While waiting to travel to Reggio Emilia to begin his new adventure with Conad Volley Tricolore, Rusi Zhelev continues to shine on the international stage with the Bulgarian senior national team, competing in the 2026 Volleyball Nations League, the most important annual international competition for national teams.
The VNL features 18 of the world’s best teams, competing in a three-week preliminary round. Each team plays a total of twelve matches, after which a general ranking is drawn up that will determine the teams that qualify for the Finals.
Bulgaria is having an excellent run: after the first eight matches, they have secured five victories, including victories against highly respected opponents such as Italy, the reigning world champions. The new signing from Torino is also contributing to this growth.
