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Türkiye's women's national volleyball team secured its fourth major international medal under Italian head coach Daniele Santarelli after beating Brazil 3-1 in the 2026 FIVB Volleyball Nations League final.
The latest triumph marked Türkiye's second Nations League title and its third gold medal under Santarelli, who has led the national side to three championships and one runner-up finish since taking over in December 2022.
The 45-year-old coach has overseen 84 official matches, with Türkiye winning 64 of them for a victory rate of approximately 76%.
Santarelli's first season brought about one of the most successful periods in the history of Turkish volleyball.
Türkiye defeated China 3-1 in the 2023 Nations League final to claim its first title in the competition. Later that year, the national team overcame Serbia 3-2 in the CEV European Championship final, lifting the continental trophy for the first time.
Those two titles also helped Türkiye move up to the top of the FIVB world rankings in 2023.
Türkiye carried its momentum into the qualification tournament for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, winning all seven of its matches to finish unbeaten.
At the Olympics, the national side reached the semifinals for the first time in its history. Türkiye eventually lost 3-1 to Brazil in the bronze-medal match and finished fourth, its best Olympic result.
Santarelli's team continued to break through at the 2025 FIVB World Championship, advancing to the final for the first time.
Türkiye narrowly lost the title match 3-2 to Italy but came away with the silver medal, its first podium finish at the World Championship.
Türkiye returned to the top of the Nations League in 2026 by beating Brazil 3-1 in the final.
The victory brought Santarelli's record with the national team to three gold medals and one silver, including two Nations League trophies and the 2023 European Championship title.
Türkiye played most frequently under Santarelli in the Nations League, recording 40 victories across 56 matches. The team also won all eight of its games during its unbeaten run to the 2023 European title.
Following its Nations League triumph, Türkiye will now set its sights on the 2026 European Championship, scheduled to take place from Aug. 21 to Sept. 6.
Istanbul will host one of the tournament groups as well as the final stages, where Santarelli's team will look to defend its European title and add another gold medal to its successful run.
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