There was little time for Italy and Sweden to get used to the idea of being on opposite sides of the net again. After meeting in the pool stage in Göteborg, the two teams will face each other once more on Wednesday evening, this time with far more at stake: a place in the semifinals of the CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 Women.
The quarterfinal will be played at the BVV Veletrhy in Brno at 19:00, and unlike their first encounter, there will be no room for a second chance.
Italy won the pool-stage meeting 3â0 (25:18, 25:23, 25:14) in front of 6,801 spectators at Scandinavium, extending their perfect start to the tournament. Sweden, however, have since shown exactly why they cannot be underestimated.
The hosts of Pool D had to fight through a remarkable five-set battle with Croatia earlier in the competition, recovering from two sets down to win 3â2. Isabelle Haak was at the centre of that extraordinary comeback, scoring an astonishing 52 points â a new EuroVolley record. It was one of those performances that can change the perception of an entire team: Sweden were no longer simply the enthusiastic home side enjoying a historic tournament, but a genuine threat capable of surviving enormous pressure.
Their reward was a place in the quarterfinals after another impressive performance in Brno. Sweden defeated co-hosts Czechia 3â0 (25:19, 25:23, 25:21), with Haak once again leading the way with 31 points. The result also gave Sweden a small piece of history: they reached the EuroVolley quarterfinals for only the second time ever.
Italy, meanwhile, have been almost impossible to stop.
Julio Velascoâs Olympic and World champions finished the pool phase unbeaten and opened the knockout stage with another commanding 3â0 victory, this time against Bulgaria, 25:18, 25:13, 25:13. Ekaterina Antropova produced 18 points, including six aces, as Italy extended their winning streak to six matches.
There is also a particularly nice historical connection surrounding Velasco and Sweden.
When Göteborg was announced as one of the host cities, the CEV pointed out that Sweden were hosting the womenâs European Championship for the first time. The country had previously staged the menâs EuroVolley in 1989, a tournament won by Italy â their first European title â with a young Julio Velasco on the bench. Nearly four decades later, Velasco is back in Sweden, this time leading Italyâs womenâs team. And in Göteborg he also became the oldest head coach ever to participate in a EuroVolley, at 74 years and 193 days.
Swedenâs progress has therefore made this rematch considerably more intriguing than the 3â0 scoreline from the pool stage might suggest. Italy have the experience, depth and recent championship pedigree, while Sweden have the home-crowd energy, the confidence of reaching the knockout rounds and, perhaps most importantly, Isabelle Haak.
The Italian side will also know that knockout volleyball has a very different personality. Six victories in a row are impressive, but the next one is the only one that matters.
A place in Istanbul is waiting, and the winner of ItalyâSweden will meet either Poland or the Netherlands in the semifinals.
That side of the draw is already set. Poland reached the quarterfinals with a 3â0 victory over Portugal, while the Netherlands needed five sets to overcome Slovenia. The Dutch have already shown that they are capable of making life extremely uncomfortable for favourites, while Poland arrive with the pedigree of one of Europeâs most consistently competitive programmes.
The other quarterfinal in Brno is equally fascinating.
Serbia will face Greece at 16:00 after eliminating Croatia 3â1 and France 3â0 respectively. Greeceâs progress is one of the more intriguing stories of the tournament, while Serbia remain one of the traditional powers of European womenâs volleyball.
And then there is Istanbul.
The final quarterfinal pairing was completed on Tuesday night when hosts and defending champions TĂŒrkiye defeated Azerbaijan 3â0 (25:14, 25:16, 25:22) in front of around 8,100 spectators at the Sinan Erdem Sports Hall.
It was an evening packed with stories. Turkish captain Eda Erdem returned to the court after missing the opening matches of the tournament and immediately made her presence felt, scoring nine points. The appearance also marked her tenth EuroVolley participation, matching the all-time record held by Serbian legend Maja OgnjenoviÄ.
For Azerbaijan, meanwhile, the night was bittersweet. Star opposite Polina Rahimova played her final match for the national team after a remarkable international career. She finished as Azerbaijanâs top scorer with 12 points and received a bouquet from her teammates and coaching staff in an emotional farewell. Even the Turkish celebration had its own subplot, with the crowd also marking Hande Baladınâs 29th birthday after the hosts secured their place in the last eight.
TĂŒrkiye will now face Germany in the quarterfinals, setting up another fascinating rematch. Germany reached the last eight after a dramatic 3â2 victory over Belgium, coming through a match full of twists and turns. Rising star Leana Grozer was extraordinary, scoring 28 points overall and 14 of them across the fourth and fifth sets alone.
The bracket is therefore complete, and the road to Istanbul is becoming increasingly unforgiving. Four quarterfinals, four very different stories and only four tickets to the semifinals.
Full Program:
Wednesday 2 September, 2026
đBrno Exhibition Centre, Brno
16.00 | Serbia â Greece
19.00 | Italy â Sweden
Thursday 3 September, 2026
đSinan Erdem Sports Hall, Istanbul
16.00 | Poland â Netherlands
19.00 | Germany â TĂŒrkiye