The men's continental championships have concluded, and we now know half of the participants in the volleyball tournament at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Five teams secured direct tickets from their continents, and the USA has a guaranteed spot as the host.
Thus, the first stage of the Olympic qualification has ended, and from now on, the part that directly concerns Bulgaria begins. Our national team has two paths left to Los Angeles – the World Championship in Poland in 2027 and the world ranking in 2028.
Before the World Championship, however, there is another extremely important season in the Nations League. And with Bulgaria currently ranked ninth in the world, we should not take our foot off the gas there.
Who has already secured tickets to Los Angeles
Japan was the first among the continental champions to secure its place. The hosts won the Asian Championship after a 3:0 (25:21, 26:24, 25:23) victory against Iran in the final and became the first team after host USA to officially qualify for the Olympics.
In South America, the ticket went to Brazil. "Seleção" won the championship in Rio de Janeiro undefeated, and in the decisive clash, they defeated Argentina 3:0 (25:20, 25:23, 25:20).
The situation in NORCECA was different. The USA won the continental title, but the Americans already have a quota as the host of the Games. Therefore, the four best-ranked teams after them played an additional qualification phase. Cuba defeated Canada 3:1 (25:21, 25:23, 23:25, 25:22) in the decisive match and took the Olympic ticket.
In Africa, Tunisia used its home advantage, won the continental title, and also secured a spot in Los Angeles.
The last continental ticket was awarded in Europe. Poland defended its title at EuroVolley 2026 and can now think about Los Angeles without worries about Olympic qualification.
Thus, six of the 12 spots already have their owners:
| Team | How they qualified |
|---|---|
| USA | Host |
| Japan | Asia |
| Brazil | South America |
| Cuba | NORCECA |
| Tunisia | Africa |
| Poland | Europe |
For Bulgaria, this picture is also interesting from the perspective of the world ranking. Four of the six already qualified teams – Poland, USA, Japan, and Brazil – are ahead of our national team in the current FIVB ranking. Cuba, on the other hand, is close behind Bulgaria. This will become of great importance if the Olympic battle for our team reaches its final stage in 2028.
Next comes the big opportunity – World Cup 2027
The next three tickets to Los Angeles will be awarded at the Men's World Championship in Poland in 2027. And here the rule is extremely important. Olympic quotas will be given to the three highest-ranked teams in the final standings of the World Cup who do not yet have a ticket to Los Angeles.
Therefore, the three quotas are not necessarily equal to the three medals. If, for example, Poland, Brazil, or Japan are among the top three, their positions will simply be skipped when awarding the Olympic quotas, and the ticket will go to the next highest-ranked team without a spot in Los Angeles.
This opens up a very interesting prospect for Bulgaria. Depending on the final ranking of the World Cup, even a place outside the podium might be enough for an Olympic quota.
But no one should expect that the already qualified teams will play "marking". Especially Poland. The Poles will host the World Cup in 2027, and the bronze from the previous World Cup in the Philippines can hardly be described as the result this team was aiming for. Now, in front of their home crowd, the world title will logically be a huge goal.
The same applies to the other major powers. Therefore, there is no reason to prematurely exclude any of the strong teams from the Top 10 from medal contention in Poland. And this is precisely where Bulgaria's chance might open up.
Before Poland, however, comes VNL 2027
The World Cup is the big goal next year, but there is a danger that focusing on it might obscure something equally important – before the World Cup, there is a whole season in the Nations League. And Bulgaria cannot take its foot off the gas.
The reason is the world ranking. After the end of EuroVolley, our national team is #9 in the world with 274.55 points. Finland is now #10 with 253.56, Germany is #11 with 251.75, and Ukraine is #12 with 245.16.
| No. | Team | Points | Los Angeles 2028 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poland | 409.95 | Ranked |
| 2 | Italy | 352.16 | — |
| 3 | Russia | 352.10 | — |
| 4 | USA | 348.16 | Ranked |
| 5 | Japan | 342.31 | Ranked |
| 6 | Brazil | 323.54 | Ranked |
| 7 | France | 315.55 | — |
| 8 | Slovenia | 314.60 | — |
| 9 | Bulgaria | 274.55 | — |
| 10 | Finland | 253.56 | — |
| 11 | Germany | 251.75 | — |
| 12 | Ukraine | 245.16 | — |
| 13 | Cuba | 240.00 | Ranked |
| 14 | Argentina | 235.61 | — |
| 15 | Belgium | 234.42 | — |
| 16 | Canada | 234.34 | — |
Ninth place is an excellent starting position, but the distances behind Bulgaria do not allow for complacency. Finland is only 20.99 points away, Germany – 22.80, and Ukraine – 29.39. A strong or weak season in the VNL can significantly reshuffle this group even before the start of the World Championship. That is precisely why VNL 2027 has double significance. On the one hand, it will be the last major tournament before the World Championship and an opportunity for Bulgaria to prepare against the strongest teams. On the other hand, every result will continue to build or destroy the ranking points, which could prove decisive a year later. Canada is a good example of why these points are valuable. The Canadians are No. 16 with 234.34 points and will play in the 2027 World Championship, having secured three NORCECA quotas along with the USA and Cuba. But Canada will not be part of VNL 2027, and consequently, Bulgaria will have more opportunities during the summer to increase its ranking points.
If it doesn't happen at the World Championship – the last door remains
After the 2027 World Championship, the picture will become much clearer. Three more teams will have tickets to Los Angeles, and only three free spots will remain.
They will be distributed through the world ranking list after the end of the preliminary phase of VNL 2028. The three highest-ranked teams that have not yet qualified will go to the Olympics.
That is precisely why Bulgaria's current ninth place is so valuable. There are currently eight teams ahead of our national team, but four of them – Poland, USA, Japan, and Brazil – already have Olympic quotas. After the World Championship, three more teams will be removed from this calculation.
However, no one can know what the ranking list will look like in nearly two years. VNL 2027, the World Championship, and then VNL 2028 are ahead.
Therefore, for Bulgaria, the calculation is actually simple. The most direct path to Los Angeles goes through Poland and the 2027 World Championship. But to reach it from the best possible position and at the same time keep the backup option through the ranking list, there is one important task even before the World Championship.
In VNL 2027, the foot must remain firmly on the gas.
