The Italian men's national team will depart today for the Japanese city of Osaka, where they will play their last four matches of the main phase of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2026. After the preparatory camp in Cavalese, during which the "Azzurri" played and won a friendly match against Argentina in Trento, head coach Ferdinando De Giorgi announced the squad for the final tournament of the intercontinental phase.
Italy, which holds sixth place in the VNL provisional standings with 5 wins and 16 points, will successively face Japan (July 15), Belgium (July 16), Argentina (July 18), and Cuba (July 19).
The most significant news in the squad is the return of four of the world champions from the 2025 World Championship in Manila, who missed the previous tournament in Ljubljana. These are captain and setter Simone Giannelli, opposite Yuri Romanò, libero Fabio Balaso, and middle blocker Roberto Russo. With their return, De Giorgi will have even more experience in the battle for qualification for the VNL final tournament.
Italy's squad for the tournament in Osaka:
Setters:Simone Giannelli, Riccardo Sbertoli.
Outside Hitters:Francesco Sani, Mattia Bottolo, Daniele Lavia, Luca Porro.
Middle Blockers:Gianluca Galassi, Giovanni Sanguinetti, Roberto Russo, Pardo Mati.
Opposites:Yuri Romanò, Alessandro Bovolenta.
Liberos:Gabriele Laurenzano, Fabio Balaso.

Photo: Nikolay Varadinov