The 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men's Nations League (VNL) opens with a match between the United States and Ukraine on June 11 in Brazil. This match marks Ukraine’s debut in the VNL, while the United States enters a transitional phase with a youthful roster and new leadership.
Event Information
When | Wednesday, June 11, 2025 |
Time | 12:00 PM ET |
Where | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
TV Channel | CBSSN |
Live Stream | Fubo (Try for free!) |
The U.S. team, runners-up in the 2023 VNL, is fielding a notably young squad this year. Legendary coach Karch Kiraly takes the helm for his first tournament with the men's national team, focusing on developing new talent ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
Key returning players include setter Micah Ma’a and libero Erik Shoji, but many established stars will be absent as the team experiments with emerging NCAA prospects and professionals from European leagues. The U.S. finished the 2023 VNL preliminary round with an impressive 10-2 record and a set ratio of 4.714, but expectations are tempered this year as the focus shifts to growth rather than immediate results.
Ukraine earned its VNL spot by topping the FIVB Challenger Cup and enters the tournament as the highest-ranked new team. The squad faces a steep learning curve, especially with the absence of key attacker Oleh Plotnytskyi, but veterans like Yurii Semeniuk—renowned for his blocking—bring valuable experience. Coach Ugis Krastins will rely on players such as Dmytro Tupchii to provide offensive spark, but Ukraine is widely seen as a team battling to avoid relegation in its maiden campaign.
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