Poland retains European volleyball title against France as coach Nikola Grbić heads to Harvard

European Championship title defence

The Polish national men's volleyball team secured their second consecutive European Championship title, defeating France 3:1 in the final. Poland entered the tournament as the pre-tournament favourites and confirmed their status throughout the competition. In the gold medal match, Poland took an extended opening set 31:29 before winning the second set 25:19. France answered by taking the third set 25:20, but the Polish side controlled the fourth set 25:16 to conclude the match. The tournament victory completed a successful season for the squad, which earlier claimed the gold medal in the Nations League before travelling to the continental tournament.

Celebrations and behind-the-scenes footage

A video log released following the tournament documented the team's final preparations, including their last training session and the pre-match briefing conducted by head coach Nikola Grbić. The footage also showed the players celebrating their gold medal in the locker room with singing and champagne following the match against France. After concluding the tournament, the team travelled back to Poland to meet with fans, journalists, and federation officials. Following these public appearances, the national team members began a scheduled vacation period before reporting back to their respective club teams.

Grbić enrolls in Harvard leadership program

While his players departed on leave, Grbić announced that he would dedicate his break to academic study at Harvard University. Speaking on the Magazyn Polskiego Sportu program on Polsat Sport, the Serbian coach shared details about his enrollment in the Program for Leadership Development. The program is structured into alternating modules, featuring online components alongside a mandatory two-week residency on the Harvard campus in the coming days, with the entire curriculum concluding in mid-January.

I am heading to Harvard in the coming days. For two weeks I have to be on campus there. This is one of the modules. The first is online, the next takes place on campus. The next is online again, and everything finishes in the middle of January.

The cohort consists of 34 participants who hold managerial and executive roles across various corporate sectors, with Grbić believing he is the only representative from the sports industry. Grbić explained that participating in group discussions on unfamiliar topics, including the political environments in Singapore and Japan, is designed to sharpen his strategic problem-solving.

We work in groups all the time, we talk a lot. I am not the only person who has no idea about many things, but I think it can help me in the future in case I have to make difficult decisions. It seems to me that I will be able to make such decisions in a better way.

Season assessment and upcoming club calendar

Reflecting on the international season during his Polsat Sport appearance, Grbić evaluated the collective accomplishment of winning both the Nations League and the European Championship in the same year.

We competed against the best teams in the world, we won everything. That is truly a reason for pride. We did an incredible job and we can be happy.

Grbić emphasized that playing as the favourite created continuous mental and competitive demands on the squad. He noted that maintaining peak performance while carrying expectations and pressure presented significant demands throughout the campaign. With the national team season concluded, the squad will next assemble for a friendly tournament in the next season. Domestic volleyball returns shortly, with the Polish TAURON Liga set to begin competition on 16 October.