Surprises and Upsets Await, In the Upcoming VNL 

The FIVB Men’s Volleyball Nations League (VNL for short) is a tournament run by FIVB that puts the best volleyball talent from select counties against each other, and see who comes out on top to win a million dollar prize. 

In 2025, the VNL will have 18 teams: Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Cuba, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, Türkiye, Ukraine, and the USA. These teams will participate in a pool play section where the standings of each pool will be determined, and the top eight teams will move on to the finals where they will play in a single-elimination bracket to determine the winner of the prize. 

The tournament takes place all around the world in locations including Xi’an in China, Quebec City in Canada and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The preliminary round played in those locations begins June 11th and ends on June 15th. The second round will begin on June 25th, and it will take place in Burgas, Bulgaria, Belgrade, Serbia, and in Chicago, USA, ending on June 29th. After that week of competition, teams will get roughly two weeks of rest until the third round begins on July 15th. The third round is in Gdansk, Poland, Ljubljana, Slovenia, and Kanto, Japan, and will end on July 20th. Once the final eight teams are determined, they will travel to Ningbo, China where the finals will be hosted from July 30th through August 3rd.

A commonly asked question about the VNL is, “How does it connect to the four year Olympic cycle?” The VNL is held every year, where the Olympics are every four years. The prizes are also different as National teams prioritize Olympic success and country fanfare versus the VNL million dollar prize. 

This is the reason many big-name players are sitting out this year’s tournament. Notable absences from the USA VLN team include TJ Defalco, Micah Christenson, and Taylor Averill. These players are taking a break after their long professional season and allowing younger players to experience the competition level of the national stage. That makes this year’s VNL a particularly interesting one, because many other countries, like the USA, are prioritizing the development of younger players for the future of their Olympic success. 

In the U.S., most of the players called up are current or recently graduated NCAA players, who will be competing with each other for minutes on the court and time in the spotlight. Those notable players include Andrew Rowan, Nolan Flexen, Ethan Champlin, and Mason Briggs. These players, collegiate, or recently graduated, have been called up by Coach Karch Kilaly, in order to learn from the best, and compete against the best. 

While this year’s VNL tournament might seem like it will be boring, or less important because of the lack of big-name players, this couldn’t be further from the truth. This year’s tournament is the best opportunity to develop the young adults who have been selected. Teams that have dominated previous tournaments might not be as strong as usual, and teams with historically weaker rosters might make a jump in progress and have more success than anticipated. 

The VNL is available to watch on the CBS Sports network, Volleyball World subscription service, or the Big 10 network. Find out for yourself what teams will pull off upsets, surpass expectations, and make history. 

About the Author

Quinn Campbell is an outside hitter from Kansas City in the 2026 class. Campbell plays for club for Mavs, is passionate about growing the game of volleyball and is a great addition to the Middle Hitter team!