Germany handed Brazil their first defeat of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2026 Preliminary Phase on Sunday, coming out on top in a five-set thriller in Ankara to close the second week of matches. The result ended Brazil’s unbeaten start and triggered a change at the top of the standings, with the United States moving into first place on set ratio.
For Germany, the win was a significant response after a five-set loss to hosts Türkiye on Saturday. This time, the Europeans “finished strong” and avoided a second straight reverse sweep, improving their position in the race for a place in the VNL Finals. Germany moved to 11 points with three wins, remaining 11th in the table but gaining ground in the chase for the knockout spots.
The upset also had ranking implications beyond the VNL table. Germany were rewarded with 13.27 ranking points, enough to lift them into the top ten and up to ninth place, while Brazil dropped the same amount but stayed second.
Germany’s outside hitters lead the way as Brazil fall for first time
Germany’s outside hitter duo proved pivotal in the five-set victory. Pia Timmer led the team with 16 points, producing 15 kills and one ace, while Romy-Aylin Jatzko added 14 points with ten kills and four blocks.
“It was really special,” Timmer said after the match. “It was a team effort all around. I’m very proud of everyone who came in. We deserved it, and we rewarded ourselves. Last night was bittersweet, so it felt even more rewarding. Now we just need to keep believing in ourselves and that we can beat teams like this. This has to be our mindset.”
Brazil still had the match’s leading scorers, both from the outside hitter position. Ana Cristina Souza finished with 21 points, tallying 18 kills, two aces and one block. Helena Wenk came off the bench and matched that output with 21 points, all from kills.
“It’s tough to have our first loss, but it’s important that it happened now and not in the Finals,” Ana Cristina said. “We know we have to improve, and we’ll use the next weeks to fix what didn’t work so well and get even better at what did work. Unfortunately, we lost the fifth set today, but this match showed that when we play together and help each other, we can come back from any situation.”
The result left the United States and Brazil level on seven wins and 20 points, with the Americans taking over first place due to a better set ratio.
Germany’s win was one of six five-set matches on the final day of Week 2 across the three host cities, underlining how tight the VNL field remains as teams push for one of the seven available Finals spots (with China already qualified as host of the Finals).
Earlier in Ankara, Belgium overcame France in another five-set match. Middle blocker Britt Fransen led Belgium with 18 points (11 kills, seven blocks). Outside hitter Britt Herbots scored 15 points (14 kills, one block) and reached 1,328 career VNL points, tying Ebrar Karakurt as the competition’s all-time leading scorer.
Also in Türkiye’s capital, hosts Türkiye defeated China in five sets. Opposite Melissa Vargas delivered a standout 36-point performance with 29 kills, four aces and three blocks. China’s captain and opposite Gong Xiangyu led her side with 22 points (20 kills, two aces) in the 100th VNL match of her career.
In Pasig City, the Philippines, the United States beat Serbia to complete a perfect 4–0 second week and move to the top of the standings. Outside hitter Avery Skinner led the Americans with 18 points (16 kills, one block, one ace), matching the 18-point output of Serbia’s Nina Čajić (15 kills, two blocks, one ace).
Italy then won a direct duel for third place against Japan, pushing the Asians down to fifth. Ekaterina Antropova contributed a match-high 17 points (15 kills, one block, one ace) for the defending champions, while Mayu Ishikawa led Japan with 12 points, all from kills.
The Philippines tripleheader ended with Czechia completing a reverse sweep against the Dominican Republic. Opposite Monika Brancuska starred with 28 points (23 kills, three blocks, two aces), while Flormarie Heredia scored 17 (15 kills, two blocks) for the Dominican Republic.
In Bangkok, Canada delivered a major upset by defeating Poland behind 26 points from opposite Kiera Van Ryk (20 kills, four aces, two blocks), moving Canada up to seventh while Poland sat fourth. Bulgaria also won a five-set match against Ukraine, with Merelin Nikolova leading Bulgaria on 16 points (15 kills, one ace) and Ukraine’s Anna Artyshuk (22) and Oleksandra Milenko (20) both reaching 20-plus. The final match of the week saw the Netherlands sweep hosts Thailand, led by Jolien Knollema’s 19 points (18 kills, one block), in a match that marked Thai libero Piyanut Pannoy’s 100th VNL appearance.
Week 3 locations set as Finals race stays wide open
The VNL 2026 Preliminary Phase continues with its third and final week from July 8–12, with matches scheduled in Hong Kong, China; Osaka, Japan; and Belgrade, Serbia. The Chinese pool will include China, Belgium, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Italy and Ukraine. In Osaka, hosts Japan will be joined by Brazil, Poland, Thailand, Türkiye and the United States. In Belgrade, hosts Serbia will face Bulgaria, Czechia, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.
With the standings tight and only China already assured of a Finals place as host, Germany’s five-set win over Brazil stands out as one of Week 2’s most consequential results, both for the top of the table and for Germany’s push to stay in contention.
