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The 23rd Hubert Jerzy Wagner Memorial begins today in Kraków, bringing Poland, the United States, Slovenia and France together at the Tauron Arena from August 28 to 30. Traditionally one of the most prestigious international friendly tournaments, the event has once again assembled a remarkable field — and for Nikola Grbić, it represents the final serious test before heading to Sofia.
Poland arrive in Kraków as the reigning 2026 Volleyball Nations League champions, having beaten the United States 3–2 in a thrilling final (25:21, 23:25, 25:27, 25:23, 15:10). The Americans, therefore, will immediately have another opportunity to face the team that denied them the VNL title.
Slovenia also impressed during this year’s VNL campaign, while France enter the tournament carrying the title of Olympic champions, having triumphed at Paris 2024.
In other words, Grbić will have very little room for easy answers: over three days, Poland will face three opponents capable of exposing every weakness and testing every aspect of their game.
That is precisely what makes the Wagner Memorial so valuable.
With EuroVolley approaching, the Polish coaching staff can use the tournament to evaluate the team’s physical condition, tactical options and competitive rhythm, while also determining which combinations are most convincing before the squad travels to Bulgaria.
The stakes may officially be those of a friendly tournament, but the timing makes these matches anything but irrelevant.
The schedule, in Bulgarian time, is as follows:
Friday August 28, 2026
18:30 — USA vs France
21:30 — Poland vs Slovenia
Saturday August 29, 2026
15:00 — France vs Slovenia
18:00 — Poland vs USA
Sunday August 30, 2026
15:00 — Slovenia vs USA
18:00 — Poland vs France
Poland will compete in Pool B of EuroVolley 2026, which will be played in Sofia. The group also includes hosts Bulgaria, Ukraine, Portugal, Israel and North Macedonia.
The most anticipated meeting between the two teams is already circled on the calendar: Bulgaria vs Poland on September 16 at 19:00 at Arena 8888 Sofia.
By then, the European Championship will already be well underway.
But before Poland arrives in the Bulgarian capital, Grbić’s team will have one final opportunity to measure itself against elite opposition.
And Kraków is the perfect place to do it.
Three matches. Three world-class opponents. Three days to find the final answers.
For Poland, the road to Sofia starts in Kraków.
And the three teams Poland will face in Kraków will soon go their separate ways at EuroVolley.
Slovenia will join Italy, Sweden, Czechia, Greece and Slovakia in Pool A, with the group stage split between Naples and Modena. France, meanwhile, will travel to Romania for Pool D in Cluj-Napoca, where they will face Germany, Türkiye and Latvia and Switzerland.
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