Two teams benefitting from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment support made the podium of the women’s 2025 CEV Volleyball European Golden League. Ukraine triumphed as champions, while Romania claimed the bronze. The silver medals went to Hungary. Both finalists in the women’s 2025 CEV Volleyball European Silver League – champions Switzerland and runners-up Latvia – also represent program-supported federations.
The FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program has been supporting the Ukraine Volleyball Federation in continuing its volleyball and beach volleyball activities since 2022 as part of an ongoing Memorandum of Understanding, which has so far provided total funding of USD 670,000. The Ukrainian women’s national team triumphed in the European Golden League for the third time in history, after claiming the crowns in 2017 and 2023. They finished the League Round of the 2025 edition in second place on a 5-1 win-loss record and 15 points and qualified for last week’s Final Four in Sweden. In Saturday’s semifinals in Engelholm, they mastered a 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-18) victory over the home team, and in Sunday’s gold medal showdown, they achieved a 3-1 (25-16, 23-25, 25-16, 25-17) win over Hungary to lift the European Golden League trophy. Ukraine’s 23-year-old setter Daria Sharhorodska (pictured in the main photo; source: cev.eu) was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament.
The Federatia Romana de Volei has so far been granted USD 168,000 in FIVB Volleyball Empowerment coach support for their volleyball national teams, in addition to USD 11,500 in volleyball equipment. Their women’s national team, steered by Spanish head coach Guillermo Naranjo Hernandez, topped the League Round table on 5-1 and 16 points, a point clear of Ukraine. In their semifinal, however, Hungary managed to beat them after a hard-fought 3-2 (10-25, 25-22, 25-12, 16-25, 15-9) battle. Romania persevered through another five-set duel in the third-place match against Sweden, but this time they celebrated a tight 3-2 (17-25, 25-20, 21-25, 26-24, 15-13) victory to claim the bronze.
That bronze medal match set an all-time attendance record for women’s volleyball in Sweden, with more than four thousand fans flocking to the Catena Arena.
Slovenia, Slovakia, Greece, Croatia, Spain, Portugal, Montenegro and Azerbaijan, in that order, lined up in the places from fifth to 12th in the final standings.
Women’s 2025 CEV Volleyball European Golden League: results, statistics and standings
Swiss Volley has so far received USD 126,000 in FIVB Volleyball Empowerment coach support for their volleyball national teams. Their women’s national team, steered by Australian head coach Lauren Bertolacci, won the European Silver League for the first time in history. They topped the League Round final standings without losing a single set, on a 6-0 win-loss record and 18 points and advanced to the home and away final against Latvia. In the first match, Latvia delivered a 3-2 (25-17, 21-25, 32-30, 22-25, 15-8) home victory, but in the second, Switzerland produced an emphatic 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-19) sweep to lift the trophy.
To secure their historic first participation in a Silver League final, Latvia finished runners-up in the League Round on 4-2 and 13. The Volleyball Federation of Latvia has so far been allocated a total of USD 462,000 in FIVB Volleyball Empowerment coach support for their volleyball national teams, in addition to USD 210,500 in volleyball equipment.
The places from third to ninth in the final European Silver League standings were occupied by Austria, Israel, Georgia, Iceland, North Macedonia, Luxembourg and the Faroe Islands, in that order.
Women’s 2025 CEV Volleyball European Silver League: results, statistics and standings
