The Ukrainian men's national volleyball team has achieved a true historic breakthrough, entering the top ten of the FIVB (International Volleyball Federation) world ranking for the first time in its history. This triumph was made possible thanks to a series of spectacular victories by Raul Losano's team during the second week of the 2026 Volleyball Nations League.
Fateful victory over Canada
The decisive match for securing a spot in the elite was against the Canadian national team. The Ukrainian volleyball players demonstrated character and skill, winning with a score of 3:1. The set scores — 25:19, 25:23, 18:25, 25:23 — show that the Ukrainians managed to outlast their opponent even in the tensest moments of the game.
This victory brought the team an additional 7.7 points in the world ranking. Thanks to this result, the Ukrainian national team soared to 9th place in the world standings, overtaking strong teams such as Canada, Turkey, Argentina, Germany, and Serbia in one go.
Insane winning streak
The breakthrough did not happen out of nowhere. Before the match with the Canadians, the Ukrainians conducted an impressive series of victories against top opponents. The team crushed the world's third-ranked team — Brazil (3:1) — and the reigning world champions from Italy (3:0). These results laid the foundation for this historic achievement.
Battle for leadership in the Volleyball Nations League
In the standings of the most prestigious commercial series, Ukraine is demonstrating fantastic results. At the moment, the team holds second place, with 5 wins in 7 matches and 16 points to its credit.
The "Blue and Yellows" even had real chances for leadership, however, in the parallel round, the Japanese national team defeated Iran in a tie-break with a score of 3:2. The Japanese retained the first place, leading the Ukrainians only by the number of matches won (6 against 5).
Goals and immediate plans
To qualify for the final playoff of the tournament, Ukraine needs to stay in the top 7 of the final standings. The team continues to fight for this goal, demonstrating stable play and a high level of preparation.
The next match in the 2026 Volleyball Nations League will be played by the Ukrainian national team on Sunday, June 28, at 14:00 Kyiv time. The opponent for our volleyball players will be the Bulgarian national team. A live broadcast of the match can be seen on Public Television platforms and local channels.