The head coach of the Bulgarian men's national team, Gianlorenzo Blengini, announced the extended squad for the 2026 Nations League. A total of 31 volleyball players were included in the list, though according to the regulations of the International Volleyball Federation, 30 players can be registered for the tournament.
The national team's preparation starts on April 27 in Samokov and will continue until May 18. Immediately after that, on May 19, the team departs for Poland to participate in the "Silesia Cup" tournament (May 20-23), where they will face the hosts, as well as the teams of Ukraine and Serbia. On June 3, Bulgaria will travel to Argentina, where training sessions and a friendly match against the local national team are scheduled.
The first week of the Nations League begins on June 10 in Brazil, with the Bulgarian team facing Belgium, Iran, Argentina, and Serbia.

🏐 Bulgaria's Extended Squad for VNL 2026

Setters:
Anton Stanchev – Lokomotiv Avia; Viktor Zhekoy – Montana; Lyuboslav Telkiyski – Neftochimic 2010; Simeon Nikolov – Lokomotiv Novosibirsk (Rus); Stoil Palev – Levski Sofia

Opposite Hitters:
Venislav Antov – Tourcoing (Fra); Dimitar Dimitrov – Busan (South Korea); Hristiyan Dimitrov – Ravenna (Ita)

Outside Hitters:
Aleksandar Nikolov – Cucine Lube (Ita); Asparuh Asparuhov – Ślepsk (Pol); Vladimir Garkov – Saint-Nazaire (Fra); Georgi Tatarov – Galatasaray (Tur); Denislav Bardarov – IBB (Tur); Denis Karyagin – Macerata (Ita); Zhasmin Velichkov – Monza (Ita); Kristiyan Aleksov – Lokomotiv Avia; Martin Atanasov – Monza (Ita); Rusi Zhelev – Macerata (Ita); Samuil Valchinov – Ravenna (Ita); Teodor Kamenvo – Pirin

Middle Blockers:
Alex Grozdanov – Lublin Bogdanka (Pol); Boris Nachev – Padova (Ita); Ivaylo Damyanov – Lokomotiv Avia; Iliya Petkov – Grottazzolina (Ita); Kiril Kolev – Lokomotiv Avia; Lazar Buchkov – Levski Sofia; Preslav Petkov – Folgore Massa (Ita)

Liberos:
Damyan Kolev – Levski Sofia; Dimitar Dobrev – Levski Sofia; Kaloyan Botev – Montana; Yasen Petrov – Neftochimic 2010

🆕 The Debutants – Two Different Types of New Names

A comparison between the 2025 list (A and B teams plus "promising prospects") and the extended squad for VNL 2026 shows that there are not many new names, but they are clearly distinguishable into two groups.
The absolute debutants are few – these are players who were not present in any of the groups last year. This category includes:

• Viktor Zhekoy

• Yasen Petrov

The second group is more interesting – players who were already in the system but are now taking a step towards the representative team, from which the final selection of 14 for the VNL will be made. These are:

• Anton Stanchev

• Kristiyan Aleksov

• Kiril Kolev

• Ivaylo Damyanov

• Hristiyan Dimitrov

• Vladimir Garkov

• Samuil Valchinov

• Teodor Kamenоv

• Lazar Buchkov

Jasmin Velichkov is a special case. In 2025, he was among the "promising" players, without a spot among the men. Now he is already part of the expanded squad for VNL, which makes him a real absolute debutant at men's level.
Ultimately, the conclusion is clear changes do not come from the mass inclusion of new faces, but from promoting already familiar players to the A-team.
Thus, although the new names are limited in number, coach Gianlorenzo Blengini clearly shows a trend not so much rejuvenation through external recruits, but rather the promotion of players from the national system's internal reserve.

The announced squad clearly shows the direction of development preserving the core group and carefully introducing new names. Instead of a large-scale rejuvenation, Blengini chooses a controlled transition, where competition increases, but without disrupting the team's balance.