Türkiye wins the 2026 VNL title in Macao
Türkiye secured their second Volleyball Nations League trophy after defeating Brazil 3-1 in the gold medal match. Melissa Vargas earned MVP honors after scoring 33 points in the final showdown.
Turkiye secured the 2026 Volleyball Nations League trophy after they defeated Brazil 3-1 in the gold medal match. The match in Macao concluded with scores of 23-25, 25-23, 26-24, and 25-21. This victory gave Turkiye their second title in the history of the competition. Brazil took the silver medal. Italy claimed the bronze after they beat China 3-1 with a score of 25-16, 23-25, 25-22, and 25-13. These three teams joined host nation China in the Finals held between July 22 and July 26.
Scoring leaders and individual honors
Melissa Vargas drove the Turkish offense during the gold medal showdown with 33 points. This performance equals the highest single-match score in a VNL final match for any gender. Vargas also earned the Most Valuable Player award. Kiera Van Ryk of Canada was the tournament’s leading scorer with 271 points. She also finished as the best attacker during the preliminary phase. You might find it interesting that Van Ryk outscored Vargas by five points in the final scoring rankings.
In the match against Poland, Brazil’s Ana Cristina Souza scored 26 points. She recorded 23 kills and three blocks in that contest. The team’s performance in the match was driven by her 26 total points. Souza has already surpassed 600 points in her VNL career. Brazil’s middle blocker Ana Carolina da Silva also contributed to the Brazilian defense. However, the Brazilian team failed to defend their lead in the final sets against Turkiye. The Brazilian squad struggled with consistency during the match.
In Hong Kong, Italy defeated Belgium 3-0 with a score of 25-20, 25-16, and 25-19. Ekaterina Antropova scored 23 points, including 12 kills, six aces, and five blocks. Sarah Fahr scored 12 points, including nine kills and three blocks.
| Team | Preliminary Wins | Total Points |
|---|---|---|
| USA | 10 | 26 |
| Brazil | 9 | 26 |
| Italy | 8 | 24 |
| Canada | 8 | 24 |
Standing shifts and qualification results
The race for the remaining spots in Macao saw significant movement in the final weeks. The Netherlands moved from eighth to fourth in the standings after they beat Germany 3-0 in Belgrade. The match score was 25-23, 25-23, and 25-23. Outside hitter Jolien Knollema scored 14 points, including 13 kills and one ace. This result moved the Netherlands into seventh place with 21 points. Canada also moved into the qualification zone by finishing fifth with 24 points. Canada won three of their four matches in Hong Kong to secure their place.
Canada beat the Dominican Republic 3-1 in a match that ended 25-20, 17-25, 25-22, and 25-18. Kiera Van Ryk scored 27 points in that game. This victory allowed Canada to finish the phase with an 8-4 record. The Dominican Republic climbed to 15th place with eight points. They passed the Ukrainian team, which finished the phase in 16th place with seven points. Brayelin Martinez of the Dominican Republic scored 29 points, including 21 kills, seven blocks, and one ace.
The United States secured the top seed for the Finals by sweeping Brazil 3-0 in Osaka. The score was 26-24, 25-22, and 25-16. The United States team relied on Avery Skinner’s 18 kills and Logan Eggleston’s 5 blocks to secure their 3-0 win and finalize their position as the top seed for the Macao tournament in July. Logan Eggleston added 6 points, including 4 blocks and an ace. Jordan Thompson scored 16 points, with 14 of those coming from kills. The Americans finished their pool play with 10 wins and 2 losses. Will the younger United States roster maintain this dominance during the quarterfinals in China?
