Germany and Italy play record 89-minute volleyball set ending 66-64 in Reggio Calabria

Opening set reaches 66-64 scoreline

The German men's national volleyball team took a 66-64 victory over Italy in the opening set of their FIPAV Cup Men Elite match on 26 August 2026. Contested at the PalaCalafiore in Reggio Calabria before 4,400 spectators, the opening frame required 89 minutes of continuous play to reach a resolution. According to the German Volleyball Association (DVV), the 89-minute duration stands as the longest set ever played in official international volleyball competition. Over the course of 130 total points, the two sides fended off a combined 43 set points before Germany secured the two-point margin necessary to conclude the frame.

Surpassing international and club benchmarks

The 89-minute opener eclipsed previous scoring and duration records set in international tournaments and domestic club leagues. The prior international record had stood since 28 June 2026, when Argentina defeated Poland 50-48 in a 62-minute set during the Volleyball Nations League preliminary round, a match Poland ultimately won 3-1. At the professional club level, the previous benchmark occurred in South Korea's V-League on 26 November 2013, when the Incheon Korean Air Jumbos defeated Ansan Rush & Cash Vespid 56-54. The Reggio Calabria scoreline surpassed both totals under the modern scoring structure.

Scoring mechanics under the rally point system

The extended scoreline unfolded under the rally point system, which took effect internationally in the 1999/2000 season after testing in Italy in 1999. Under these regulations, a point is awarded on every rally regardless of which team serves, with the first four sets played to 25 points and the fifth set played to 15. The rules mandate that a team must establish a lead of at least two points to win a set, with no upper scoring limit. This contrasts with earlier eras of side-out scoring, where only the serving team could register points up to 15, and where an earlier 1988 rule had capped sets at a maximum score of 17-16 before the fifth-set cap was removed in 1992.

Five-set marathon concludes in Italian victory

Following the 89-minute opening set, Italy rallied to secure a 3-2 match victory across a total playing time of 3 hours 29 minutes. The reigning world champions took the second set 25-22, conceded the third set 23-25, and won the fourth set 25-22 to force a tie-break. Italy then captured the deciding fifth set 15-12. Massimo Botti, the Italian head coach of the German national team, commented on the physical demands of the opening frame after the match concluded.

I have never experienced anything like this. We basically played an entire match in a single set today.

European Championship preparations underway

The match opened the FIPAV Cup Men Elite, serving as a preparation series ahead of the men's European Championship. That continental tournament is scheduled to begin on 9 September 2026, hosted jointly by Bulgaria, Finland, Italy, and Romania. Italy, captained by Simone Giannelli, continues its warm-up schedule with a fixture against Cuba in Messina on 28 August 2026, followed by a meeting with Brazil on 30 August 2026.