The VNL 2024 match schedule is released

2024.01.21

The Volleyball Nations League 2024 match schedule has been released, and the 16 men’s and women’s national teams competing in the sixth edition of the competition now know when and against whom their campaigns will begin.

The VNL 2024 will go from May 14 to June 30, with 104 matches in each gender taking place across nine different countries in what is going to be the last major international tournament before the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The women’s teams of Bulgaria and the Netherlands will play each other in the VNL 2024 opener on May 14 at 17:00 local time (14:00 GMT) in Antalya, Turkey. Three hours before the defending champions Türkiye and MVP Melissa Vargas begin their championship defense against Asian superpower Japan, France will play their first-ever VNL match against Germany at 17:00 local time (14:00 GMT) on the following day in the Turkish capital.

Olympic silver medallists from Tokyo Brazil will host seven national teams at the renowned Maracanãzinho in Rio de Janeiro during the first week of the 2024 VNL. Notable players like Gabriela “Gabi” Guimaraes and Thaisa Menezes will be in charge of the matches, which will be tough. On May 17, at 21:00 local time (00:00 GTM), Brazil will play host to Olympic champions the United States, and on May 18, at 10:00 local time (13:00 GMT), it will play host to reigning world champions Serbia.

The women’s second week of competition will be place in Arlington, Texas, and Macau, China. The much awaited continental match between Thailand and China will take place in the Asian city on June 1 at 19:30 local time (11:30 GMT), and fans in the American city will witness the match between USA and Türkiye on June 2 at 15:00 local time (20:00 GMT).

The women’s preliminary phase will conclude in Asia, with matches held in Japan and Hong Kong, China. Italy, under the leadership of new coach Julio Velasco, is still aiming to qualify for the Olympics in Paris. On June 16, they play a crucial match against Serbia, managed by Tijana Boskovic, in Japan. The highly anticipated fight in Hong Kong is scheduled for the same day at 17:00 local time (9:00 GMT) and will pit Brazil against Turkey.

France will play in the first men’s match.

The men’s VNL 2024 will begin with an all-European fight between Earvin Ngapeth and his colleagues and Bulgaria. The match will take place in Antalya on May 21 at 17:00 local time (14:00 GMT), with Olympic winners France taking the court. The hosts, Türkiye, will kick off their inaugural VNL campaign against Canada in three hours. The defending champions Poland will also make their court debut in Antalya when they take against the United States on May 22 at 20:00 local time (17:00 GMT).

The men will also play in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, during the first week of the competition. On May 26, at 10:00 local time (13:00 GMT), captain Bruno Rezende and his countrymen will play Italy in a rematch of the Volleyball Olympic Qualifying Tournament match from the previous year, which qualified the South Americans for the Paris Games.

The men’s second week of competition will be welcomed in Ottawa, Canada, and Japan. On June 4, the opening day of competition, the Asians, led by captain Yuki Ishikawa, will take on continental rivals Iran at 19:20 local time (10:20 GMT). The Asians earned their first-ever VNL medal last year, bringing home the bronze. When France and Italy play on June 5 at 20:00 local time (00:00 June 6, GMT), it should be one of the most thrilling games in Canada.

Following their huge success in 2023, the Philippines will host a pool once more this year. Japan vs. USA is one among the matches that will take place in Manila on June 23 at 19:00 local time (11:00 GMT). In 2024, the match between the home side and Italy will take place in the capital city of Slovenia, Ljubljana, on June 22, at 20:30 local time (18:30 GMT).

The final national teams who will be eligible to compete in the Olympics in Paris will also be decided in large part by the VNL 2024. The FIVB Volleyball World Rankings, which determine which teams will compete in the last five slots at this year’s Games, will be influenced by the outcomes of each match in the tournament’s preliminary round.

@charith