Poland has received assurances from the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) that its men's and women's national teams will not face Russia in the preliminary phase of the Nations League in 2027. This was revealed by the president of the Polish federation, Sebastian Świderski, to Interia Sport. If the agreement is fulfilled, it could affect the schedule of other national teams, including Bulgaria, which will host a tournament in Burgas.
Russia's return to the Nations League in 2027 is now an official decision by the FIVB. To include the Russians, the world federation increased the number of participants from 18 to 19 for both men and women, retaining the places of Finland and Slovenia in the two competitions, respectively.
But while Russia's participation is confirmed, the question of who will play against them seems far more complex.
What did Świderski reveal?
In an interview with Interia Sport, the president of the Polish federation recalled previous discussions with the FIVB leadership, which also involved representatives of Polish state authorities.
At these meetings, Poland stated that it could not guarantee the security of the Russian national team during the Men's World Cup in 2027, which it is hosting. Subsequently, Russia announced that it was voluntarily withdrawing from participation, which was officially communicated by the FIVB on August 4.
"At the meeting, it became clear that there would be a problem if the teams of Poland, Ukraine, or Finland had to play against Russia. We are not talking about the sporting aspects, but about security issues," Świderski stated.
The Polish official also reported that his country had received assurances to avoid Russia in the preliminary phase of the Nations League. The interview does not clarify exactly when these assurances were given or whether it happened at the same meeting.
"That was the agreement. Many times I have experienced situations where one thing is said, and another happens. But with the World Championship, it actually happened as it was said beforehand. Therefore, I hope that the FIVB leadership will act in the same way and we will not meet Russia in the group stage," Świderski commented.
It is important to emphasize that, for now, the information about such an agreement comes from the president of the Polish federation. The FIVB has not published official confirmation, nor rules for separating national teams in the Nations League for political reasons.
The compromises surrounding Russia's return have already begun. In the draw for the Women's World Cup in 2027, the FIVB applied a geopolitical exception, separating Russia and Ukraine into different groups. Now, if Świderski's claims are confirmed, similar considerations will have to be taken into account when preparing the Nations League schedule.
Security or also a sporting advantage?
In the Nations League, there is no classic draw for group distribution. The schedule is prepared in advance, with each national team playing against certain opponents, but not against all participants.
Therefore, avoiding Russia is technically possible. But it can also have sporting consequences. The Russian national team won the first two editions of the Nations League in 2018 and 2019, and reached the final at the Tokyo Olympics. Despite a prolonged absence from international tournaments, the Russians remain a potentially extremely strong opponent.
If Poland is given the opportunity to avoid them in advance, this could also prove to be a sporting advantage. Other national teams, including Bulgaria, will not necessarily have the same opportunity.
Of course, a match with Russia does not automatically mean defeat or loss of points for the world ranking. A victory against a strong opponent can also bring significant gains. But when different federations receive different treatment in the preparation of the schedule, the question of equality is entirely justified.
And yet, to what extent can security considerations be a reason for avoiding certain opponents in advance? An example from this year's Nations League shows that even a military conflict between two countries does not necessarily mean the impossibility of holding a volleyball match. On June 25, the USA defeated Iran 3:0 (25:23, 25:20, 31:29) in the French city of Orleans. The match proceeded without incident, after local authorities had previously discussed the necessary security measures. Of course, every situation has its peculiarities, but this case shows that there are other solutions besides separating national teams.
This does not prove that security considerations are a pretext for avoiding a strong opponent. But their eventual application could have consequences that go beyond politics.
The Bulgarian case: Burgas 2027
This issue is directly related to Bulgaria. On October 30, the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation announced that Burgas has been designated to host a tournament from the second week of the Men's Nations League in 2027. Plans also include increasing the capacity of "Arena Burgas" from 6,300 to 7,300 seats.
There is still no announced distribution of teams by host cities, but Russia's participation in Burgas is a possible scenario. This does not necessarily mean Poland's absence. The Nations League format allows two national teams to participate in one tournament without playing each other. Such cases have already occurred with Bulgaria's participation.
However, if Poland and Russia are allocated to Burgas, even without a direct match, the question of the security of both delegations and their supporters arises. This could create additional organizational requirements for the Bulgarian hosts.
Bulgaria already has experience hosting a Russian team. In August 2026, Sofia hosted the European qualification for men under 20, in which Russia and Belarus participated with special status. CEV had previously foreseen regulations that preserved the direct quota of the Balkan zone.
Russia won the tournament, Bulgaria finished second and also received a quota. The competition passed without protests or incidents related to the participation of the two teams. However, there is a significant detail - Poland and Ukraine were not among the participants.
And what would happen if, after the final distribution of teams in Burgas, the government or federation of another country also opposed a meeting with Russia? Will the program be changed, will there be an official result, and who will bear the consequences?
The Finals - a problem that cannot be avoided
Even if FIVB manages to align the preliminary program with political restrictions, the situation in the final phase remains much more complex.
In the current format, quarter-final pairs are determined according to the ranking after the intercontinental phase. The first meets the eighth, the second - the seventh, the third - the sixth, and the fourth - the fifth. Thus, Poland and Russia could become rivals as early as the quarter-finals, even though they were separated in the preliminary tournaments.
Theoretically, FIVB could apply a special distribution by elimination streams, but this would raise the question of whether sports criteria are applied equally to all. And even if the two teams are separated, the problem will only be postponed. They can meet in a medal match.
So far, no publicly presented solution exists for how such a situation would be handled. An additional unknown remains the final format of the Nations League for 2027 after the increase in participants to 19.
Olympic quotas and the genie out of the bottle
The consequences of any special arrangements could also manifest in the fight for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. The results of the Nations League influence the world ranking, which will be crucial in allocating the final Olympic quotas. With minimal differences between contenders, even a few points can be decisive. It is no coincidence that the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation has already justified Sofia's bid to host the Nations League in 2028 with the need for the national team to accumulate the best possible record before the Olympic participants are determined.
Thus, Schwiderski's interview raises a question that far exceeds the relations between Poland and Russia. The International Federation has already decided to bring the Russians back to the Nations League. But if it starts to align the program with individual agreements, it will have to find a way to guarantee the equality of the other participants.
For Bulgaria, all this has a specific dimension - Burgas 2027 and the battle for Olympic quotas.
FIVB opened the door for Russia's return. But when it comes time to determine opponents, finalists, and Olympic quotas, it may turn out that the genie is already out of the bottle.
