Fabio Soli’s coaching career has passed through club teams from his native Italy and from Türkiye. He is currently at the helm of Italy’s Itas Trentino Trento, the club team of Slovenian star middle blocker Jan Kozamernik. Soli guided Trentino to the CEV Champions League continental title in 2024 and to the silver medals at December’s FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship. He also triumphed as a CEV Challenge Cup trophy winner in 2018 as a head coach of Italy’s Bunge Ravenna and in 2008 as a setter of Italy’s Casa Modena. Some 10 years ago, Soli served as an assistant coach of the Italian women’s national team. Slovenia will be his second job as a national team head coach, after he trained Estonia in 2022 and 2023.
Soli’s first official match at the helm of Slovenia will be against Cuba in a VNL fixture to be played in Rio de Janeiro on June 12. In that first competition week of VNL 2025, Slovenia will also take on Iran, USA and hosts Brazil. For the second competition week, Soli’s squad will travel to Burgas, where they will face Türkiye, hosts Bulgaria, France and Japan. Slovenia will then welcome Canada, the Netherlands, Soli’s native Italy and Cretu’s Serbia to Ljubljana for the third competition week.
At the World Championship in the Philippines, Slovenia share Pool E with Chile, Bulgaria and Germany.
