--- title: "Salvation from the USA: How Brazil's Defeat Brought the Ukrainian National Team Back into the Playoff Fight" description: "The Ukrainian volleyball national team miraculously kept its chances for the Volleyball Nations League playoffs! πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦πŸ After a defeat to Serbia, the team was saved by the Americans' rout of Brazil. Now, two final matches will decide everything: against Turkey and Germany. πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡·πŸ‡©πŸ‡ͺ" date: 2026-07-20T08:38:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/salvation-from-the-usa-how-brazils-defeat-brought-the-ukrainian-national-team-back-into-the-playoff-fight tags: [ukraine-volleyball, raul-lozano, volleyball-nations-league, serbia, brazil] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Salvation from the USA: How Brazil's Defeat Brought the Ukrainian National Team Back into the Playoff Fight ![Ukraine national volleyball team players in blue and yellow uniforms with Mikasa balls, preparing for a match after dramatic rescue from Brazil’s defeat](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/20/spasenie-iz-ssha-kak-porazhenie-brazilii-vernulo-ukrainskuyu-sbornuyu-v-borbu-za-pley-off/spasenie-iz-ssha-kak-porazhenie-brazilii-vernulo-ukrainskuyu-sbornuyu-v-borbu-za-pley-off-1.webp) The Ukrainian men's volleyball national team found itself at the epicenter of incredible tournament tension. After a defeat to Serbia, which effectively sentenced the team to elimination from the playoff zone, the fate of the "blue and yellows" was decided in another hemisphere. An unexpected turn of events in the USA allowed the Ukrainians to keep their chances alive for a historic entry into the Volleyball Nations League Final Eight. ### Paradoxical Salvation In their final match, Raul Losano's charges lost to the Serbian national team with a score of 1:3. This result put a cross on the team's hopes of controlling their own destiny. However, the tournament table presented a surprise: in a match in the USA, the host team routed the Ukrainians' main rival β€” Brazil. The Americans secured a clean victory with a score of 3:0 (25:23, 25:19, 25:18). It was precisely this slip-up by the Brazilians that allowed the Ukrainian national team to hold onto sixth place in the tournament table. With an equal number of wins, the Ukrainians overtook their opponents thanks to a better set difference. Now, the strategic initiative is once again in the hands of the domestic team, but the margin for error is completely exhausted. ### Balance of Power Before the Finish The situation in the playoff zone remains maximally tense. The seven best teams of the regular season, as well as the Chinese national team, which will host the tournament, will advance to the Final Eight. Tickets to the playoffs have already been guaranteed for Japan and the USA. The remaining spots will be fought for in a fierce battle where every match will be decisive. ### Two Matches That Will Decide Everything The Ukrainian national team approached the decisive week with a strengthened roster, but now it faces two critically important tasks. To guarantee a spot in the elite tournament without relying on the results of other national teams, the team must win the two remaining games: - **July 17, 17:30. Turkey – Ukraine.** This is a head-on battle with a direct competitor who has a game in reserve. A victory over the Turks will virtually eliminate all questions about advancing to the playoffs. - **July 19, 17:30. Ukraine – Germany.** The Germans retain only mathematical chances, but playing without pressure, they can become extremely dangerous opponents. Live broadcasts of these decisive confrontations will be available on all "Suspilne Sport" platforms and local "Suspilne" TV channels. Now everything depends solely on the volleyball players themselves: a desperate struggle lies ahead where the price of a mistake is unacceptable.