Serbia opens preparations for EuroVolley 2026 under Gheorghe Crețu

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Serbia’s men’s national team has officially begun its preparations for the 2026 CEV European Championship, with head coach Gheorghe Crețu welcoming 16 players to the opening training camp in Belgrade.

Among the setters selected are Nikola Jovović, Vuk Todorović and Aleksa Batak. The opposite hitter position will be covered by Dražen Luburić and Veljko Mašulović, while captain Marko Ivović headlines the group of outside hitters alongside Miran Kujundžić, Pavle Perić, Vuk Kulpinac and Lazar Marinović.
The middle blocker unit features Aleksandar Nedeljković, Nemanja Mašulović, Aleksandar Stefanović and Stefan Kokeza, while Vukašin Ristić and Stefan Negić have been named as the team’s liberos.

Serbia will complete its preparations in Belgrade before playing its first two warm-up matches against Slovenia on August 19 and 20. The team will then travel to Sofia for a pair of friendlies against Bulgaria on September 1 and 2, which will serve as the final tune-up for both sides ahead of EuroVolley 2026.

At the European Championship, Serbia has been drawn into Pool C in Tampere, Finland, where it will face the hosts, Estonia, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark. Crețu’s squad will open its campaign against Estonia on September 11.

EuroVolley 2026 will be held from September 9 to 26 across Italy, Bulgaria, Romania and Finland. One noteworthy detail is that the Serbian Volleyball Federation’s official announcement still states that the Round of 16 and quarterfinals will be played in Turin and Varna.
However, that information is no longer accurate, as the CEV confirmed in October 2025 that all knockout matches scheduled to be played in Bulgaria were moved from Varna to Sofia!
Either way, the tournament will conclude with the semifinals and medal matches in Milan, Italy.

The stakes at EuroVolley 2026 will be even higher than usual, as the newly crowned European champions will earn a direct berth at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

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