The 2026 CEV Men’s EuroVolley concluded on Saturday evening at Milan’s Unipol Forum Assago with a thrilling championship clash between European volleyball giants. Poland triumphed 3-1 (31-29, 25-19, 20-25, 25-16) over France to claim continental glory and a direct quota berth to compete in the LA28 Olympic Games.
As the final continental championship on the global calendar, the tournament featured the toughest draw, with 24 national teams vying for continental supremacy heading into the next Olympic cycle.
The qualification secures Poland’s 12th Olympic appearance, where they will aim to repeat their storied run as gold medallists at the Montreal 1976 Summer Games.
Both Poland and France entered as heavy favourites, with Poland as the 2026 VNL champions and reigning EuroVolley titleholders, and France as back-to-back Olympic gold medallists. After sweeping their first three pool matches, Poland’s only stumble was a tight tie-break defeat against Bulgaria. They then dominated the knockout rounds, advancing to the final against France.
In the gold medal match, Poland posted narrow leads across the scoreboard, out-attacking France 57-52, edging them 8-6 in service aces and holding a 9-8 advantage in blocks to secure the victory.
Bartlomiej Boładz boosted the Polish side with 16 points, scoring from 15 spikes and a service ace. Wilfredo Leon and Tomasz Fornał added 13 points apiece.
French outside hitter Mathis Henno led all scorers with 20 points in the defeat.
The trophy in Milan marks Poland’s third overall EuroVolley title, building upon the trophy they captured in 2023 at Italy’s Palazzo dello Sport. The victory also mirrors their 2009 title in Türkiye, where they similarly met and defeated France in the gold-medal match.
This latest gold joins an extensive collection of continental hardware for Poland, which includes five silver medals and four bronze medals gathered across various editions of the competition.
In a historic triumph for the national programme, Finland claimed the bronze medal after sweeping powerhouse Slovenia in a hard-fought battle, 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 29-27).
This victory marks Finland’s first-ever EuroVolley medal since making their debut in 1955, capping off an unforgettable campaign with a historic milestone for Finnish volleyball.
This historic feat was further boosted by the support of FIVB Volleyball Empowerment, a programme designed to help developing volleyball nations build long-term success. As part of this targeted support, Finland received a $168,000 investment dedicated to head coach Olli Kunnari from 2024 to 2026, alongside $12,000 allocated for strategic knowledge transfer initiatives through 2025.
The 2026 EuroVolley also served as CEV’s qualification pathway for the 2027 FIVB Volleyball World Championship, granting automatic entry to the top three finishers. With Poland hosting the global volleyball showcase, the qualification picture expanded to allow fourth-placed Slovenia to join runners-up France and bronze medallists Finland as Europe’s qualifiers.
Slovenia’s sustained competitiveness has also been bolstered by the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment Projects Platform, which provided $964,000 in dedicated coaching support for head coach Fabio Soli from 2023 through 2026.
