Italy enter the tournament as reigning world champions, while Poland arrive as defending European champions and fresh from winning the Volleyball Nations League. Germany and Switzerland are also in the field, while Austria failed to qualify.
24 teams and an Olympic ticket at stake
The European Championship format used since 2019 remains unchanged. The 24 teams are divided into four groups of six. After five group matches, the top four sides in each pool advance to the round of 16, with the tournament then switching to a straight knockout format. The decisive matches will be played on 25 and 26 September at the Unipol Forum near Milan.
There is added significance this year because of Olympic qualification: the European champions will secure a direct place at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. The international calendar has also been reorganised, with continental championships now being staged in even-numbered years from 2026 onwards.
The first matches take place on Wednesday in Sofia and Cluj-Napoca. The official opening game follows on Thursday in a spectacular setting, with world champions Italy facing Sweden outdoors at Piazza del Plebiscito in Naples.
Italy and Poland lead the list of favourites
Italy and Poland head into the tournament with the world and European titles respectively already in their possession. Italy successfully defended their world crown in 2025, beating Bulgaria 3-1 in the final. Outside hitter Alessandro Michieletto, named MVP of the World Championship, is one of the leading figures in Ferdinando De Giorgi’s team. Setter Simone Giannelli, opposite Yuri Romanò and libero Fabio Balaso are among several other players who were selected in the World Championship All-Star Team.
Poland also arrive at EuroVolley with plenty of momentum. The 2023 European champions won the Nations League for the second successive year at the beginning of August. Tomasz Fornal was named MVP, while Wilfredo León and middle blocker Jakub Kochanowski are also among the team’s key performers.
Olympic champions France and Bulgaria are also firmly among the leading contenders. Bulgaria were the surprise package of the 2025 World Championship, reaching the final with a young generation led by Aleksandar Nikolov. The 21-year-old then finished the 2026 Nations League as both the competition’s leading scorer and best attacker.
Germany face tough group without Grozer
Germany have been drawn in Pool D in Cluj-Napoca alongside France, Türkiye, hosts Romania, Latvia and Switzerland. It will be Massimo Botti’s first European Championship as Germany head coach. The Italian used the Nations League extensively to integrate younger players and experiment with different line-ups.
There was a setback shortly before the tournament, however, as 41-year-old Georg Grozer has not recovered sufficiently to make the final 14-man squad. Johannes Tille and Moritz Karlitzek are back, while Tobias Krick, Erik Röhrs and Tobias Brand are also expected to play important roles.
Germany travel to Romania with confidence after two emphatic warm-up wins over the Netherlands. Their stated first objective is to reach the quarter-finals.
Switzerland return, Austria miss out
For Switzerland, simply being back at the finals is a notable achievement. After appearances in 1971 and 2023, this is only their third European Championship. They qualified for the 2026 edition with four wins from four matches.
Their campaign begins on Thursday with an immediate test against Olympic champions France, before further meetings with the likes of Türkiye and, on Monday, a direct clash with Germany.
Austria, meanwhile, failed to reach the finals. The Austrian team finished second in their qualifying group behind unbeaten Belgium, but their record was not strong enough to rank among the best runners-up and earn a place at the tournament. Since March, the federation has been working on a rebuild under Polish head coach Adam Swaczyna. The next major target is a return to the European Championship stage in 2028.
Russia top the historical standings with 14 European titles, 12 of which were won during the Soviet era. Italy follow with seven championships and now have the chance to become Europe’s number one again for the first time since 2021 in front of their home supporters. Poland, meanwhile, will be looking to defend the title they won in 2023 – and add another major trophy after their Nations League triumph.