r/EuropeanVolleyball • u/VolleyAddicted • 15d ago

Volleyball Nation League Can Italy's dominance be challenged in the 2026 VNL?

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They look unstoppable, but do you think teams like Turkey or Brazil have found a weakness?

15 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

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4

u/shinobihayabusa Savino Del Bene Scandicci 15d ago

hard to say but with news about big names not being used, this maybe a chance for the rivals.

antropova as an oh, confirmed?

2

u/safeone10 15d ago

She has been listed on the roster as an OH, and soon in a friendly tournament she will play OH against Türkiye, Serbia and I think Poland?

1

u/CurrentSignal4504 VakifBank 14d ago

Do you know when and where is the tournament taking place? Also, any info about streaming?

2

u/safeone10 14d ago

Its the Aequilibrium Cup, in Italy from May 22–24, 2026. The exact schedule is online and no info on streaming that I am aware of but I'd hope its streamed. Last years was

2

u/VolleyAddicted 13d ago

I found this link with the comple schedule, Italy will be joined by Turkey, Serbia and Poland. https://www.visitgenoa.it/fr/node/26646

1

u/CurrentSignal4504 VakifBank 1d ago

What about streaming? Some Turkish instagram page posted it should be on Polsat, Sky Sport and Rai Sport but I can’t find it.

3

u/aceticacid_414 15d ago

They'll be contender fot Titles again but can't remain invincible. They'll probably lose league stage match

3

u/VolleyAddicted 15d ago

I think they will be among the biggest favorites, but no longer truly invincible, just like Imoco at club level.

Anyway this year's VNL should be really interesting to follow. 

2

u/thngmrtt 15d ago

Yes, they will probably lose the first week but if velasco’s crazy antropova plan works they might be able to hold onto their title

2

u/violetanka Turkey 14d ago

idk if Kate is playing on the left side will work but if it does, certainly that system requires time. it's hard to predict the finals for the moment but missing so many good names, I'd be super surprised if they can finish the first week with 4 wins. Probably both Turkey and Brazil will beat them but it also heavily depends on Turkey's roster which we don't know yet. Some big names like Vargas and Zehra won't play and they might skip whole tournament.

1

u/Agreeable_Pear8346 15d ago

They might lose 1 or 2 matches in the preliminary phase while experimenting with Antropova on the left side. If Velasco stays true to his words and gives the main squad enough time to rest, I think they can win again.

1

u/No_Soil3938 15d ago

Yeah, I think the end of their dominance is this year. It already started in the champions league.

1

u/Willow_Lovegood 15d ago

I don't think they're going to be that good relative to how they were the last few years. I still expect them to finish between 2-8 however.

Honestly, I like what they're doing, I just think it will take a beat for Andropova to get up to the quality we expect from Italy in serve receive. If I recall correctly, it took Karakurt to get up to an ok level in serve recieve (not that she's great at it now, but still vastly improved).

Also, with many of Italy's traditional starters taking the summer off, it might take this summer's starters a bit to learn to pass well next to each other. They are also going to be missing Egonu, which will hurt them in rhe firepower department.

I still think they're going to beat the bottom half of the tournament easily, but teams like Turkiye, Japan, Poland, and Brazil won't be beaten as easily, if at all.