The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) may put an end to one of the traditions in the Nations League. According to information from Polish media, after the VNL 2026 final, an All-Star Team of the tournament will not be announced, and only the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award will be presented.
However, to date, FIVB and Volleyball World have not published an official announcement confirming the change. That is why the final answer will only become clear after the awards ceremony following the final between Poland and the USA.
If the information is confirmed, it will mean the end of the tradition of honoring the best players by position. In addition to prestige, a place in the All-Star Team also brought a financial bonus for the honored volleyball players.
In 2025, FIVB also honored an All-Star Team of the tournament, which included three Polish nationals – Jakub Kochanowski, Kevin Sasak, and Wilfredo Leon, as well as Italians Simone Giannelli and Alessandro Michieletto, Slovenian Jan Kozamernik, and Brazilian libero Maique Reis. Poland's captain Jakub Kochanowski was chosen as the Most Valuable Player (MVP).
It is curious that Volleyball World published an All-Star Team for the preliminary phase of the VNL 2026 for women, which shows that the concept of a Dream Team has not been completely abandoned. However, whether FIVB has given up on the symbolic team for the Men's Final Tournament will become definitively clear after the end of today's final in Ningbo.