Cuba and France Face Off Today in Preparation for Volleyball Nations League

The men’s national volleyball teams of Cuba and host France will meet today in a preparatory match ahead of the third and final week of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) group stage, set to begin July 16 in Gdansk, the port city of Poland.

According to French organizers, the friendly match is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. local time this Friday. Both Cuban head coach Jesús Cruz and his French counterpart aim to fine-tune tactical issues that emerged during the first and second weeks of competition.

The match will take place at the Arena Futuroscope in Chasseneuil-du-Poitou. Coach Cruz is seeking the consistency and results needed to place Cuba among the top eight teams in the VNL, improving on last year’s performance, when they finished in ninth place.

Cuba still needs to raise its level of play significantly, especially with the anticipated return of middle blocker Robertlandy Simón during the third week. Simón is widely regarded by volleyball experts as one of the top players in the world in his position.

The Cuban squad is also keeping its eyes on the year’s main goal: the upcoming World Championship in September, to be held in the Philippines.

Currently, Cuba ranks ninth on the overall standings with four victories, while Olympic champions France—winners of the Paris 2024 Games—are fifth with five wins.

In the first week of action, held in Rio de Janeiro, the Cubans defeated host Brazil in a 3-2 thriller but lost to Slovenia (1-3), Ukraine (2-3), and the United States (1-3). Their performance improved in the second week in Belgrade, where they earned back-to-back 3-1 victories over Serbia, Germany, and the Netherlands before narrowly falling to Argentina 2-3.

In Gdansk, Cuba’s schedule includes matches against Bulgaria (July 16), Poland (July 17), and France (July 18). After a rest day on July 19, they will close the round against China on July 20, according to the official FIVB website (www.fivb.com).

The Cuban team faces tough competition, particularly against France and Poland, who currently sit second in the standings with six victories. In contrast, Bulgaria and China rank 11th and 15th with four and two wins, respectively.