FIVB Volleyball Men's Nations League
Current season, competition or edition: 2021 FIVB Volleyball Men's Nations League | |
 VNL | |
| Sport | Volleyball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2017 |
| Inaugural season | 2018 |
| CEO | Ary Graça |
| No. of teams | 16 |
| Continent | International (FIVB) |
| Most recent champion(s) |  Brazil (1st title) |
| Most titles |  Russia (2 titles) |
| Official website | Volleyball Nations League |
The FIVB Volleyball Men's Nations League is an international volleyball competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), the sport's global governing body. The first tournament took place between May and July 2018, with the final taking place in Lille, France.[1] Russia won the inaugural edition, defeating France in the final.
In July 2018, the FIVB announced that USA would host the next three editions of the men's Volleyball Nations League Finals, from 2019–2021.[2] However, it was canceled due to a clash with the U.S. Independence Day (for USA 2020 Hosting).[3] The FIVB then confirmed Turin, Italy as the new host of the final stage of 2020 VNL,[4] but on March 13, 2020 the FIVB decided to postpone the Nations League until after the 2020 Summer Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] Finally, the FIVB canceled the 2020 edition and confirmed Italy as the host of the final stage of the 2021 VNL.
The creation of the tournament was announced in October 2017 as a joint project between the FIVB, the IMG and 21 national federations.[6] The Nations League replaced the World League, a former annual men's international event that ran between 1990 and 2017.
A corresponding tournament for women's national teams is the FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League.
History[]
Adoption[]
In June 2017, Argentinian website Voley Plus reported that the FIVB would drastically change the format for both the 2018 World League and World Grand Prix. According to the reports, starting from 2018, the World League and the World Grand Prix would have only one Group (no more Groups 1, 2 and 3) of 16 national teams.[7][8]
In October 2017, the FIVB announced, via a press release, the creation of the men's and women's Volleyball Nations League, confirming the tournaments as a replacement for the World League and World Grand Prix.[6]
According to the press release, the goal of the tournament would be to revolutionize volleyball competitions, making it one of the most important events in the history of the sport, presenting volleyball in a way that has never been experienced before, building on the innovative sports presentation on display at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and bringing the action closer to fans around the world. By pushing the boundaries of technology, innovation and digital broadcasting, spectators at home would witness new and diverse angles, showcasing the world class athleticism of each nation's best players.[6]
For the very first time, the FIVB, in collaboration with the sports marketing company IMG, would take complete control of content production, maximizing quality and promoting a compelling on-court narrative, easier for fans to engage with and understand.[6][9]
Marketing[]
The International Volleyball Federation has partnered with global brand strategy and design firm Landor Associates to create the Volleyball Nations League branding. Landor has also contributed with in-stadium and on-screen television graphics, staff uniforms, designs for the World Volleyball app, medals and the winning trophy.[10][11]
Digital[]
Microsoft, the multinational technology company, has signed an agreement with the FIVB that the international federation vows will change the way the sport of volleyball is consumed while heightening the fan experience during match days as well as in the digital space.[12] Under the tie-up, the ‘Microsoft Sports Digital Platform’ has been created to create new digital services and deliver personalised content on demand in order to boost the FIVB global audience and improve fan engagement.[13][14]
Prize money[]
According to the FIVB, the prize money is equal for both the men's and women's VNL as per the FIVB's gender equality policy.[citation needed] At the preliminary round, the winning team is awarded US$9,000 for every win and the losing team is awarded US$4,000. The winner of the whole competition will receive US$1,000,000. The runner up will receive US$500,000, while the prize money given to third place is US$300,000. The players selected into Dream Team will receive US$10,000 each while the MVP will be given US$30,000.[15]
Market performance[]
The FIVB announced that the 2019 Volleyball Nations League (both men's and women's) attracted a cumulative global audience of more than 1.5 billion. This number was an increase of 200 million from the 2018 VNL. In total. more than 600,000 tickets were sold in the 2019 VNL.[16]
Format[]
As in the former World League, the competition will be divided in two phases, albeit with changes in the competition formula: a preliminary round, with a system of rotating host cities, and a final round played in a pre-selected host city.
The preliminary round is held over five weeks, versus three in the World League. Each week, the participating teams are organized in pools, and each team plays one match against all other teams in its pool. All games in a pool take place over a weekend in the same city.
