FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League
The FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League (often called the VNL) is an annual international volleyball competition for men's national teams. It is organized by the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB). The tournament started in 2018 as a replacement for the FIVB Volleyball World League, which ran from 1990 to 2017.[1]
The VNL originally had 16 teams. From 2025, this was expanded to 18.[2] Four countries have won the men's VNL: Russia (2018, 2019), Brazil (2021), France (2022, 2024), and Poland (2023, 2025).[3] The 2020 edition was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]
History
Creation
In October 2017, the FIVB announced that the World League (for men) and the World Grand Prix (for women) would be replaced by new competitions. The men's tournament was named the Volleyball Nations League. The FIVB, the sports marketing company IMG, and 21 national volleyball federations worked together to create the new format.[1]
The main reasons for the change were simpler television scheduling, lower travel costs for teams, and a single group of top nations instead of the old three-group system that the World League had used in its final years.[1]
Early years (2018–2019)
Russia won the first two editions. In 2018, the final was held in Lille, France, where Russia beat the hosts 3–0.[1] In 2019, Russia won again in Chicago, beating the United States 3–1.[4]
During these first two years, 16 teams took part. Twelve of them were "core teams" with guaranteed places, while the other four were "challenger teams" that could be replaced each year through a promotion and relegation system linked to the Challenger Cup.[1]
2020 cancellation and 2021
The 2020 tournament was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The FIVB had originally planned to hold the finals in Turin, Italy.[1]
The 2021 edition was played in a "bubble" format in Rimini, Italy, with all matches in one location to reduce health risks. Brazil won their first VNL title, beating Poland 3–1 in the final.[4]
2022 onwards
Russia was banned from the 2022 tournament after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. China replaced them.[5]
France won their first title in 2022 in Bologna, beating the United States in five sets. Earvin N'Gapeth was named MVP.[5]
Poland won in 2023 on home soil in Gdańsk, beating the United States 3–1. It was their first VNL gold medal. Paweł Zatorski was named MVP.[6]
France took a second title in 2024 in Łódź, Poland, beating Japan 3–1 in the final. Antoine Brizard won the MVP award.[7] Japan's silver medal was their first in a major annual tournament final since 1977.[7]
Poland won again in 2025 in Ningbo, China, beating Italy in the final. This was also the first edition with 18 teams instead of 16.[8]
Format
The competition has two parts: a preliminary round and a final round.[1]
In the preliminary round, all teams play 12 matches over three weeks. Matches are held at different cities around the world. Each week, teams travel to a host city where several nations play against each other over five days. This "pool weekend" system replaced the old World League's home-and-away format, which was more expensive because teams had to travel between continents for single matches.[1]
After the preliminary round, the top seven teams and the host country of the final round go through to the final round. If the host country already finished in the top seven, the top eight teams qualify instead.[1]
The final round uses a knockout format: quarterfinals, semifinals, a bronze medal match, and a gold medal match. All final round games are played in one city.[1]
Team selection
From 2018 to 2024, the VNL used a system of "core teams" and "challenger teams." Core teams (originally 12, later 10) had guaranteed places. Challenger teams (originally 4, later 6) earned their spots through the Challenger Cup or world rankings, and the lowest-placed challenger team each year was replaced.[1]
From 2025, this system was removed. All 18 teams now compete on equal terms. The last-placed team at the end of each season is replaced by the highest-ranked country in the FIVB world rankings that was not already in the tournament.[2]
Results
| Year | Host city | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Lille, France |  Russia |  France | 3–0 |
| 2019 | Chicago, USA | Russia |  USA | 3–1 |
| 2020 | Cancelled (COVID-19) | |||
| 2021 | Rimini, Italy |  Brazil |  Poland | 3–1 |
| 2022 | Bologna, Italy | France | USA | 3–2 |
| 2023 | Gdańsk, Poland | Poland | USA | 3–1 |
| 2024 | Łódź, Poland | France |  Japan | 3–1 |
| 2025 | Ningbo, China | Poland |  Italy | — |
| Country | Titles | Years |
|---|---|---|
| France | 2 | 2022, 2024 |
| Poland | 2 | 2023, 2025 |
| Russia | 2 | 2018, 2019 |
| Brazil | 1 | 2021 |
The United States has reached the final three times (2019, 2022, 2023) without winning the title. Poland has won a medal in every edition except 2018.[4]
Related pages
- Volleyball World League (the competition the VNL replaced)
- FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League
- FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship
- Volleyball at the Summer Olympics
- Fédération Internationale de Volleyball
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-04-13.
- 1 2 "VNL 2025 Preview: The Empowered 14". FIVB. Retrieved 2026-04-13.
- ↑ "Previous Winners". Volleyball World. Retrieved 2026-04-13.
- 1 2 3 "FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League statistics". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-04-13.
- 1 2 "2022 FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-04-13.
- ↑ "2023 FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-04-13.
- 1 2 "France regain VNL title". FIVB. Retrieved 2026-04-13.
- ↑ "2025 FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-04-13.
Other websites
- Volleyball Nations League at Volleyball World
- FIVB Competitions — official FIVB competition page