Aleksandar Nikolov finished the 2026 Volleyball Nations League as #1 in two of the most prestigious individual rankings – top scorer and best attacker, even though Bulgaria did not qualify for the Final Eight and he played three fewer matches than most of his competitors.
The national player finished the tournament with 278 points, leaving behind Slovenian Nik Mujanović, who finished with 277 points, despite playing three more matches on the way to the bronze medals. Third was Belgian Ferre Reggers with 268 points.
Even more impressive is Nikolov's dominance in the attackers' ranking. The Bulgarian outside hitter scored 247 points from attack with a 53.93% success rate and remained unreachable at the top. Reggers finished second with 246 points, and Mujanović was third with 236.
Thus, Aleksandar Nikolov's two main rivals during the summer – Slovenian Nik Mujanović in the VNL and his future competitor in the Italian SuperLega, Ferre Reggers, failed to displace the Bulgarian from first place. This happened despite one playing three more matches, and the other having the same number of matches as the Bulgarian.
Nikolov's achievement solidifies his impressive individual performance throughout the season and shows that even Bulgaria's elimination before the final tournament did not prevent him from finishing as the top scorer and most effective attacker in the entire 2026 Volleyball Nations League.