Alan Nine
International
OTTAWA / VNL MEN - Italy prepared to open its men’s Volleyball Nations League 2026 campaign in Ottawa against France, the first step in a Canadian week that will include four matches in six days. Head coach Ferdinando De Giorgi set the tone before the debut, making clear that the Azzurri’s objective is to reach the finals rather than treat the opening leg as an isolated test.
The build-up to the opener also focused on leadership inside the group. Mattia Bottolo was named captain for the Ottawa leg, with Italy ready to begin its path against the Olympic champions from France. The match was presented as the first real measure of the men’s national team in this VNL cycle, with Ottawa marking the start of a six-day stretch that will shape the initial international balance.
Elsewhere on the men’s VNL front, Brazil had to adjust before the first stage. Lukas Bergmann (photo) was ruled out of the opening week in Brasilia because of a spinal problem, leaving coach Bernardinho without one of his outside hitters for the first leg of the competition. The absence became one of the clearest early-tournament notes from the international scene, underlining how roster management is already affecting several national teams before the event settles into rhythm.
VNL Women
A broader structural theme also emerged from the women’s VNL. The FIVB introduced a measure that recognizes a contribution for national teams that include female coaches in their technical staffs during the Volleyball Nations League. In the opening week of VNL 2026, 13 national teams already have a woman on the bench or within the staff structure.
The issue was framed not as a symbolic footnote, but as a concrete policy signal from the federation. The example highlighted was Fofao (photo), a historic figure now seen on the Brazilian bench, reinforcing how the women’s game is also being discussed through staff composition and institutional choices, not only through match results. That made the women’s VNL one of the day’s most distinctive editorial topics.
Italian Transfer News
PERUGIA / RAVENNA - On the domestic market, Sir Susa Vim Perugia confirmed the stay of Argentine middle blocker Agustín Loser (photo). The move represented official continuity after two seasons filled with trophies, with the player extending his link with the Block Devils ahead of the next campaign. In a transfer window defined by frequent movement, Perugia’s news stood out because it was about consolidation at the highest level rather than a new arrival.
Consar Ravenna also moved through continuity, announcing five confirmations for the roster that will face its fifth consecutive A2 season. The emphasis here was less on a single headline name and more on the choice to secure an initial core early, a useful contrast with the more aggressive transfer stories that have dominated recent days on the Italian market pages.
Italian Leagues
A2 MEN - The league picture pointed to a changing A2 Credem Banca 2026/27 map, with six changes among the 14 teams. Catania and Aversa were moving toward transfer, two promoted clubs were entering the division and two substitutions were reshaping the field, while Taranto and Sorrento leave the championship picture. In parallel, the deadline for applications as reserve club for the next A2 season closed with only Pallavolo Belluno filing its request.
Another league-side item came from Domotek Volley, which was received at the regional headquarters after winning the Coppa, the Supercoppa and promotion to A2. The visit included praise from regional sports official Eulalia Micheli, who also signalled attention to sporting facilities. It was a different kind of story from the transfer market, but still part of the same domestic picture: recognition for results already achieved, while clubs and institutions prepare for the next competitive cycle.
Territorial Volleyball
One of the day’s Italian federation-related results came from the AeQuilibrium Trofeo dei Territori Lombardia 2026. In Val Seriana, the territorial committee of Milano-Monza-Lecco won both the women’s and men’s tournaments, closing the event with a double success. The result added a youth-and-territory angle alongside the international calendar and the professional market, rounding out a day led by VNL storylines but still rooted in the wider structure of Italian volleyball.
