Slovenia returned to winning form at the EuroVolley with a 3-1 victory over Czechia in Modena, securing at least second place in Pool A and a spot in the knockout stage.
Fabio Soli’s side, looking to respond after a surprise 3-1 defeat to Greece, faced a difficult start as Czechia edged the opening set 26-24. Slovenia also lost captain Tine Urnaut to injury during the first set. The response was convincing. Slovenia dominated the second set 25-13 before two closely fought finishes decided the match. They took the third 27-25 and held off Czechia 25-23 in the fourth. Nik Mujanović led Slovenia with 21 points, while Rok Možič added 17.
With three victories from four matches, Slovenia are guaranteed at least second place in Pool A. They complete the group stage on Thursday against unbeaten co-hosts Italy.
Sweden, meanwhile, finished their campaign with their first victory, beating Slovakia 3-1 and ending their opponents’ hopes of reaching the knockout rounds.
Bulgaria hand Poland first defeat
In Pool B, Bulgaria produced one of the tournament’s most dramatic victories, defeating Poland 3-2 in front of a packed crowd in Sofia.
The hosts recovered from losing the opening set and eventually prevailed 20-18 in the tie-break. Aleksandar Nikolov starred with 36 points as Poland suffered their first defeat of the competition.
North Macedonia also ended their campaign positively with a straight-sets victory over Israel, although neither team advanced to the next round.
In Pool C, Serbia came back from two sets down to defeat Denmark 3-2. Despite the loss, Denmark secured qualification for the knockout stage.
Estonia recorded a 3-1 victory over the Netherlands, while Romania defeated France in five sets in Pool D.
The top four teams from each of the four six-team pools advance to the round of 16.
EuroVolley 2026 – Results
Pool A
- Slovenia vs Czechia 3-1 (24-26, 25-13, 27-25, 25-23)
- Sweden vs Slovakia 3-1 (19-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-19)
Pool B
- Israel vs North Macedonia 0-3 (21-25, 23-25, 22-25)
- Poland vs Bulgaria 2-3 (25-20, 29-31, 23-25, 25-19, 18-20)
Pool C
- Netherlands vs Estonia 1-3 (25-27, 22-25, 25-18, 23-25)
- Denmark vs Serbia 2-3 (25-19, 25-21, 21-25, 23-25, 14-16)
Pool D
- France vs Romania 2-3
- Latvia – Türkiye 3-1 (26-24, 23-25, 26-24, 25-16)
