Geneva: The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) announced on Tuesday that Russia’s men’s and women’s national teams will participate in the 2027 Volleyball Nations League (VNL).
“Following its statement issued on 8 July 2026, the FIVB has continued consultations with relevant stakeholders to establish a clear roadmap for the return of Russian athletes and technical officials to World competitions,” the world volleyball governing body said in a statement.
The VNL will expand from 18 to 19 teams for the 2027 edition, as neither of Russia’s teams qualified through the usual process, with Slovenia’s women’s team and Finland’s men’s team retaining their places in the competition.
The FIVB confirmed that Russia had voluntarily chosen not to compete in the 2027 Men’s World Cup, while its participation in the 2027 Women’s World Cup has yet to be confirmed.
Meanwhile, World No. 1 Poland rallied to defeat the United States 3-2 and retained its title in the recently concluded 2026 edition of the FIVB Men’s Volleyball Nations League Finals on Sunday, while Slovenia beat Japan 3-1 to secure its first VNL medal.
In a thrilling final, Poland took the opening set 25-21 before the United States responded by edging the next two 25-23 and 27-25 to move within one set of the title.
With the championship on the line, the fourth set remained level at 20-20 before Poland outside hitter Tomasz Fornal sparked his team with a series of outstanding serves. Poland closed out the set 25-23 to force a decider.
The defending champion seized control after the score was tied at 5-5 in the fifth set, capitalising on several U.S. attacking errors to build a 13-7 lead. Poland’s disciplined defense and effective blocking denied America any chance of a comeback, and the European side sealed the set 15-10 to complete the turnaround and claim its third VNL title.
Earlier on Sunday, after finishing fourth on three previous occasions, Slovenia finally reached the VNL podium by defeating Japan 3-1 (25-21, 26-28, 25-22, 25-22) in the bronze medal match.
(IANS)
