Japan 🇯🇵 vs Argentina 🇦🇷 | Highlights | Men's VNL 2026

Japan vs Argentina | Highlights | Men's VNL 2026. For the first time in the VNL Men's Tournament, and the first time for the Japanese national team, Japan has finished the preliminary round undefeated with 12 wins, advancing to the final round of the Men's Nations League.

The Japanese men's volleyball team, ranked 4th in the FIVB world rankings (before the match), faced Argentina, ranked 14th, on Sunday, July 19th, and won in straight sets, 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-16), finishing the preliminary round undefeated with 12 wins. This is the first time a men's team in the VNL has finished the preliminary round undefeated, and the first time a Japanese team has done so.

In the first set, Hideomi Fukatsu picked up a block touch, Yuki Ishikawa scored, and Ran Takahashi's back attack also found the net, giving Japan an early lead. Furthermore, Tomohiro Ogawa's dig led to another point from Ran Takahashi's back attack, and Ran Takahashi then scored a service ace, extending the lead to 16-11. After that, Japan's serve reception was disrupted, and the gap narrowed to one point, but Argentina scored a service ace to tie the score at 20-20. Nevertheless, Ran Takahashi and Yuji Nishida's consecutive blocks gave Japan a 23-20 lead, and finally Ishikawa scored the winning point to take the first set 25-22.

In the second set, Japan took an early lead, but Argentina scored a point when Takahashi Ran's feint was picked up, making the score 10-10, and then took the lead with a service ace. However, Japan's floor defense worked well and they tied the score again. Furthermore, Takahashi Ran scored two consecutive service aces to give Japan a 15-12 lead. Japan's Fukatsu kept the ball in play when the serve reception was erratic, and finally Ishikawa spiked the ball past the triple block. With a block by Onodera Taishi and a quick attack by Eva Dedan Larry, Japan made it 23-20, and won the second set 25-22.

In the third set, Japan took a 3-0 lead thanks to blocks from players like Eva Dedan. Ishikawa steadily scored points at crucial moments, and Takahashi Ran's blocks and service aces further extended the lead to 14-9. Japan's momentum continued into the final stages, with the ball being focused on substitute Miyaura Kento, who responded by scoring points. Finally, Argentina touched the net, making the score 25-16. Japan won in straight sets, 3-0.

The final round, to be held in Beilun, Ningbo, China from Wednesday, the 29th, will feature the top 7 teams from the qualifying round and the host nation, China. The Japanese men's team, which has already secured first place in the qualifying round, will face China in the quarterfinals. Details regarding other matchups and match times will be decided after all qualifying round matches have been completed, and will be announced on the website as soon as they are decided. Please continue to support the Japanese men's team.

Yuki Ishikawa said
, "I'm happy that we were able to win all the matches, but more than that, I think it was a qualifying round where we could see the strength of the team because almost all of the members who played performed well and we were able to win as a team. There is a lot to learn from winning, and it will definitely build confidence, and it is important in building a team. Sometimes there are players who are not in good form and players who are in good form, but regardless of that, the good players who played in the matches performed well and we won, and that has extended our winning streak, so it was a qualifying round where we were able to gain a lot of confidence as a team. (To the fans who came to Osaka) So many people came every day and gave us so much support, it definitely gave us strength, and it was a very enjoyable Osaka tournament. In the final round, it's all or nothing, so the 12 consecutive wins we have here are irrelevant, we just need to use the confidence we have built up so far and show our quality, so first we want to focus on the match against China and prepare."

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