With the certainty that the group distribution An arduous path to the final awaits, the Cuban men’s team learned this Friday the order of their qualifying matches in the Nations League of Volleyball (VNL, for its acronym in English), which begins facing Poland, the current leader in the world ranking.
The premiere, which will mark the start of the entire tournament, was scheduled for June 10 in the city of Linyi, China, hours before the current Olympic champion France clashes against the Italian team, winner of the most recent Olympic tournament, in Ottawa, Canada. universal contest.
The countdown is on! All matches for #VNL2026 are now published!
Time to plan your season and cheer for your favorites
️ Check out the full schedule on https://t.co/vuPE5Va7sq
#VNL #BePartOfTheGame #Volleyball pic.twitter.com/GE2xVbQ4lZ
— Volleyball World (@volleyballworld) February 6, 2026
According to the information disclosed on the website of the international federation, in the same Chinese city those led by Jesús Cruz will enjoy a day off before facing the Ukrainian team on June 11.
Their actions will continue on successive days before closing their presentations agreed for the opening week of the tournament, with Slovenians and hosts as opponents, in that order.
The island’s squad will return to the ring between June 24 and 28 in French territory, specifically in the town of Orleans, where another rough route awaits. There, they will begin the second round with the Americans on the other side of the net, then they will successively face locals and Serbs, and after the break they will close the journey against Iran.
The demands will not diminish in the closing section, which will force Cubans to return to Asia. The city of Kanzai, in Japan, will receive them for the defining moment, in the event that they get there with options to repeat the advance to the final, achieved a year ago.
The Belgian team will then be the first obstacle, on July 15. After the mandatory stop on the next date, the clashes against Argentines, Canadians and Japanese will take place.
Chance for redemption
The fact that the Cuban cast has managed to be included among the finalists of the last version sets the bar very high for the new foray.
Without a doubt, the first clash against the Poles could be a good gauge to appreciate the expected evolution, even if it is a clash that they arrived at with little collective training.
Cuba surprises Poland with an epic victory in the Volleyball Nations League
Fate will once again put him in front of the squad that has Wilfredo León from Santiago as one of its leaders, and against which he produced one of the best performances in the last version to win the preliminary phase, after four fierce sets, in his own backyard.
It remains to be seen, when the time comes, how the composition of the group ends up, according to the availability of players and the state of form of the main figures, on which the expected result depends a lot.
The other unknown to be resolved in this equation will be the decision made by the Cuban federation, taking into account that the final of the tournament will coincide in time with the tournament of the Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo 2026, which will presumably force the formation of two teams.
