Alan Nine
Across the last 24 hours covered by Volleyball.it, the agenda moved from finals week to the first concrete outlines of the new club season. The main focus was the arrival of the VNL Finals in Macao, where Italy will open the women’s knockout phase against the Netherlands. At the same time, the men’s bracket for Ningbo was completed, the new Serie A1 Femminile calendar was detailed, and the late July 20 news flow added transfer, international and domestic club developments.
Women's VNL Finals
Italy will face the Netherlands on Wednesday, July 22 at 10:00 a.m. Italian time in the quarterfinals of the women’s Volleyball Nations League Finals at the East Asian Games Dome in Macao. Volleyball.it reported that the match will be shown on DAZN and VBTV, with the winner moving on to meet whoever comes through the other quarterfinal between Brazil and Japan, scheduled later the same day at 1:30 p.m. Italian time.
The site noted that Italy entered the finals as the No. 2 seed after the intercontinental phase and will meet a Dutch side that finished seventh. The Azzurre had already beaten the Netherlands 3-0 during the opening week in Brasilia. Volleyball.it also framed the event as Italy’s fifth straight appearance in the Finals, following the 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 editions, with Julio Velasco and captain Anna Danesi stressing the need to think only about the opening match rather than recent titles. Italy are defending champions after winning in Bangkok in 2024 and confirming the title in Lodz in 2025.
Men's VNL Finals
The men’s Final Eight picture is now complete as well. Volleyball.it reported that Italy, fourth at the end of the round robin with eight wins and 26 points, will meet the United States in the quarterfinals in Ningbo on July 29-30. The other quarterfinals will pair Japan against China, Slovenia against Turkey, and Poland against Ukraine.
The final standings carried two historic notes highlighted by Volleyball.it. Turkey and Ukraine both reached the Finals for the first time, while Brazil and France were left out. In the late July 20 international roundup, Volleyball.it added that Turkey sealed its place by beating Iran 3-1, finishing sixth with eight wins and 22 points, while Ukraine defeated Germany 3-1 and then benefited from France’s victory over Bulgaria. The same roundup also underlined that Brazil’s elimination has already pushed the team toward a recovery plan built around training in Saquarema, friendlies in Japan, the Coppa Fipav Elite in Italy and two matches against France in Paris.
Italian Club Calendar
The first firm coordinates of the new domestic season also arrived. Volleyball.it reported that the Serie A1 Femminile 2026-27 regular season will start on the weekend of October 3-4 and end on March 13-14. The calendar reduces weekday rounds to three dates, set for October 21, November 11 and December 9, and includes a long break from December 26-27 to January 6.
Further competition details were also outlined. The Supercoppa between Conegliano and Scandicci is scheduled for the weekend of October 24-25. The Coppa Italia Frecciarossa will begin with quarterfinals on December 23 and conclude with the Final Four on February 13-14. Volleyball.it also reported that each round will have four or five matches available free to watch, with coverage split between Rai Sport and social channels from the league, clubs and players, while full coverage remains on DAZN.
International and Market Notes
The late July 20 news package collected several additional items. Volleyball.it reported that Vita Akimova has joined Galatasaray Daikin for the 2026-27 season after her spell with Numia Vero Volley Milano. In Brazil, Osasco chose Marcelle as libero after Camila Brait, also adding middle blocker Lays, while Sesc RJ Flamengo signed Serbian middle Minja Osmajic after the knee injury suffered by Masa Kirov.
On the Italian club side, Negrini CTE Acqui Terme confirmed coach Simone Serafini for a renewed project in Serie A3, while Sir Susa Vim Perugia fixed August 12 as the start date for preseason work with a group still shaped by national-team commitments. Volleyball.it also reported that the storm between Saturday and Sunday night caused fresh flooding at the Porto Viro arena, prompting Delta Volley Porto Viro to call again for a structural solution to the problem.
