Italy completes Pool of CEV EuroVolley 2026 co-organisers!

After success of the 2023 edition, CEV EuroVolley Men will return to Italy also in 2026.
Therefore, the reigning world champions will enjoy the opportunity to contest the continental championship again on their home soil for the second straight edition, joining the previously confirmed co-organisers Bulgaria, Finland, and Romania.

Last year’s CEV EuroVolley Men reached its climax at a fully packed Palazzo dello Sport in Rome.
The event was such an enormous success that the Italian Volleyball Federation, with the full support of their national authorities, has decided to go for a repeat of the experience.

“The decision to entrust the Italian Volleyball Federation with the delivery of this prestigious and large-scale event is testament to our continued successful cooperation and, at the same time, to their unwavering commitment to the advancement of our sport, which has made the Italian Volleyball Federation a leading actor in promoting and spreading the love for Volleyball across the globe,” says CEV President Aleksandar Boričić.

“By appointing Italy as the co-organiser of the CEV EuroVolley 2026 Men, we wish to capitalise on the valuable legacy from the 2023 edition and take it to the next level.”

“It has been a few very intense and gratifying days for us. Last week, we had the opportunity to meet with several ministers who had financially supported last year’s EuroVolley – which has been regarded unanimously as a resounding success. It is obvious that after sharing our forecasts at the National Olympic Committee this past summer and the follow-up report at the Ministry for Sport and Youth this past week, we have proven our diligence in taking on such a unique journey. With the support of the CEV, we did fulfil a dream – by delivering two continental championships across as many as nine cities, something which has gone down in the history books of our sport. With the very same spirit of cooperation, we are now ready to dive into this new, exciting adventure, whereby we will be trying to leave a further legacy for the growth of the sport,” added Italian Volleyball Federation President, Giuseppe Manfredi.

Interestingly, Italy hosted the very first men’s European Championship in 1948.
Ever since the establishment of the CEV in 1973, the country has hosted the 2005 and 2015 editions, together with Serbia & Montenegro and Bulgaria, respectively, as well as last year’s highly successful event with matches played in Bologna, Perugia, Ancona, Bari, and Rome together with the other co-organisers Bulgaria, Israel, and North Macedonia.

As it has happened since 2019, the continental championship will feature 24 teams. the four co-organisers plus eight directly qualified according to the final standing of the 2023 edition (Poland, Slovenia, France, the Netherlands, Serbia, Ukraine, Germany, and Portugal) plus another 12 who will fight for tickets via the EuroVolley qualifiers scheduled for the summer of 2024 and 2025.
The eventual winners of CEV EuroVolley 2026 will qualify for the Volleyball competition of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

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Source: CEV