---
title: "Miracle in the USA saves the Ukrainian national team: volleyball players on the brink of the Nations League playoffs"
description: "Incredible twist in the Nations League! 🇺🇦 The Ukrainian volleyball national team is holding 6th place and a chance for the playoffs thanks to Brazil's defeat by the USA. 🇺🇸🇧🇷 Now everything will be decided in two final matches against Turkey and Germany. No mistakes allowed! 🏐🔥"
date: 2026-07-17T10:16:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/miracle-in-the-usa-saves-the-ukrainian-national-team-volleyball-nations-league
tags: [ukraine-volleyball, volleyball-nations-league, raul-lozano, fivb, sports-news]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Miracle in the USA saves the Ukrainian national team: volleyball players on the brink of the Nations League playoffs

![Ukrainian volleyball players in blue and yellow uniforms with Mikasa balls on a stadium background, symbolizing the fight for the Volleyball Nations League playoffs](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/17/chudo-v-ssha-spaslo-sbornuyu-ukrainy-voлейбол-liga-natsij/chudo-v-ssha-spaslo-sbornuyu-ukrainy-voлейбол-liga-natsij-1.webp)

The Ukrainian men's volleyball national team found itself at the center of an incredible tournament twist. The team, seemingly preparing to say goodbye to the fight for the playoffs, received an unexpected chance to make a historic breakthrough into the Nations League "Final Eight." The situation is now on the edge: Ukrainian volleyball players are holding onto sixth place, but their fate depends entirely on the results of the last two matches.

An unexpected saving scenario unfolded on the court in the USA. There, the local team hosted the Ukrainians' main rival — the Brazilian team. The Americans played a flawless match, crushing their opponent with a score of 3:0 (25:23, 25:19, 25:18). This Brazilian slip-up became a key factor: with an equal number of wins, the Ukrainian team retained the 6th spot thanks to a better set difference.

Earlier, Raoul Losano's charges suffered a defeat in the match against Serbia with a score of 1:3. This failure could have been fatal and pushed the team out of the playoff zone, but it was the result of the match in the USA that brought the Ukrainians back into the game.

### Balance of power and qualification rules

At the moment, the tournament table looks extremely tense. The top seven teams of the regular season advance to the final stage, as well as the Chinese national team, which received a ticket as the host of the tournament. Tickets to the playoffs have already been guaranteed by Japan and the USA.

The Ukrainian national team has retained strategic initiative, but the limit on errors has been completely exhausted. Now the "blue and yellows" have to go through two decisive tests, which will be determining for the entire campaign.

### Schedule of decisive matches

To guarantee themselves a place in the "Final Eight" without looking at the results of other teams, the Ukrainians need to earn the maximum number of points in the remaining games:

- **July 17, 17:30. Turkey – Ukraine.** This will be a head-on battle with a direct competitor who has a game in reserve and is breathing down the Ukrainians' necks. A victory over the Turks will practically remove all questions about advancing to the playoffs.

- **July 19, 17:30. Ukraine – Germany.** The Germans retain only mathematical chances for advancement, but this makes them extremely dangerous opponents, as they will play without pressure.

Live broadcasts of these most important confrontations will be available on all "Suspilne Sport" platforms and local "Suspilne" TV channels.

It was previously reported that the Ukrainian national team approached this decisive week of the Nations League with an strengthened roster, which should help the team realize its chance and break into the elite club of the tournament.