Belgium will play in the men’s Volleyball Nations League for the first time next year. Their national federation officially confirmed their participation after earning that right as the highest standing team in the men’s FIVB Volleyball World Ranking at the end of VNL 2025, not qualified yet. This way, Belgium will have both their women’s and men’s national teams compete in the world’s most prestigious annual volleyball competition, after the ladies’ squad returned to the VNL this season.
For edition 2026, Belgium will take over the spot vacated by their European neighbors Netherlands, who finished bottom of the final VNL 2025 standings and got relegated.
Belgium are currently ranked 17th in the world on a score of 183.24, slightly higher than that of the closest contender Finland, who stand 18th on 178.94 after winning the 2025 CEV Volleyball European Golden League.
The Red Dragons were already the highest ranked non-VNL team at the end of the 2024 season, about 20 points clear of the next candidate Czechia. Belgium did not participate in the European League this year and kept their score intact, but it was Finland that got dangerously close in the ranking, earning almost 21 points in their successful continental campaign. The Finns stumbled only once in the European League, in a home game against Greece, but that loss actually cost them a spot in next year’s VNL and played in favor of Belgium’s candidacy.
Head-coached by Italian trainer Emanuele Zanini and starring the likes of Sam Deroo, Ferre Reggers, Stijn D’Hulst, Mathijs Desmet and Wout D’Heer, Belgium are about to play a couple of EuroVolley 2026 qualification matches this month, and then, next month, they will take part in the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship, serving off on September 12 in the Philippines.