The Year Ahead: Europeans looking to succeed in new format VNL
Editorial
Created in 2018, the FIVB Volleyball Nations League will have a new format in 2022 and the numerous European national teams that will take part in the annual international competition are looking forward to benefit from it to further improve their results in the tournament.
Europe has been fairly successful since the VNL’s inaugural edition, being represented in five of the six podiums ever assembled in the event and in three of those occasions with multiple teams. However, the sky is the limit for a continent that’s called home by both the reigning men’s and women’s world champions and the defending Olympic champions among the men.
The new format of the event will alleviate the traveling issues that were typically caused in previous years, with each of the 16 men’s and women’s competing teams playing 12 matches over the course of three weeks in three different locations – each team will play four matches each week, from Tuesday to Sunday. Men and women will play in alternate weeks, allowing for a full week without matches between pools.
At the end of the pool phase, the eight best national teams in each gender will head to the VNL Finals, which will be played in knockout system, starting from the quarterfinals. The women’s final round will be played from July 13-17 and the men’s from July 20-24 in locations yet to be determined.
Europe has more than half of the 16 men’s teams entered in the tournament, with nine representatives in Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Servia and Slovenia. The women’s event will feature eight European nations in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Serbia and Turkey.
Four European cities will host pools in the opening stage of the tournament. From May 31-June 5, the Turkish city of Ankara will have the hosts, Belgium, China, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, Serbia and Thailand. The Russians will be the ones playing at home in the third and final week of pool play, from June 28-July 3, when Ufa will welcome Brazil, China, the Dominican Republic, Italy, Korea, Poland and Thailand.
On the men’s side, the Bulgarian capital Sofia is set to host a pool on the second week, from June 21-26, featuring the hosts, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Iran, Poland, Serbia and the United States. The third week will also happen in Europe with Russia’s Kemerovo receiving Bulgaria, Italy, Iran, the Netherlands, Poland, Serbia and Slovenia.
Russia is the only European nation to have ever won the VNL. The country topped the men’s podium in the first two editions of the tournament, with star opposite Maxim Mikhaylov taking home the MVP award in 2018 and outside hitter Dmitry Volkov and middle blocker Ivan Iakovlev making it to the tournament’s Dream Team one year later.
Reigning Olympic champions France have finished in the top three twice, taking silver in 2018 and bronze in 2021, as did reigning world champions Poland, who were second in last year’s edition and third back in 2019.
On the women’s side, Turkey has been the only European nation to take VNL silverware back home – the Turkish took silver in the inaugural edition in 2018 and bronze last year and also made it to semifinals in 2019, finishing fourth.