When all matches of the preliminary round have been played, the top five teams in the overall standings qualify for the final round, and the remaining ones leave the competition. The host nation automatically qualifies for the final round.[17]
16 national teams will compete in the inaugural edition of the tournament; 12 core teams, which are always qualified, and 4 challenger teams, which can face relegation.[17]
Preliminary round[]
The 16 teams compete in round-robin tournament, with every core team hosting a pool al least once. The teams are divided into 4 pools of 4 teams in each week and compete five weeks long, with a total of 120 matches. The top five teams after the round-robin tournament join the hosts in the final round.[17] The relegation will consider the four challenger teams and the last ranked challenger team will be excluded from the next edition. The winners of the Challenger Cup would qualify for the next edition as a challenger team.[18][19]
Final round[]
The six qualified teams play in 2 pools of 3 teams in a round-robin format. The top 2 teams of each pool qualify for the semifinals. The first ranked teams play against the second ranked teams in this round. The winners of the semifinals advance to compete for the Nations League title.[17]
Challenger Cup[]
The FIVB Volleyball Challenger Cup will be a competition for national teams which will run in concurrence with the Volleyball Nations League. The Challenger Cup will consist of teams not participating in the current edition of the Volleyball Nations League and will feature one host team and five teams from the five continental confederations as follows:[18]
| Confederation | Slots |
|---|---|
| AVC (Asia) | 0 or 1 (intercontinental playoff with CSV representative) |
| CAVB (Africa) | 1 |
| CSV (South America) | 0 or 1 (intercontinental playoff with AVC representative) |
| CEV (Europe) | 2 |
| NORCECA (North America) | 1 |
| Total | 6 (5+H) |
The Continental Confederations, responsible for determining the teams that will qualify for the FIVB Challenger Cup, are free to organise their Continental Qualification Tournament or use an existing competition to define the qualified team(s).
The FIVB Challenger Cup will be held before the FIVB Volleyball Nations League Finals and the winners will qualify for the next year's VNL as a challenger team.[18]
Hosts[]
List of hosts by number of final round championships hosted.
| Times hosted | Hosts | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 |  United States |
2019, |
| 1 |  France |
2018 |
 Italy |
2021 |
Appearance[]
| Team | Preliminary Round | Final Round | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App. | First | Last | App. | First | Last | |
 Argentina |
3 | 2018 | 2021 | – | – | – |
 Australia |
3 | 2018 | 2021 | – | – | – |
| Brazil |
3 | 2018 | 2021 | 3 | 2018 | 2021 |
 Bulgaria |
3 | 2018 | 2021 | – | – | – |
 Canada |
3 | 2018 | 2021 | – | – | – |
 China |
2 | 2018 | 2019 | – | – | – |
| France |
3 | 2018 | 2021 | 3 | 2018 | 2021 |
 Germany |
3 | 2018 | 2021 | – | – | – |
 Iran |
3 | 2018 | 2021 | 1 | 2019 | 2019 |
| Italy |
3 | 2018 | 2021 | – | – | – |
 Japan |
3 | 2018 | 2021 | – | – | – |
 Netherlands |
1 | 2021 | 2021 | – | – | – |
 Poland |
3 | 2018 | 2021 | 3 | 2018 | 2021 |
 Portugal |
1 | 2019 | 2019 | – | – | – |
| Russia |
3 | 2018 | 2021 | 2 | 2018 | 2019 |
 Serbia |
3 | 2018 | 2021 | 1 | 2018 | 2018 |
 Slovenia |
1 | 2021 | 2021 | 1 | 2021 | 2021 |
 South Korea |
1 | 2018 | 2018 | – | – | – |
| United States |
3 | 2018 | 2021 | 2 | 2018 | 2019 |
- Table current through the end of 2021 edition
Results summary[]
| Year | Final host | Final | 3rd place match | Teams PR / FR | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions | Score | Runners-up | 3rd place | Score | 4th place | ||||||
| 2018 | Lille |
 Russia |
3–0 |  France |
 United States |
3–0 |  Brazil |
16 / 6 | |||
| 2019 | Chicago |
Russia |
3–1 | United States |
 Poland |
3–0 | Brazil |
16 / 6 | |||
| 2020 | Originally scheduled to be held in Turin, Italy, canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic. | ||||||||||
| 2021 | Rimini |
Brazil |
3–1 | Poland |
France |
3–0 |  Slovenia |
16 / 4 | |||
Medals summary[]
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | Brazil | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | France | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Poland | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| United States | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Totals (5 nations) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | |
