2023 in review: VNL witnesses incredible growth in fifth edition

The globe-trotting Volleyball Nations League (VNL) returned in 2023, as the sport's premier annual competition engaged fans across the globe.

With the year coming to a close, let's look back at some of the key highlights and moments from the VNL, as well as the challenger teams that have earned their place in the next edition.

VNL 2023 enjoyed venues full of fans across the pools

First-time winners emerged in both the women’s and men’s Volleyball Nations League (VNL) and Volleyball Challenger Cup (VCC) tournaments during the first half of the 2023 summer season. The Türkiye women’s and Poland men’s national teams earned historic VNL trophies, while the France women’s and Türkiye men’s sides triumphed in the VCC to qualify for the VNL 2024.

The 2023 edition of the VNL showcased incredible growth. In particular, the number of OTT subscribers grew by 43% and attendance also grew by 18% in comparison to 2022. The sponsorship value of the VNL increased by 27%, while TV viewership also increased by 13% to 630 million. The competition also enjoyed a reach of 214 million on social media.

Women’s VNL 2023

The women’s VNL saw 16 national teams compete over three competition weeks between 30 May and 2 July. The matches were hosted by Antalya in Türkiye, Nagoya in Japan, Hong Kong in China, Brasilia in Brazil, Suwon in Korea and Bangkok in Thailand. The top eight teams in the final Preliminary Phase standings – Poland, the United States, Türkiye, Brazil, China, Italy, Japan and Germany, in that order – advanced to the Finals held in a direct elimination format from 12 to 16 July in Arlington, the USA.

Türkiye celebrating their victory at the Women’s VNL 2023

Three of the quarterfinals were decided in four sets, with Poland defeating Germany, the USA beating Japan, and China eliminating Brazil. In the fourth quarterfinal, Türkiye dethroned defending titleholders Italy in straight sets. China swept its semifinal against Poland, while the Turkish team knocked out yet another previous VNL champion, three-time winners the USA, by 3-1 in the other semifinal.

In a fierce five-set battle for bronze, Poland achieved a 3-2 victory over the home team, its first-ever medal in the competition, before Türkiye mastered а 3-1 victory over China in the gold medal match. For Türkiye, it was the first VNL gold, after a 2018 silver and a 2021 bronze, while China earned its first silver, after the bronze medals from the first two editions of the competition.

High-flying Melissa Vargas during VNL 2023

Cuban-born Turkish opposite Melissa Vargas was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) and earned a spot on the Dream Team alongside setter Diao Linyu (China), outside hitters Li Yingying (China) and Martyna Lukasic (Poland), middle blockers Zehra Gunes (Türkiye) and Yuan Xinyue (China), and libero Gizem Orge (Türkiye).

Men’s VNL 2023

The men’s VNL was played in the same format as the women’s, with the six pools of the Preliminary Phase taking place in Ottawa in Canada, Nagoya in Japan, Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Orleans in France, Anaheim in the USA and Pasay City in the Philippines from 6 June to 9 July. Finals hosts Poland finished the Preliminary Phase in third place. The other seven teams that lined up in the places from first to eighth – the USA, Japan, Italy, Argentina, Brazil, Slovenia and defending champions France, in that order – also qualified for the quarterfinals.

Poland were crowned the Men’s VNL Champions 2023

In Gdansk, where the Finals were held from 19 to 23 July, France was dethroned by the USA in a five-set quarterfinal duel, while Italy, Japan and Poland also made it to the semifinals after sweeping their matches against Argentina, Slovenia and Brazil, respectively.

In the first semifinal, the home team, Poland, celebrated a four-set victory over Japan. In the second semifinal, the USA outclassed Italy in straight sets. Japan claimed its first-ever VNL medal after a 3-2 victory over Italy in the third-place match. Then Poland pleased the home crowd of over 10,000 fans with a 3-1 win over the USA in the final (pictured in the main photo). Previously, the Polish team had won one silver and two bronze in the VNL, while the American side had two silvers and one bronze to their name.

MVP-to-be Pawel Zatorski in action during the final in Gdansk

The MVP award went to Poland’s libero Pawel Zatorski. He was also honoured on the Dream Team, together with setter Micah Christenson (USA), opposite Lukasz Kaczmarek (Poland), outside hitters Aleksander Sliwka (Poland) and Yuki Ishikawa (Japan), and middle blockers David Smith (USA) and Jakub Kochanowski (Poland).

All VNL 2023 results and standings

Women’s Volleyball Challenger Cup 2023

Eight teams from all five Continental Confederations took part in the women’s VCC from 27 to 30 July in Laval, France. In the quarterfinals, the home team proved victorious against Vietnam, Ukraine outplayed Croatia in a four-set match, Sweden came back from two sets down to overcome Mexico, and Colombia booked the last semifinal spot after a 3-1 win over Kenya.

In the semifinals, France won a three-set match against Ukraine, while Sweden advanced to the final after a four-set win over Colombia.

France against Sweden in the women’s VCC 2023 final

After a 3-1 win over Ukraine, Colombia snatched the bronze, its second medal in the competition, after securing silver in 2018. France also battled through four sets to overcome Sweden in the final showdown. Outside hitter and captain Helena Cazaute and opposite Lucille Gicquel scored 25 and 23 points, respectively, towards a 3-1 victory and the trophy. For both the winners and the runners-up, it was the first VCC podium. A year before hosting the Olympic Games, the French team earned the right to compete in the VNL and test their skills against the best teams in the world ahead of Paris 2024.

Men’s Volleyball Challenger Cup 2023

While the women’s Challenger Cup was running in France, the Qatari capital Doha welcomed the men’s tournament, also played in an eight-team knockout format. In the quarterfinals, Chile and hosts Qatar mastered straight-set wins over Tunisia and Thailand, respectively, while Ukraine beat China and Türkiye beat Dominican Republic by 3-1 each. The first semifinal offered a rollercoaster five-setter, in which Türkiye defeated Ukraine, before Qatar swept the second semifinal against Chile.

Türkiye against Qatar in the men’s Volleyball Challenger Cup 2023 final

In the third-place match, Ukraine mastered a 3-0 straight-set victory over Chile and picked up the country’s first medal in the history of the competition. After that, the Turkish side had to face another five-set thriller to defeat Qatar 3-2, and triumph as VCC champions and VNL participants for the first time, after settling for silver the previous year. For runners-up Qatar, it was also the first VCC podium. Turkish opposite Adis Lagumdzija was the best scorer of the final, winning 21 points towards his team’s historic success.

All Challenger Cup 2023 results and standings