Turkish volleyball is experiencing a milestone summer in 2026. Both the Turkish Women's National Volleyball Team, "Sultans of the Net," and the Turkish Men's National Volleyball Team, "Efeler," have advanced to the finals stage of the 2026 FIVB Volleyball Nations League (VNL) in the same calendar year — a first in Turkish volleyball history, and a clear sign of the sustained progress both programs have made in recent years.
The Sultans' path through the group stage
The women's national team delivered a strong group-stage campaign, finishing with 9 wins and 3 losses across 12 matches. Among an 18-team field, Turkey placed 4th behind the United States, Italy, and Brazil, securing their spot in the finals stage with room to spare. This marks the team's eighth consecutive appearance in the VNL finals stage, underlining their status as one of the tournament's most consistent contenders.
Under head coach Daniele Santarelli, the squad is anchored by team captain Eda Erdem Dündar's experience, Zehra Güneş's dominance at the net, and Melissa Vargas's attacking power. Standout results in the group stage included a 3-1 win over host nation Japan and a come-from-behind 3-1 victory over Thailand after dropping the opening set.
Finals schedule for the Sultans
The 2026 VNL Women's Finals will be held from July 22–26, 2026 in the Macao Special Administrative Region, China, in a single-elimination format. Turkey's first opponent in the finals stage will be Canada, with the match set for Thursday, July 23 at 11:00 AM local time. The championship match is scheduled for Sunday, July 26.
Efeler's historic quarterfinal breakthrough
The men's national team's story is even more remarkable. Efeler finished the group stage with 8 wins and 4 losses in 12 matches, placing 6th with 22 points — and reaching the finals stage (quarterfinals) for the first time in the tournament's history. It's the biggest achievement in the program's VNL participation to date.
The turning point came during the third and final group-stage leg in Belgrade, Serbia, where Turkey closed out the group phase with a 3-1 win over Iran (17-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-19). Under head coach Slobodan Kovač, key contributors include attacking standout Adis Lagumdzija and setter Murat Yenipazar.
Quarterfinal schedule for Efeler
Turkey's quarterfinal opponent will be Slovenia, with the match set for Wednesday, July 29 at 10:00 AM (Turkey time). The 2026 VNL Men's Finals will take place from July 29 to August 2, 2026 in Ningbo, China, with the championship match scheduled for Sunday, August 2 at 2:30 PM (Turkey time).
Why this matters
Having both national teams reach the VNL finals stage in the same year is unprecedented in Turkish volleyball history. It reflects years of investment paying off across both the women's and men's programs — the Sultans' sustained excellence combined with the Efeler's breakthrough season signals that Turkish volleyball is now a consistent force on the international stage, regardless of gender.
(Note: At the time this was written, no quarterfinal or semifinal matches had been played yet — you'll need to update scores and next opponents as results come in.)
