Turkey and Italy open Women's EuroVolley 2026 with straight-set victories
Defending champions Turkey and world champions Italy secured 3:0 victories on the opening day of the 2026 Women's European Volleyball Championship, which features 24 national teams competing across four host countries.
Turkey opens title defence in Istanbul
Defending European champions Turkey launched their campaign in Group A with a 3:0 victory over Latvia (25:17, 25:16, 25:16) at the Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul. The arena, which accommodates up to 16,000 spectators, drew large crowds for the opening fixture under portraits of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey entered the tournament ranked third in the FIVB world rankings, while Latvia entered ranked 65th. Outside hitter Melissa Vargas led the Turkish attack with multiple service aces, supported by middle blocker Zehra Gunes and opposite Sinead Jack-Kisal. Latvia struggled in attack during the second set, completing seven of 40 attempts, though Junora Vagele delivered two service aces. Turkish head coach Daniele Santarelli maintained his starting lineup through the third set, which Ilkin Aydin closed with a match-winning attack.
- Set 1
- 17 points
- Set 2
- 16 points
- Set 3
- 16 points
Italy and Bulgaria secure clean sweeps
World champions Italy began their tournament with a 3:0 win against Croatia (25:9, 25:22, 25:23). Head coach Julio Velasco fielded a starting lineup that included Paola Egonu, Myriam Sylla, Anna Danesi, Ekaterina Antropova, Sarah Fahr, and setter Alessia Orro. After dropping nine points in the opening set, Croatia mounted stiffer resistance under coach Igor Arbutina, pushing the remaining two sets to 22 and 23 points. In Group B, Bulgaria defeated Ukraine in straight sets (25:23, 25:23, 25:20). Head coach Marcello Abbondanza led the Bulgarian squad following a last-place finish in the Volleyball Nations League, aiming to surpass the country's seventh-to-ninth place finishes across the past four European tournaments.
- Set 1
- 9 points
- Set 2
- 22 points
- Set 3
- 23 points
Host victories in Baku and four-set fixtures
The championship features 24 teams divided into four six-team pools, staged across Turkey, Czechia, Sweden, and Azerbaijan from 21 August to 6 September 2026. In Group C, co-hosts Azerbaijan defeated Portugal 3:1 in Baku, taking the opening set 25:22 before conceding the second 23:25 and winning the subsequent two. Portugal, who debuted at the tournament in 2019, will next face Belgium, while Azerbaijan meets Spain. Czechia also earned a 3:1 victory over Greece in their opening match. Elsewhere across the opening day, France defeated Slovakia 3:0, Serbia beat Austria 3:0, and Sweden swept Montenegro 3:0.
Continental action begins across the Atlantic
Friday marked the simultaneous launch of the NORCECA Championship and the Asian Championship alongside the European tournament. In the NORCECA opener, eight-time champions United States defeated Trinidad and Tobago 3:0 (25:6, 25:11, 25:4). The American team conceded 21 total points during the match, recording scoring runs of ten and nine consecutive points during the third set. The United States will conclude preliminary pool play with matches against Canada and Mexico as they seek a ninth continental title. Group A action at the European Championship continues on Saturday with Germany facing Slovenia and Hungary playing Poland.
