The 2026 Men's Volleyball Nations League semifinals are set.
Slovenia will take on Poland, while undefeated Japan faces the United States on Saturday, August 1, in Ningbo Beilun, China.
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The action begins with an all-European clash between Slovenia and Poland at 15:00 local time. Japan and the US follow at 19:30 local time.
Slovenia's Road to the Semifinals
Slovenia reached their fourth VNL semifinal after a 3-0 victory over Turkey on Wednesday. The set scores were 25-21, 35-33, and 39-37.
Ranked fifth in the FIVB World Ranking, Slovenia finished the preliminary phase with a 10-2 record and 26 points.
Poland's Path
Top-ranked Poland advanced by defeating Ukraine 3-1 on Thursday. The set scores were 25-22, 22-25, 25-20, and 25-17.
The defending champions won the tournament in 2023 and 2025. They finished second in the preliminary standings with a 10-2 record and 29 points.
Slovenia and Poland have split their 18 official meetings over the past 12 years, with nine wins each.
Slovenia won their most recent encounter 3-2 during the first week of this year's VNL in Linyi, China.
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Japan's Perfect Record
Japan enters the semifinals as the top seed after completing a 12-0 preliminary phase.
They eliminated hosts China 3-1 on Wednesday, dropping the opening set before rallying to win 23-25, 25-23, 25-16, and 25-23.
The fourth-ranked team has been dominant throughout the tournament.
USA's Semifinal Appearance
The United States advanced to the semifinals for the fifth time after a 3-0 shutout of Italy on Thursday.
The set scores were 25-22, 25-21, and 25-21.
The Americans finished the preliminary phase in fifth place with an 8-4 record and 25 points.
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The US holds a 38-12 head-to-head advantage over Japan in 50 major world-level meetings. However, Japan won their previous encounter 3-2 on June 27 in Orleans, France.
