The Bulgarian Volleyball Federation (BVF) has registered 30 players for participation in the VNL 2025. The team, led by head coach Gianlorenzo Blengini, will begin its participation with a tournament in Quebec, Canada, where the first match will be against Italy on June 11. This will be followed by matches against Argentina, Germany, and Canada.
Bulgaria will host the second VNL tournament, which will take place in Burgas. Spectator seats are quickly selling out. The national team will play consecutively against Japan (June 25), Slovenia (June 27), Turkey (June 28), and Ukraine (June 29).
The team is currently preparing in Samokov.
The Bulgarian Volleyball Federation has set the ambitious goal of qualifying for the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. This was revealed by the president of the BVF, Lubomir Ganev. The path to this goal begins immediately, emphasizing the importance of every match, set, and point to improve the position in the world ranking, which is a key factor for Olympic qualification.
Currently, Bulgaria is outside the top spots in the FIVB men's world ranking (around 20th place according to available information), which makes the need for a strong performance in upcoming competitions even greater. The Volleyball Nations League (VNL) is a major tournament that directly affects the world ranking. In 2024, the Bulgarian men's national team finished 14th in the VNL. Participation and results in subsequent editions of the tournament, including in 2025, when Bulgaria will host one of the groups in Burgas, will be crucial for accumulating the necessary ranking points.
The Bulgarian Volleyball Federation expresses full confidence in head coach Gianlorenzo Blengini and states that they will provide all necessary conditions for the team's preparation. The extended squad of 30 players, selected by Blengini, is built on the basis of individual qualities and development potential, with the aim of creating a new image for the Bulgarian team in the coming years.
The upcoming summer promises to be intense for the national team, with wishes for success and, most importantly, no injuries for the coaching staff and players. Hosting a men's VNL tournament is a great honor for Bulgaria and is generating serious interest from fans, with organizers urging those wishing to attend the matches to purchase tickets promptly due to the limited number of available seats.
Coach Blengini identified the registered players as key to building a new generation of the national team.
Setters
Simeon Nikolov
Stoil Palev
Lyuboslav Telkiyski
Rangel Vitekov
Opposites
Dimitar Dimitrov
Venislav Antov
Hristiyan Dimitrov
Kristian Titriyski
Outside Hitters
Aleksandar Nikolov
Asparuh Asparuhov
Denis Karyagin
Georgi Tatarov
Martin Atanasov
Svetoslav Ivanov
Samuil Valchinov
Vladimir Garkov
Denislav Bardarov
Rusi Zhelev
Aleksandar Kandev
Zhasmin Velichkov
Middle Blockers
Alex Grozdanov
Boris Nachev
Iliya Petkov
Lazar Buchkov
Krasimir Georgiev
Preslav Petkov
Kiril Kolev
Libero
Martin Bozhilov
Damyan Kolev
Dimitar Dobrev
