Poland surrenders world No.1 volleyball ranking to Italy after Japan loss
Back-to-back five-set defeats to Slovenia and Japan at the VNL tournament in Linyi pushed Poland’s men’s team off the top of the FIVB rankings for the first time since a brief slip last July, handing Italy the lead.
Opening defeat to Slovenia
Poland started week one of the 2026 Volleyball Nations League with a routine 3–0 win over Cuba on 10 June, but their campaign turned when they met Slovenia the next day. The match went the distance and ended 2–3, stripping Poland of 9.72 FIVB ranking points and shrinking the gap to second-placed Italy to less than half a point.
Japan loss costs the No.1 ranking
On 12 June Poland faced Japan in another five-set thriller, eventually losing 2–3 (21:25, 25:21, 21:25, 25:22, 15:17). The result carried a deduction of 9.44 ranking points, dropping Poland’s total to 374.82. Italy, idle that day, moved to 378.30 and reclaimed the world No.1 spot.
- Italy
- 378.3 points
- Poland
- 374.82 points
- Brazil
- 341.74 points
VNL group picture
After three matches Poland sit fifth in the Linyi pool with 5 points. Brazil and Ukraine lead with 6 points apiece, while Japan are third on 5 points. Poland have one group match left, against Ukraine on 14 June, after a rest day on 13 June.
Roster and outlook
Coach Nikola Grbić travelled to China with a heavily rotated squad, giving several regulars time to recover after the club season. The most experienced player on the trip is Aleksander Śliwka, who is captaining the side in Bartosz Kurek's absence. The team will look to finish the week with a win against a Ukraine side still chasing its first victory of the VNL.
- Beat Cuba 3–0
- Lost to Slovenia 2–3
- Lost to Japan 2–3
