Poland opens European Volleyball Championship title defence against Portugal in Sofia

Title defence begins in Sofia

Poland begins its defence of the European Volleyball Championship title on 10 September in Sofia, facing Portugal in its opening Group B encounter. The date coincides with the ten-year anniversary of Poland winning the 2016 junior European Championship in Varna, Bulgaria, a roster that featured current senior team members Tomasz Fornal and Szymon Jakubiszak under coach Sebastian Pawlik. Poland enters the 34th edition of the European championship after securing back-to-back Volleyball Nations League gold medals. Head coach Nikola Grbić trimmed his travelling squad to the required 14-player roster, designating Jakub Majchrzak as a standby reserve. Middle blocker Jakub Kochanowski was sidelined due to health concerns, Norbert Huber declined a training camp invitation, and Bartosz Kwolek was omitted from the squad.

Group B schedule and opposition

Portugal enters the match ranked 26th in the FIVB world rankings, lacking primary setter Miguel Tavares, who plays for Polish club Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie. Portuguese head coach João José has rebuilt the squad around 23-year-old setter Bruno Dias and former Polish league outside hitter Alexandre Ferreira. Following the opener against Portugal at 15:00 Polish time, Poland will play Israel on 12 September, North Macedonia on 13 September, Raul Lozano's Ukraine on 15 September, and co-host Bulgaria on 16 September. Pool B action opened on 9 September with Bulgaria defeating North Macedonia in straight sets (25:17, 25:19, 25:18).

Olympic qualification incentives

The 2026 European Championship carries direct qualification for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles for the continental champion under revised FIVB regulations. Additional Olympic berths will be distributed to the top three finishers at the 2027 World Championship, with the remaining places determined by the FIVB world rankings following the 2028 Nations League preliminary phase. France head coach Andrea Giani pointed out that the Olympic ticket elevates the level of preparation across all European contenders.

The fact that in Milan it will be possible to win tickets to Los Angeles means that all teams will come to the European Championship in their highest form and strongly determined to fight for the Olympics.

Knockout structure and medal rounds

The tournament runs across Bulgaria, Italy, Finland, and Romania from 9 September to 26 September, with 24 teams divided into four groups of six. The top four teams from each pool will advance to the round of 16, which will be staged in Sofia and Turin from 19 to 21 September. Quarter-finals follow in both cities on 22 and 23 September, before the competition shifts to Milan for the semi-finals on 25 September and the medal matches on 26 September. Former Polish setter Marcin Janusz warned that knockout volleyball allows no margin for error.

We are clear favourites for this tournament, but you have to remember that there are teams we can lose to.