Poland beats USA to win third Nations League title since 2023
Poland edged the United States 3-2 in the 2026 Volleyball Nations League final on Aug. 2, collecting their third crown since 2023. Slovenia took the bronze after a 3-1 win over Japan.
The Polish men’s volleyball team won the 2026 Nations League title on Aug. 2, defeating the United States 3-2 (25:21, 23:25, 25:27, 25:23, 15:10). This is Poland’s third success in the competition since 2023, having previously won in 2023 and 2025.
The reigning European champions, who have medalled at the last four world championships and reached the final at the Paris Olympics, had to come from behind in the deciding set. After the teams split the first four sets, Poland used a 9-2 run in the fifth to seal the victory.
Match flow
In the opening set, the Americans led early before Poland took control and wrapped it up. The second set followed the opposite script: Poland led, but the U.S. recovered from 20:21 to 23:21 and won. In the third, the U.S. came back from 18:21, while Poland let slip a 23:21 advantage in the fourth before forcing a tie-break.
Key numbers and players
The United States outscored Poland in attack points 65-59, but Poland had more blocks (12-8), aces (8-4) and fewer unforced errors (29-34). Kamil Semeniuk led the winners with 17 points, while Leon Vilfredo and Tomasz Fornal added 15 each. Semeniuk and Vilfredo each made three blocks, and Fornal recorded five aces. For the U.S., Jake Hanes and Matthew Anderson scored 21 and 20 points respectively.
Medals
Slovenia claimed their first Nations League bronze by beating Japan 3-1 (25:21, 26:28, 25:22, 25:22). In the semifinals, Poland defeated Slovenia 3-0, and the U.S. beat Japan 3-2. Poland earlier ousted Ukraine 3-1 in the quarterfinals.
