FIVB Statement on Participating Teams at VNL 2021

The FIVB today announced that the Netherlands men’s national volleyball team will replace the China men’s national volleyball team in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2021, which will be held in a secure bubble in Rimini, Italy.

The FIVB respects the decision of the China Volleyball Association (CVA) to withdraw its national men’s team from this year’s edition of the VNL due to financial limitations and travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the CVA has expressed concerns over being able to field a team for the VNL due to the 14-day entry quarantine policy in China and a scheduling clash with the National Games of China.

As per the criteria for the selection of the original core VNL teams, the Netherlands has been invited to compete in the competition due to the team’s sporting excellence and the commercial potential of volleyball in the country.

The FIVB last week announced that, due to the cancellation of the Volleyball Challenger Cup 2021, the promotion and relegation system of the VNL is frozen for the 2021 season. As such, all 16 teams participating in the VNL 2021 will also compete in the 2022 edition.

In the meantime, the FIVB will continue to work closely with the Italian authorities and RCS Sports and Events on organising a safe and secure VNL 2021 which brings together the world’s best teams and delivers incredible volleyball action to hundreds of millions of fans worldwide.