LIVE UPDATESUpdated
After a very even and changing match, the team led by Horacio Dileo showed character to close the match and celebrate a valuable victory against the Europeans after five intense sets.
LIVE UPDATES 
Argentina defeated Germany 3-2 in a hard-fought match for VNL 2026. La Albiceleste won the first, third and fifth sets (25-21, 25-15 and 15-13), while the Germans stayed with the second and fourth sets (25-15 and 25-18). After more than two hours of intense battle, the Argentine team managed to close the match in the tie-break and add a valuable victory in Poland.
¡End of the match in Poland! Argentina wins 15-13 in a tie-break full of excitement and gets its first victory of the second week of VNL 2026. In the decisive moments appeared Luciano Vicentín and Nicolás Zerba, who starred two impeccable actions to tip the balance in favor of Albiceleste.
Germany had managed to take a slight lead in the previous points, but Argentina has not stopped fighting and is still finding answers to stay on an equal footing. Each action is played with maximum intensity, with both teams seizing every opportunity to add.
The fifth set continues to deliver emotions and neither of the two teams manages to break away on the scoreboard. Germany found a great point thanks to Brand for momentarily leapfrogging the Europeans. However, Argentina responded immediately in the next action, maintaining the party’s pulse.
Germany was in charge of making the initial draw, but failed to take advantage of it and Argentina stayed with the first point of the partial. However, the German response was immediate and managed to equalize the actions in the next play. Both teams show maximum concentration from the start.
¡We’re going to the fifth set! Germany is in fourth with 25-18 and tied the game 2-2. Europeans were more consistent at key moments and managed to maintain the built advantage for most of the set. Argentina tried to react, but failed to regain the control it had shown. Everything will now be defined in a thrilling 15-point tie-break.
Germany continues to take the lead in this quarter-final and manages to expand the advantage by four points as the final straight of the set approaches. Florian Krage-Brewitz continues to make a presence on the net, Albiceleste needs to regain concentration and score several consecutive points if they want to prevent the match from extending to a fifth set.
A moment of tension was experienced on the court following an argument between the Argentine shipowner and the referee over a previous action. Germany was able to take advantage of the situation and maintained concentration to add an important point. The play ended with a powerful shot of the German opponent from zone 2, impossible to contain for the defence of albiceleste.
Argentina remains very close on the scoresheet and maintains constant pressure on the German team. Agustín Loser reappeared at an important moment, imposing himself on the net with a powerful punch that left Germany’s defense, which retains a minimal advantage, without options.
The fourth set remains very even, but Germany retains a slight lead. The last point came thanks to a great offensive combination: the German shipowner placed a temperate and precise shipment that found Florian Krage-Brewitz, who attacked with force to overcome the Argentine blockade.
A decisive set begins and it is Germany that puts the ball in play. The Europeans need to win this set to force the tie-break, while Argentina will seek to maintain the level shown in the third half to close the match and achieve a valuable victory in the second week of VNL 2026.
¡The third set is over and it’s for Argentina! A mistake in the German draw gives the final point to Albiceleste, who wins 25-15 and gets back ahead in the match. The ones led by Horacio Dileo showed a much more solid and concentrated version, dominating from block and attack to control the partial from beginning to end.
Argentina is very close to taking the third set and maintains a wide advantage over Germany. Agustín Loser once again demonstrated his quality by closing a large offensive action with a powerful finish after a good reception from the Albiceleste. The Europeans have not managed to sustain enough pressure to get closer in the scoreboard.
Argentina continues to dominate the third set and retains a comfortable five-point lead thanks to its strong blocking and better game distribution. However, Germany has just found an anemic boost with a powerful diagonal strike through zone 2, an action that lifted Europeans up and gave them confidence to try to cut the gap in the middle of the partial.
La Albiceleste started the third set with much more concentration and begins to open a small gap in the scoreboard. Several effective blockades have complicated the attack of German Germany and allow Argentina to take advantage by 7-4 showing the good South American moment.
Argentina responds quickly at the start of the third set. Germán Gómez found space all along the right line and pulled a powerful punch that left no options for reacting to the German defense. The Albiceleste repairs the actions and maintains the intensity in a partial that began very balanced.
The third half begins in Poland and it is Argentina who put the ball into play. After a second set dominated by Germany, Albiceleste will seek to recover the feeling of the start of the match and re-impose its pace, while the Europeans try to maintain the momentum that allowed them to equalize the 1-1 match.
¡Set for Germany! The European team closes an almost perfect second half with a cash draw from Brand that completely complicated the Argentine reception at the definitive point. The Germans grew with the passing of minutes, dominated from service and blockade, and showed greater strength and concentration in important moments. With a strong 25-15, Germany tied the 1-1 game and left everything open for the second half of the match.
Germany continues to impose conditions in the second set and widens the gap to seven points. In the last action, Marcus Böhme appeared with a big block to neutralize the offensive attempt of Argentina, reflecting the solid work that the European whole has been doing on the net.
Germany hits its best moment in the second set and widens the gap to five points. The most outstanding action came from Röhrs, who started the play with a strong defense and ended up defining it with a powerful attack to trigger the German celebration. The Europeans are showing greater effectiveness in attack and force Argentina to seek a quick reaction to get back into the fight for the half.
¡Ace for Germany! The German service is doing damage again and allows it to widen the difference in scorer. Europeans are finding important points from the line of strike, while Argentina is trying to stay close supported in its attack by the tips. The game remains very exciting, with intense exchanges and both teams leaving everything in each ball.
The second set started much more contested than the previous one, with both teams exchanging points from the start. However, Germany has been more forceful at key moments, better seizing its opportunities in attack and finding space in Argentine defense. That effectiveness allows him to take an early 5-2 advantage, forcing the Albiceleste to react so as not to let the partial escape.
