USA1–3Bulgaria
25–2725–2224–2618–25
USA faced Bulgaria in the FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League 2026 on 19 July 2026 in Chicago, USA, with Bulgaria winning 3-1.
The third set was the tightest, with USA falling 24-26 after Bulgaria converted a decisive point to take a 2-1 lead in sets. Bulgaria's 14 blocks to USA's 5 were a key difference in the match.
Bulgaria's A. Nikolov led all scorers with 32 points (27 attacks, 2 blocks, 3 serves), while USA's Hanes top-scored with 19 points. The result continues a competitive history between the teams, as Bulgaria also won the previous men's Nations League meeting in 2024 (3-1).
Match statistics
USABulgaria
49Attack51
5Block14
10Ace serve10
28Opp. errors25
92Total100
Top scorers
USA
Hanes#17
19 pts14 atk1 blk4 srv
Anderson#1
17 pts14 atk1 blk2 srv
Defalco#8
10 pts9 atk0 blk1 srv
Bulgaria
A. Nikolov#23
32 pts27 atk2 blk3 srv
Asparuhov#8
12 pts7 atk2 blk3 srv
Bardarov#19
10 pts8 atk2 blk0 srv