Osaka.- Cuba's men's team defeated Canada 3-0 in the third and final week of the 2026 Nations League preliminaries (VNL), held in the Kasai region of the Japanese city of Osaka, a result that guaranteed their presence in the 2027 edition.
After eight consecutive losses in the first two weeks, held in China and France, and two victories in previous rounds against Belgium and Argentina, Jesús Cruz's disciples maintained their winning streak this Saturday by defeating the Canadians in straight sets, with scores of 25-22, 25-21, and 29-27, with Miguel Ángel López standing out.
According to the official match statistics, the Cubans were superior in attack (42 points to 40), blocking (11-6), and serving (5-2), while the North Americans were more prone to unforced errors (21-22).
Individually, López was the top scorer of the match with 16 points—14 from attacks and two from blocks—followed by Marlón Yant (14/10-2-2).
For Canada, the most notable players were Skyler Vargas with 15 points and Arthur Skwarc with 10, completing the four players with double-digit scores.
Cuba currently sits in 15th place in the general standings with 10 points, while Canada is in 17th with the same number of units.
Below the Cubans are Belgium in 16th and China in 18th, while Japan, the United States, and Poland lead the standings.
Cuba's final match will take place this Sunday against Italy, the current world champion, which holds sixth place with 20 points in the general standings.
The grand final of the Men's Nations League is scheduled to take place in the Chinese city of Ningbo from July 29 to August 2.In this edition of the VNL, the Cubans will not have to face Germany, Brazil, Bulgaria, Japan, or Turkey.
(Taken from Cubasí)
