Türkiye and Brazil reach VNL final, China to face Italy for bronze

China’s Nations League run ended on home soil Saturday, swept 3-0 by Türkiye in the semifinal at Macao’s East Asian Games Dome, while Brazil outlasted defending champions Italy in a five-set thriller earlier in the day to set up Sunday’s final.

[See more: Women’s Volleyball Nations League Finals in Macao: 2026 guide]

Türkiye 3, China 0

Türkiye won 25-21, 25-15, 25-20, led by Melissa Vargas’s 23 points and a 54-36 edge in attacking kills. Zhuang Yushan top scored for China with 15, but the loss ends the hosts’ tournament in front of home fans. 

It’s a quieter finish than China’s quarterfinal, where they upset the tournament’s top seed, USA, in five sets to reach the final four. Türkiye advance to their first VNL final since 2023.

[See more: China stun USA to reach Women’s Volleyball Nations League semifinal]

Brazil 3, Italy 2

Brazil edged two-time defending champions Italy 3-2 (21-25, 25-21, 26-24, 21-25, 15-12), ending Italy’s bid for a third straight title. The teams traded set wins through a tense first four before Ana Cristina, who finished with a match-high 23 points, sealed it for Brazil 15-12 in the decider.

“We believed from the first point that we could win this match,” said Brazil’s Julia Bergmann.

China play Italy for bronze at 3:30 pm on Sunday, followed by the final between Türkiye and Brazil at 7:30 pm, both at the East Asian Games Dome.