MVP by edition[]
- 2018 –
Maxim Mikhaylov (RUS) - 2019 –
Matt Anderson (USA) - 2021 –
Wallace de Souza (BRA) and 
Bartosz Kurek (POL)
Team performances by season[]
- 1st – Champions
- 2nd – Runners-up
- 3rd – Third place
- 4th – Fourth place
– No movement for Challenger teams
– Relegated for Challenger teams
| Team | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | FR | RK | G | FR | RK | G | FR | RK | |
| Argentina |
C | L | 14 | C | L | 7 | C | L | 9 |
| Australia |
CH  |
L | 13 | CH |
L | 13 | CH | L | 16 |
| Brazil |
C | F | 4 | C | F | 4 | C | F | 1 |
| Bulgaria |
CH |
L | 11 | CH |
L | 12 | CH | L | 15 |
| Canada |
CH |
L | 7 | CH |
L | 9 | CH | L | 8 |
| China |
C | L | 15 | C | L | 16 | did not participate | ||
| France |
C | F | 2 | C | F | 6 | C | F | 3 |
| Germany |
C | L | 9 | C | L | 14 | C | L | 13 |
| Iran |
C | L | 10 | C | F | 5 | C | L | 12 |
| Italy |
C | L | 8 | C | L | 8 | C | L | 10 |
| Japan |
C | L | 12 | C | L | 10 | C | L | 11 |
| Netherlands |
did not participate | C | L | 14 | |||||
| Poland |
C | F | 5 | C | F | 3 | C | F | 2 |
| Portugal |
VCC  |
CH  |
L | 15 | VCC (canceled) | ||||
| Russia |
C | F | 1 | C | F | 1 | C | L | 5 |
| Serbia |
C | F | 5 | C | L | 11 | C | L | 6 |
| Slovenia |
VCC | VCC |
CH | F | 4 | ||||
| South Korea |
CH |
L | 16 | VCC (withdrew) | VCC (canceled) | ||||
| United States |
C | F | 3 | C | F | 2 | C | L | 7 |
See also[]
- FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League
- FIVB Volleyball World League
- FIVB Volleyball Men's Challenger Cup
- List of Indoor Volleyball World Medalists
References[]
- ^ Men's VNL squads at your fingertips - Get them now
- ^ "USA to host next three editions of Men's FIVB Volleyball Nations League Finals". FIVB. 8 July 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
- ^ "VNL2020 - News detail - FIVB opens bidding process for 2020 VNL Men's Finals - Volleyball Nations League 2020". www.volleyball.world. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- ^ "News - Turin confirmed to host the 2020 men's VNL Finals". www.fivb.com. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
- ^ "FIVB announces changes to events calendar". FIVB. March 13, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "FIVB announces the Volleyball Nations League". FIVB.org. 12 October 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ "FIVB drastically changes format for 2018 World League and Grand Prix, Italy remain member of elite!". WorldofVolley. 19 June 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ "¡Qué bombazo!: La World League y el Grand Prix van a cambiar y Argentina será beneficiada" (in Spanish). Voley Plus. 16 June 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ IMG helps set up new OTT platform for FIVB
- ^ "Landor partners with FIVB to launch Volleyball Nations League". Landor Associates. 7 May 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ "Landor partners with FIVB for Volleyball Nations League". FIVB. 7 May 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ "FIVB Partners with Microsoft, Changing the Way Fans Consume Volleyball". Around the Rings (ATR). 15 May 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
- ^ {{cite web|url=FIVB teams up with Microsoft on digital platform - Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF)]
- ^ Volleyballworld.tv
- ^ "FIVB reveals prize money for 2018 Volleyball Nations League". wov.its4test.com. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
- ^ "VNL2019 - News detail - 1.5 billion global audience tune in to watch 2019 VNL - FIVB Volleyball Nations League 2019". www.volleyball.world. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Pools overview released for thrilling inaugural season of VNL". FIVB.org. 16 February 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Six teams line up for Volleyball Challenger Cup and one open berth in 2019 Men's VNL". FIVB.org. 19 June 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
- ^ Events: Fivb Volleyball Nations League | Sears Centre Arena
External links[]
- Fédération Internationale de Volleyball – official website
- Volleyball Nations League – official website
- FIVB Volleyball Men's Nations League
- Recurring sporting events established in 2018
- International men's volleyball competitions
- Annual sporting events