Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2023 - Men's Finals in Gdansk, Poland: Preview, competition schedule, and how to watch live action

The 2023 Men’s Volleyball Nations League (VNL) will determine the fifth winner of the competition when the finals are played in Gdansk, Poland from 19 to 23 July.

Hosts and world number one, Poland, are one of the eight top teams that qualified from the preliminary phase, where 16 nations competed to reach the knockout stage.

The United States claimed first place in the group stages ahead of Japan and Poland, all of whom won ten out of 12 games.

Reigning world and European champions Italy, Argentina, Brazil, Slovenia and France have also qualified for the final eight.

Read on to find everything you need to know about the quarter-finals at the men’s Volleyball Nations League 2023.

Schedule Men’s Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2023 Finals

All times are in CEST.

19 July - Quarter-finals

United States vs France 17:00

Italy vs Argentina 20:00

20 July - Quarter-finals

Japan vs Slovenia 17:00

Poland vs Brazil 20:00

22 July - Semi-finals

United States/France/Italy/Argentina 17:00

Japan/Slovenia/Poland/Brazil 20:00

23 July - Medal matches

Final 3-4 for bronze - 17:00

Final 1-2 for gold and silver - 20:00

Men’s VNL 2023 Final 8 - Teams

United States (#1): The Americans were one of the teams with ten victories in the preliminary round, and the team took first place in the preliminary round by 31 points. They lost the final to France last year, so they will be eager to avenge the loss, when they face each other already in the quarter-finals.

Japan (#2): The nine-time Asian champions have advanced to the quarter-finals for the second year in a row, as they finished second in the group stage. Last year they suffered a loss to France that later went on to win the tournament. To improve last year’s result, they need to get pass Slovenia first.

Poland (#3): After claiming a medal at the past three editions, Poland are looking to finally claim the gold medal, when they play on home soil. The three-time world champions are ranked first in the FIVB world ranking, and Nikola Grbić men will do everything they can to take gold in front of the home crowd.

Italy (#4): The seven-time European champions have yet to win a medal at the VNL with fourth place being their best result. The Italians lost to their quarter-final opponent Argentina in the group stage, but they are on a run of four consecutive victories. As reigning world and European champions, they are among the favourites to add another title.

Argentina (#5): Tokyo 2020 bronze medallists are facing tough opposition in the quarter-final, where Italy awaits. But they have already proved they can beat the world champions, and just like the Italians, they have won the last four matches.

Brazil (#6): Three-time Olympic champions are facing the hosts Poland, and they have the upper hand, as they defeated Brazil in the group stage. However, Brazil beat Poland in the VNL final two years, and they have reached the semi-finals in three out of the four VNL editions.

Slovenia (#7): Semi-finalists of the 2021 VNL are up against Japan in their second appearance at the knockout stage. In the preliminary round, they won eight out of 12 games.

France (#8): Defending VNL and Olympic champions took the last slot at the VNL Finals. They faced each other in the group stage, where the United States were victorious.

History of the Men's Volleyball Nations League (VNL)

The Volleyball Men's Nations League is a tournament organised by FIVB witt the first edition taking place in 2018.

It replaced the World League that ran from 1990 to 2017.

Here is the summary of the Men’s Volleyball Men's Nations League results:

• Russia: 2 golds
• France: 1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze
• Brazil: 1 gold
• United States: 2 silver, 1 gold
• Poland: 1 silver, 2 bronze

How to watch the Men’s Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2023 Finals

All the matches of the 2023 Men's VNL Finals will be streamed live on VBTV.