernardo Rezende's team demonstrated solid play, with Darlan Souza scoring 18 points.

The picture after the first day is still too early for serious conclusions, but several trends are already emerging. Poland and Japan confirmed their role as favorites, France showed that they will once again be a factor in the fight for medals, and Belgium demonstrated that they have no intention of being just a statist in their debut season.

Provisional standings in VNL after the first day

After the first day, six teams have a full three points, with Poland leading the standings thanks to the best point ratio. Bulgaria is in 13th place after the defeat by Belgium and now seriously needs a win against Iran in their second match.

The first day also brought the first serious changes in the world ranking, with Germany, Belgium, and Serbia gaining two positions each, while Canada dropped two places, and Bulgaria fell from ninth to tenth place.
Despite the loss to France, Italy retains second place in the world. Bulgaria remains in the Top 10, but the lead over Canada, Serbia, and Cuba is not significant. Belgium continues to close in on the leading teams after their historic victory over the Bulgarians.

On the second competition day, six teams are resting – Japan, Cuba, USA, Turkey, Serbia, and Argentina, who already played their first matches on Wednesday and will return to the court on Friday.
In Bulgaria, attention will logically be focused on the match against Iran, which could prove crucial for the national team's morale and standing right at the start of the tournament. The other major highlight is the European clash between Slovenia and Poland, as well as Italy's attempt to react after the dramatic defeat to France.
However, the first day also showed something else – in the VNL, there are no guaranteed victories, and even teams at the top of the world rankings like Italy, Argentina, Canada, and Cuba started with defeats. That's why one unsuccessful match does not determine either the value of a given squad or its chances in the tournament.
For Bulgaria, the most important thing now is the response on the court. And it could come as early as against Iran and show that this young and ambitious team has the character to turn difficult moments into additional motivation on the path to big goals.

photo: Nikolay Varadinov