The Volleyball Nations League 2025 Preliminary Phase is entering its decisive final week, with six national teams gathered in Chiba, Japan. Leading the pack are VNL frontrunners Brazil, joined by hosts Japan, Argentina, Germany, Türkiye, and the United States. These teams will compete at the Chiba Port Arena from Wednesday to Sunday, all vying for a coveted spot in the tournament’s Finals, scheduled to take place in Ningbo, China, from July 30 to August 3.
As the week commences, several teams are positioned favorably for qualification. Brazil currently tops the VNL 2025 standings with an impressive record of seven wins and 20 points. Hosts Japan sit in fourth place with five wins and 15 points, while Argentina holds the seventh spot with five wins and 13 points, placing all three teams within the current qualification zone.
Just outside the top eight is Germany, ranked eighth with four wins and 15 points, level on points with Japan but behind on wins. The United States is further back in 13th place with four wins and ten points. Türkiye, currently 16th with two wins and six points, faces a challenging path to qualification and is likely focused on securing their place in the 2026 VNL edition.
Brazil, the only team to have achieved seven victories so far, is in a strong position to advance. They need just two wins in Chiba to guarantee their spot in the Finals, regardless of other results. Key players driving their success include opposite Alan Souza, who has scored 97 points, setter Fernando ‘Cachopa’ Kreling, the tournament`s leading setter with 275 successful plays, and libero Maique Nascimento, second in digs with 64. The team could receive a significant boost with the potential debut of star outside hitter Ricardo Lucarelli this week.
Lucarelli commented on the team`s mood: “The atmosphere in our team has been really good. Being the oldest player in the team now, it`s been great to see everyone working together. We`re happy with what we`ve done so far, but it`s not enough. This is going to be a tough week and we want to show our best game again.”
Fourth-ranked Japan will aim to capitalize on home advantage to secure their qualification and return to the Finals after earning silver last year. Their offense has been powered by opposite Kento Miyaura, who accumulated 117 points over the first two weeks. The team is expected to be even stronger in Week 3 with the anticipated return of star outside hitters Yuki Ishikawa and Ran Takahashi.
Head coach Laurent Tillie stated: “I think this is the toughest pool of the VNL this year. Brazil are in a great spot to qualify, and there are four other teams here fighting to do the same, so it should be interesting. I`m excited to have my top players back as well, even if they may still lack a little bit of rhythm. I`m sure they will do their best for the team.”
Argentina enters the week precariously holding the final spot within the qualification zone. They will look to solidify their position through their four matches in Japan. Key new contributors this season include libero Jan Martínez, who leads the VNL in digs with 69, and setter Matías Sánchez, ranked second among setters with 227 successful actions. The squad will be reinforced by the arrival of two Tokyo Olympic medalists, opposite Bruno Lima and libero Santiago Danani.
Outside hitter Luciano Palonsky added: “Time difference is a big thing every time we play in Japan, but I know we`ll be ready for our first match against Brazil. It`s going to be a tough week, but we`re hoping for the best. I thought we could have won at least two more matches over the first two weeks, but we also won some tough ones, which took us to the place we are right now.”
Germany appears to be Argentina’s main competitor for a Finals spot. Although they have one fewer win, Germany has two more points. Opposite Filip John is the VNL 2025`s top scorer with 153 points, while libero Leonard Graven is a key player in the backcourt, ranking second in serve-receive (58) and sixth in digs (58). The potential return of veteran opposite Georg Grozer could further strengthen their offensive power.
Setter Jan Zimmermann revealed: “We`re looking at this week match by match. There are four teams with four victories right now, so it`s going to be hard for us to make it to the Finals. We believe we`d need three victories to qualify and we`ll try to get them. We have a difficult first match against Japan, but we`re hoping for a good start.”
Despite being currently outside the qualification zone, the United States could still enter the mix depending on results. Their roster features mostly young players. Outside hitter Cooper Robinson is their most productive player with 90 points, while opposite Gabi Garcia ranks sixth in serving with ten aces.
Setter Micah Ma`a reflected: “We have a young group this season and we`ve mixed lineups almost every match. And the good part is that everyone is excited. We`ve used each stop as a checkpoint to build some momentum throughout the summer, and hopefully, we can make it to the VNL Finals. It`s been fun to be a part of this group, and we`re excited to compete for a spot in the final eight.”
Türkiye, making their second consecutive VNL appearance, aims to ensure their participation in the 2026 edition. Outside hitter Efe Mandiraci has been a standout player, leading the offense with 111 points and ranking third in aces with 13. Setter Murat Yenipazar is also highly ranked in his position. The return of opposite Adis Lagumdžija, who missed the first two weeks, is expected to bring new energy to the team.
Lagumdžija commented: “It`s good to be back with the team. I`m looking forward to helping the team accomplish its goals in the VNL. Things didn`t go as planned for us so far, but I hope we can change things now and level up our game. This is going to be the most difficult week in the VNL for us, but we`ll try to do our best. We know we can play really good volleyball, so now we need to learn how to compete at the highest level.”
Schedule Details
The competition in Chiba begins on Wednesday with three matches. South American rivals Brazil and Argentina will face off at 12:00 local time (3:00 GMT), followed by Türkiye versus the USA at 15:30 (6:30 GMT). The day concludes with Germany taking on hosts Japan at 19:20 (10:20 GMT).
The subsequent three days will each feature two matches, starting at 15:30 (6:30 GMT) and 19:20 (10:20 GMT). Thursday`s schedule includes Türkiye vs. Germany and Argentina vs. Japan. On Friday, Brazil will play Japan, and Argentina will face the USA. Saturday’s matchups are Türkiye vs. Brazil and Germany vs. USA.
The Chiba pool concludes on Sunday with three more matches: Türkiye vs. Argentina at 11:00 (2:00 GMT), Germany vs. Brazil at 14:30 (5:30 GMT), and USA vs. Japan at 19:20 (10:20 GMT).
The third and final week of the VNL Preliminary Phase is also hosting matches in Gdańsk, Poland (featuring Poland, Bulgaria, China, Cuba, France, and Iran) and Ljubljana, Slovenia (featuring Slovenia, Canada, Italy, Netherlands, Serbia, and Ukraine).
Jasper Thornfield 
Oliver Wrenwick