The second half starts in Gliwice. Argentina, driven by the closing of the first set, puts again the ball in play with the service of Matías Sánchez. The Albiceleste seeks to maintain the intensity shown in the initial stage of the party, while Germany tries to react to equalize actions.
¡Set for Argentina! Albiceleste manages to close a partial that was complicated in the final moments and is advanced 1-0 in the match. Germany demanded to the last point, but those led by Horacio Dileo showed character in order to maintain the advantage and stay with a hard-worked first set.
When it seemed that Argentina had completely controlled the first half, Germany reacted and began to discount the difference. The Europeans raised the intensity of the blockade and took advantage of some rival mistakes to stay alive, forcing Albiceleste to carefully manage crucial points.
Germany does not lose pace and reduces differences in several parts of the set. However, Argentina remains calm in moments of pressure and continues to lead thanks to better offensive effectiveness and solid defensive work in long exchanges.
The Albiceleste team continues to lead in the scoresheet, although Germany is starting to find greater regularity in their game. Luciano Vicentín brings important points from the extremes and Argentina manages to maintain a short advantage in a set that is contested with great intensity.
Best start for Argentina, which gets a slight lead in the first exchanges of the match. The team of Horacio Dileo shows aggressiveness in attack and finds quick answers in the distribution of the shipowner, while starting to feel close to the network.
The duel between Argentina and Germany begins in the second week of VNL 2026. Both teams arrive in need of victories after a complicated start in the tournament and know that every point can be decisive in the fight to climb positions. La Albiceleste bets on the experience of its referents, while the Germans seek to impose their physical power from service and blockade.
The second week of competition will be held simultaneously in Poland, Slovenia and France, while the third week will have venues in the US, Serbia and Japan. Currently, Brazil and Japan lead the tournament with perfect pace, followed by teams such as the US, Serbia, Italy and Slovenia.
Germany has in Georg Grozer its main offensive reference, an experienced opponent who continues to stand out for the power of his shots and goals. Also outstanding are Tobias Krick, key player in the blocking thanks to his presence on the network, and Moritz Reichert, a fundamental receiving point for its robustness in reception and constant contribution in attack.
Argentina has high-level figures such as Luciano De Cecco, the experienced shipowner and captain who directs the team’s game; Agustín Loser, one of the best centers in the world thanks to his blockage and offensive power; and Luciano Vicentín, a disruptive attacker who can make a difference with his power and effectiveness at key moments.
Argentina will try to take advantage of the coming days to approach the qualifying places for the final phase of VNL 2026, which will bring together the eight best teams of the tournament in late July and early August in China. At the same time, the technical staff is keeping an eye on the South American Championship in September, a key competition on the way to the Olympic classification and one of the main objectives of the season for Albiceleste.
Both Argentina and Germany reach this compromise located at the bottom of the overall ranking. The German team started the tournament with a victory over Canada, but then chained defeats against Ukraine, Japan and the US. For its part, Albiceleste is still seeking its first win after falling to Bulgaria, Serbia, Iran and Brazil.
After the duel against Germany and a day of rest, Argentina will continue its tour in the city of Gliwice facing China, Turkey and Poland. Subsequently, the selected will travel to Japan to play the third and final week of the preliminary round, where they will compete with Canada, Cuba, Italy and the host team in a series of matches decisive for their aspirations.
The growth of German volleyball has also been supported by development programs spearheaded by the International Volleyball Federation, focused on strengthening the preparation of athletes and coaches. The VNL’s requirement is huge: a professional jump can exceed 140 kilometers per hour and, in a single game, a player can make 60 to 80 jumps. These figures reflect the physical and technical level required to compete for several consecutive weeks against the best teams on the planet.
The Argentine men’s volleyball team is all set to start its participation in the second week of VNL 2026 in Poland. The team led by Horacio Dileo arrives with the aim of changing the image shown in Brasília, where it suffered four consecutive losses, although it left positive signs in the tight match against Brazil, when it was close to a victory after taking advantage of two sets.
We will soon be sharing the opening lineups of the Argentina vs Germany match and live, plus the latest information coming from the PreZero Arena Gliwice, located in Gliwice, Poland. Don’t miss a detail of the live match update and VAVEL coverage comments.
For this second week, the 18 participating teams will be divided into groups that will compete simultaneously in three international venues. This format allows the parallel development of matches and increases the intensity of the competition, since each victory can be decisive in the struggle to advance towards the final stages of the tournament.
The second week of VNL Men’s 2026 will be played from 24 to 28 June, marking a new stage in the preliminary round. During these five days, the teams will seek to improve their position in the overall classification in an increasingly demanding and decisive phase.
The German national team started the season in 11th place of the world ranking, a position that keeps it in the fight to consolidate among the best teams of the international circuit. With several days still to be played in the VNL 2026, the European team faces the coming weeks with the aim of adding important points, climbing positions in the general classification and approaching the places that grant access to the final phase of the tournament.
The Volleyball Nations League (VNL) is the most important annual competition organized by the International Volleyball Federation. The tournament brings together the best teams in the world, which compete to score points for the international ranking and secure a place in the Finals of the competition.
For the second week of VNL 2026, Germany arrives with a team that combines experience and youth under the guidance of coach Massimo Botti. The team has such referents as the veteran opponent Georg Grozer, accompanied by prominent players like Jan Zimmermann, Moritz Reichert and Tobias Krick. The final call will be subject to the usual rotation of 14 players that each selection makes to face this stage of the tournament.
For this phase of the tournament, the team led by Horacio Dileo presents a renewed roster. Among the main innovations are the returns of the central Agustín Loser and the opposite Pablo Kukartsev, as well as the additions of Matías Giraudo and Lucas Conde, who will bring new alternatives to the team.
