Latvia and Bulgaria opened their CEV EuroVolley 2026 Men campaigns with victories, though their paths to success were very different.
Latvia were pushed hard by hosts Romania in Cluj-Napoca before securing a 3-1 win. Two of the four sets were decided 26-24, underlining how close the contest became in the key moments.
Romania had opportunities to take the opening set and later force a tie-break, but Latvia stayed composed under pressure. After losing the second set 25-18, the visitors regained control in the third and then recovered from a late deficit in the fourth to close out the match.
Kristaps Smits led Latvia with 14 points, while Jānis Medenis added 12. Romania’s Alexandru Rață finished as the match’s top scorer with 21 points, with Cristian Chițigoi contributing 17.
Latvia also held a slight edge at the net and from the service line, finishing with 13 blocks and six aces.
In Sofia, Bulgaria enjoyed a more straightforward evening, defeating North Macedonia in straight sets in front of a large home crowd.
Strong serving and efficient attacking helped the hosts control the match, with Bulgaria registering 10 aces and a 58% attack efficiency. North Macedonia stayed within reach during parts of the second and third sets but could not sustain enough pressure to change the outcome.
Aleksandar Nikolov led Bulgaria with 19 points as the hosts completed a confident opening performance.
Results
Latvia 3-1 Romania 26-24, 18-25, 25-21, 26-24
Bulgaria 3-0 North Macedonia 25-17, 25-19, 25-18