The third competitive day of the first week of the Men's Volleyball Nations League offered several serious surprises. France recorded a second consecutive loss, Poland relinquished its leading position in the world rankings after a dramatic failure against Japan, and Ukraine continued its impressive performance with a second consecutive victory.

Ukraine continues its rise

Ukraine recorded a second consecutive victory in the VNL after a convincing 3:0 (25:21, 25:20, 25:16) against Cuba in Linyi (China).
Raúl Lozano's team dominated in all components of the game and left no doubt about their superiority. The Ukrainians scored 40 points in attack against 35 for Cuba and recorded 9 blocks against only 4 for their opponent.
Kovalov became the top scorer with 14 points, and Yanchuk added 10 more. The victory elevated Ukraine to 16th place in the world rankings and solidified an excellent start to the tournament.

Japan dethroned Poland from the top of the world

Japan achieved a prestigious victory over Poland with a 3:2 (25:21, 21:25, 25:21, 22:25, 17:15) in one of the highest-quality matches since the start of the tournament.
With the victory, the Japanese broke a nearly 18-year streak without success against the Poles in an official match. Furthermore, the defeat cost "Drużyna Polska" (the Polish team) the first place in the world rankings.
Ran Takahashi was the leader for the Japanese with 26 points, and Kento Miyaura added 16. For Poland, Aliaksei Nasevich scored 24 points.

Serbia remains flawless

Serbia recorded a second victory in two matches after defeating Belgium 3:1 (25:18, 24:26, 25:21, 25:22) in Brazil.
After a convincing first set, the Serbs allowed an equalizer, but quickly regained control of the match. In decisive moments, Gheorghe Crețu's team showed greater stability and deservedly reached for the three points.
Veljko Mašulović and Vuk Kulpinać finished with 18 points each, while Ferre Reggers scored 25 for Belgium.

USA gave Germany no chance

The United States outplayed Germany 3:0 (25:22, 25:15, 25:20) and continue without losing a set in the VNL.
The Americans dominated in attack and blocking, where they won with 41:27 and 9:2 points respectively. The Germans were only better on serve, but this proved insufficient.
With this success, the USA remained among the leaders in the tournament's provisional standings.

Iran responded after the defeat by Bulgaria

After the heavy loss to Bulgaria a day earlier, Iran returned to winning ways with a convincing 3:0 (25:23, 25:19, 25:23) against Argentina.
The Asian team was more effective in attack and better controlled prolonged rallies. The Argentines had an advantage in blocking, but failed to compensate for the difference in the other elements.
Hajji led all scorers with 22 points, and Poria added 19. For Argentina, Diaz scored 12 points.

Turkey shocks Olympic champions

In the last match of the day, Turkey pulled off a big surprise, defeating France 3:0 (25:23, 27:25, 25:21).
The French suffered a second consecutive defeat after losing to Canada and continue their inconsistent performance. The Turkish team played very organized and did not allow the Olympic champions to find their rhythm.
Adis Lagumdzija finished with 20 points for the winners, while Stephen Boyer scored 16 for France.

Provisional standings in VNL 2026

After two matches played, USA is the leader, but Brazil, Serbia, and Ukraine also have a full tally of 6 points. Japan continues its rise and is already in the Top 5, while France, Argentina, and Cuba are experiencing serious difficulties early in the tournament.

FIVB Provisional World Ranking

The battle for the top spot in the world ranking intensified after the very first days of the VNL. Italy overtook Poland and is now #1 in the world, but the difference between the two giants is only 3.48 points. Bulgaria maintains its prestigious 9th place, while Ukraine and Iran managed to close the gap to the teams ahead of them thanks to yesterday's victory in the Nations League.