De Giorgi Assembles "Azzurri" for VNL, 7 World Champions in the Squad
- May 18, 2026 | 18:05
The Italian national men's volleyball team, led by coach Ferdinando De Giorgi, is beginning a new training camp in Cavalese this Wednesday. This is the second phase of preparation for the World Champions ahead of the upcoming edition of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL).
The camp will conclude with three friendly matches. The first is scheduled for May 28 at 18:00 in Cavalese against Turkey. The second match is against Belgium on May 30 at 21:00 in Verona, followed by a rematch against Turkey on May 31 at 17:30 in Bergamo.
The list of called-up players has changed compared to the first camp held in the capital. Among the 16 selected players are those who recently participated in the final stages of the local championship playoffs.
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The selected players are:
Mattia Boninfante, Mattia Botolo, Giovanni Maria Gardjulo (Lube); Alessandro Bovolenta, Francesco Comproni, Domenico Pace, Paolo Porro (Piacenza); Gabriele Laurenzano (Trento); Matti Pardo, Luca Porro, Giovanni Sanguineti (Modena); Leandro Mosca (Milano); Mattia Orioli (Padua); Kamil Rihlitski (ZAKSA); Francesco Sani, Matteo Staforini (Verona).
Although not officially confirmed by the Italian federation (FIPAV), this group is expected to take on the early commitments in the Nations League. Among them are interesting names, including young talents like Comproni, Pardo, Orioli, and Staforini, making their first steps with the national team. Returning to the team are Paolo Porro, Bovolenta, Laurenzano, Mosca, and Sanguineti. The group includes seven World Champions from Manila: Boninfante, Botolo, Gardjulo, Pace, Luca Porro, Sani, and Rihlitski.
Schedule of the first three matches: May 28 in Cavalese against Turkey (18:00) – live on FIPAV's YouTube channel; May 30 in Verona against Belgium (21:00) – live on Rai Sport and Sky Sport; May 31 in Bergamo against Turkey (17:30) – live on Rai Sport and Sky Sport.
This is shaping up to be an exciting VNL! With a mix of veterans and fresh talent, De Giorgi has a strong team. But can they maintain their World Champion status? Let's see how they perform in these friendlies!