The concluding week of the league stage in the 2025 FIVB Men`s Volleyball Nations League is scheduled from Wednesday, July 16, to Sunday, July 20. Matches will be held across three cities: Gdańsk, Poland; Ljubljana, Slovenia; and Chiba, Japan.
The top seven teams from the league phase, along with the host nation for the finals, China, will advance to the competition`s knockout stage. The competition remains fierce, with seven European teams still vying for a spot.
Heading into this final preliminary week, Brazil leads the standings with seven wins and one loss. They are closely followed by Poland and Italy, both holding six wins and two losses. Japan, France, Ukraine, and Argentina are also in contention, each with five wins and three losses.
Germany, Cuba, Bulgaria, the USA, and Slovenia are all currently tied with four wins and four losses. This tight race makes the upcoming final round incredibly unpredictable, promising potential significant shifts in the standings.
A highly anticipated match in Gdańsk will be the rematch of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games gold medal final between Poland and France, poised to be a highlight of this VNL 2025 Preliminary Phase week.
Poland, one of the two national teams playing in Gdańsk and currently within the qualification zone for the Finals (second place with six wins and 18 points, just two points behind Brazil), has shown strong intent. Key outside hitters Wilfredo Leon and Tomasz Fornal, along with middle blocker Jakub Kochanowski, have joined the squad for the first time this VNL season.
In Ljubljana, the host nation Slovenia, Italy, and Ukraine will all be battling fiercely for their qualification spots. Italy, in third place with six wins and 17 points, and Ukraine, in sixth place with five wins and 15 points, are currently within the qualification zone, with Ukraine making a remarkable debut performance.
Other teams aiming to secure their place in the VNL knockout phase include Japan, Argentina, Germany, Türkiye, and the United States, who will compete at the Chiba Port Arena.
The final round of the 2025 FIVB Men`s Volleyball Nations League is set to take place in Ningbo, China, from July 30 to August 3.
Jasper Thornfield 
Finley Blackwood