Six men`s national teams are set to compete in Belgrade from Wednesday to Sunday for the second week of the Volleyball Nations League 2025. A key objective for all teams will be to climb the tournament standings.
After a challenging opening week where the six teams collectively managed only seven wins out of 24 matches, Argentina, Germany, Iran, Cuba, the Netherlands, and hosts Serbia currently find themselves in the lower half of the table. This week presents each team with four opportunities to earn crucial points and improve their position in the race for a spot in the VNL Finals.
Among the six teams competing in Belgrade, Argentina had the most promising start. Playing in Quebec two weeks ago, they secured two victories, defeating reigning Olympic champions France and hosts Canada. They are currently ranked 12th in the VNL 2025 standings with five points.
Agustín Loser (Argentina captain): `I thought we did well in the first week. Our younger players showed a lot of good things, and the way they fought on the court was really important. It was a good start, but I think we can do better, and we`ll try to do it here in Serbia.`
Germany also participated in the Quebec pool, experiencing a frustrating week with three five-set losses before finally overcoming France in their final match. They sit in 13th place with six points. Their squad in Belgrade will be boosted by the inclusion of setter Johannes Tille and outside hitter Tobias Brand, who missed the trip to Canada.
Jan Zimmermann (Germany setter): `It was really important to have won that last match in Quebec, not so much for the points, but for our confidence. I thought we had chances to win even before, and leaving Canada with a victory was good for our mood.`
Iran faced a challenging week in Rio de Janeiro, losing their first three matches, including two tie-breakers. They secured their first win against newcomers Ukraine in a five-set battle. With four points, they are currently the 14th-ranked team.
Bardia Saadat (Iran opposite): `Unfortunately, we didn`t start well, but we believe that we`re going to keep getting better game by game. I believe we can get a lot better in our coach`s system. He knows a lot about the sport and every day he brings something new to us.`
In the same Rio pool, Cuba pulled off a major upset by defeating hosts Brazil. However, this was their only victory of the opening week. With three points, they are ranked 15th.
David Fiel (Cuba middle blocker): `We typically play very well against Brazil, I think our styles kind of match. It was a very demanding match for us. Sadly, we couldn`t win any other matches in the first week, but I think that, for the spirit of the team, getting that victory was very positive.`
The Netherlands traveled to Xi`an for their first VNL matches, earning three points from a victory over Türkiye. They enter the Belgrade leg ranked 17th.
Wessel Keemink (Netherlands setter): `We want to win every match here this week, but we know it`s not going to be an easy task. We want to focus on each match, try to learn and be competitive. And then we`ll see where we end up. At the stage we are now as a team, playing these matches is very important.`
Hosts Serbia hope the home crowd will provide a boost after a tough opening week in Xi`an. Following a win against Türkiye, Serbia lost three consecutive matches without taking a set, leaving them at the bottom of the VNL standings with three points.
Dražen Luburić (Serbia opposite): `Playing at home this week will be amazing. For all of our players, getting to play in front of our fans is like a dream coming true. I hope we can get a lot of support from them over the week.`
Belgrade VNL Week 2 Schedule
Wednesday features three matches. Germany and Cuba play at 13:00 local time (11:00 GMT), followed by the Netherlands and Argentina at 16:30 (14:30 GMT). Hosts Serbia and Iran conclude the day at 20:00 (18:00 GMT).
Thursday has two matches: the Netherlands vs. Germany at 16:30 (14:30 GMT) and Serbia vs. Cuba at 20:00 (18:00 GMT).
Friday`s matches are Argentina vs. Iran at 16:30 (14:30 GMT) and the Netherlands vs. Cuba at 20:00 (18:00 GMT).
Saturday`s schedule repeats the start times: Germany vs. Iran at 16:30 (14:30 GMT) and Serbia vs. Argentina at 20:00 (18:00 GMT).
Sunday wraps up the week with three matches: Iran vs. the Netherlands at 13:00 (11:00 GMT), Cuba vs. Argentina at 16:30 (14:30 GMT), and Germany vs. Serbia at 20:00 (18:00 GMT).
The 2025 VNL features an expanded format with 18 national teams. The Preliminary Phase spans three weeks, with teams divided into three pools of six and playing four matches each week. The top seven teams from the Preliminary Phase, alongside hosts China, will qualify for the Finals held in Ningbo from July 30 to August 3.
Alongside Belgrade, the second week of VNL action also takes place in Burgas, Bulgaria (featuring Bulgaria, France, Ukraine, Japan, Türkiye, Slovenia), and Chicago, USA (featuring USA, Italy, Poland, Canada, Brazil, China).
Jasper Thornfield 
Oliver Wrenwick