The Belgian men's national team and the French women's national team, which inflicted painful defeats on Bulgaria in the Nations League (VNL) this summer, will start the next international season with new head coaches. On October 8, both federations announced their separation from Italian Emanuele Zanini and Spaniard César Hernández, respectively.
Belgium was the first opponent for the Bulgarian nationals upon the 'Red Dragons'' return to the VNL in 2026. The match was played on June 10 in Brazil and ended in a 1:3 (25:20, 24:26, 24:26, 23:25) defeat for the team led by Gianlorenzo Blengini. The Belgians made a comeback after losing the first set, with only one point difference in the total score – 97:96.
Even more serious were the consequences of the match between the women's teams of Bulgaria and France on July 11 in Belgrade. The Frenchwomen won 3:1 (23:25, 25:20, 30:28, 25:22), secured their stay in the Nations League, and practically sealed Bulgaria's relegation from the tournament. This was the penultimate match for our national team in the competition.

Zanini leaves after five years at the helm of Belgium

The Belgian Federation announced that negotiations for the extension of Emanuele Zanini's contract did not lead to an agreement. The Italian took over the team in 2022 when it was ranked 28th in the world rankings, and led it to 15th position.
Under his leadership, Belgium finished seventh at the World Championship in 2025, debuted in the VNL in 2026, and retained its place in the tournament for the next season. At the European Championship in September, the Belgians reached the quarterfinals and finished in sixth place.
Despite the separation, the federation gave a positive assessment of Zanini's work, emphasizing his contribution to the team's development and the building of its image.

France did not extend César Hernández's contract

The situation is different for the French women's national team. The federation decided not to renew César Hernández's contract after the disappointing 2026 season.
The Spanish specialist began his work with the Frenchwomen in 2025, when the team finished ninth in the VNL and reached the quarterfinals of the World Championship. A year later, France remained 17th in the Nations League, securing its place at the last moment precisely with the victory over Bulgaria in Belgrade.

This was followed by elimination in the round of 16 at the European Championship after a 0:3 loss to Greece. The French Federation announced that it had analyzed the season and is now considering various candidates for the position.
The commonality between the two coaching changes is Bulgaria, but the reasons for them are different. Zanini leaves after a successful period in which Belgium established itself among the leading European teams, while Hernández parts ways with France after a decline in results.
Thus, two of the opponents who left unpleasant memories for Bulgarian volleyball this summer are now looking for new head coaches for 2027.