The Bulgarian men's national volleyball team will have a new equipment manufacturer starting in 2026. The American company VB RAGS will produce the playing kits and official apparel for the team in the next competitive cycle. The information first appeared through a post by the brand itself on social media, and was subsequently confirmed by sources close to the federation.

Until now, Bulgaria played with kits from the Italian company Zeus, including during the World Championship in the Philippines, where the national team achieved a strong performance and won silver medals.

VB RAGS posted a message on social media announcing that it has been chosen as the official brand for all equipment of the Bulgarian men's national team. In parallel, the company also began pre-selling fan versions of the new jerseys in its online store.

The post states that this refers to the kit that the national team will wear in the team's next cycle, with deliveries for the first orders announced for the end of May.

Former national team captain Vladimir Nikolov appeared wearing a VB RAGS T-shirt during a radio show participation in Russia, which attracted the attention of the volleyball community.

This was the first public signal that the partnership had already been agreed upon and was awaiting official announcement.

A design project for the new jerseys also appeared online, showcasing the three main variations of the kit:

• green

• white

• red

The design utilizes folk motifs inspired by Bulgarian traditional embroidery (shevitsi), which are integrated into the main part of the jersey and on the side panels.

On the chest are located:

• the manufacturer's logo

• the inscription BULGARIA with the national flag

• the main sponsor

• the international federation's partner.

An interesting detail about the new partnership is the brand's connection to Simeon Nikolov.

During the last season, the company introduced a personal model of volleyball shoes, bearing the name of the young Bulgarian setter – MON1. Thus, he became one of the first volleyball players in the world with such a personalized product. We wrote about this during the World Championship in Manila. The other faces of the brand are Wilfredo León and Mattia Bottolo.

This also suggests that the connection between VB RAGS and Bulgarian volleyball began even before the news about the national team's kits.

The kit project is designated as part of the Olympic cycle leading up to Los Angeles 2028, meaning the partnership will likely cover the coming years of the national team's development.

The President of the Bulgarian Volleyball FederationLyubomir Ganevconfirmed tovolleyweek.bg, that the contract is a fact and isfor a period of three years.

Ganev clarified thatthe official presentation of the new kits will take place in May, when the national team gathers forits first preparatory camp.