At the historic Castello Normanno-Svevo in Bari, a vibrant ceremony marked the official draw for the CEV EuroVolley 2026 Men. The event brought together the 24 qualified nations, eagerly awaiting the composition of their preliminary round groups, officially kickstarting their quest for European volleyball supremacy.
This crucial draw has established a series of captivating matchups and balanced pool compositions for the CEV EuroVolley 2026. With a demanding schedule set across distinguished host cities in Italy, Bulgaria, Finland, and Romania, and top-tier teams vying for the championship, intense drama is already anticipated.
The four co-hosting nations exercised their right to select one opponent for their respective pools. Italy opted to compete against Sweden, while North Macedonia was placed in Pool B alongside Bulgaria. Finland chose Estonia for Pool C, and Romania selected Latvia for their Pool D matches in Cluj-Napoca.
Pool A promises exciting encounters, featuring current world champions Italy, who will go head-to-head with Slovenia, bronze medallists from the last European championship, and Czechia, semi-finalists from the 2025 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship. Sweden, Greece, and Slovakia complete this formidable group.
Defending champions Poland find themselves in Pool B, where they are widely considered strong favourites. They will compete against Bulgaria, silver medallists at the 2025 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship, alongside North Macedonia, Ukraine, Portugal, and Israel.
Pool D appears equally competitive, bringing together current Olympic champions France, host nation Romania, Germany, and Türkiye. Switzerland and Latvia will also aim to surprise their opponents and secure a spot in the knockout stages.
Co-hosts Finland will contend in Pool C, which is also well-balanced, facing Estonia, Serbia, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Denmark.
The CEV EuroVolley 2026 Men’s tournament is scheduled to run from September 9 to 26, 2026. Matches will be held across multiple cities: Napoli, Turin, Modena, and Milan in Italy; Varna in Bulgaria; Tampere in Finland; and Cluj-Napoca in Romania.
From each group, the top four teams will advance to the Round of 16, while the bottom two teams (eight teams in total) will be eliminated from the competition.
CEV EuroVolley 2026 Men – Drawing of Lots Results
- Pool A: Italy, Sweden, Slovenia, Czechia, Greece, Slovakia
- Pool B: Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Poland, Ukraine, Portugal, Israel
- Pool C: Finland, Estonia, Serbia, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark
- Pool D: Romania, Latvia, France, Germany, Türkiye, Switzerland
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