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Poland have completed their final selection for EuroVolley 2026, with head coach Nikola Grbić naming the 14 players who will represent one of the tournament’s biggest title contenders.
There are two particularly interesting details in the Serbian coach’s decision.
The first is the number of middle blockers. Grbić has decided to take only three to the European Championship, meaning Jakub Majchrzak, who had been part of the 15-player group that travelled to Sofia, has not made the final roster.
Poland will therefore rely on Bartłomiej Lemański, Szymon Jakubiszak and Jakub Nowak in the middle.
The second decision concerns Artur Szalpuk. Despite reports suggesting that the experienced outside hitter could be one of the players left out, Grbić has ultimately kept him in the squad. Szalpuk will therefore be available throughout Poland’s EuroVolley campaign.
Poland’s final roster is:
Setters: Marcin Komenda, Jan Firlej
Opposite hitters: Bartłomiej Bołądź, Kévin Sasak
Middle blockers: Bartłomiej Lemański, Szymon Jakubiszak, Jakub Nowak
Outside hitters: Wilfredo León, Aleksander Śliwka, Artur Szalpuk, Kamil Semeniuk, Tomasz Fornal
Liberos: Jakub Popiwczak, Maksymilian Granieczny
The decision to travel with three middle blockers is particularly interesting.
Only one day earlier, Bulgaria head coach Gianlorenzo Blengini made exactly the same choice when he announced his own final 14. The Italian selected Alex Grozdanov, Iliya Petkov and Preslav Petkov, leaving Lazar Buchkov and Dimitar Peychinov outside the final roster.
The two teams will meet in Sofia on September 16, in what could prove to be one of the most important matches of the group stage.
There is, however, an interesting difference in how the two coaches have used the remaining roster positions.
Grbić has selected five outside hitters — Wilfredo León, Aleksander Śliwka, Artur Szalpuk, Kamil Semeniuk and Tomasz Fornal — alongside two nominal opposites, Bartłomiej Bołądź and Kévin Sasak.
Blengini, by contrast, has opted for six players listed primarily as outside hitters: Aleksandar Nikolov, Asparuh Asparuhov, Georgi Tatarov, Denislav Bardarov, Martin Atanasov and Zhasmin Velichkov. Bulgaria have only one nominal opposite in Venislav Antov.
For Poland, the balance remains formidable.
The roster combines enormous international experience with a deep group of high-level outside hitters, two established setters, two opposites and a pair of liberos. Wilfredo León, Aleksander Śliwka, Kamil Semeniuk and Tomasz Fornal give Grbić a remarkable range of attacking and reception options, while Szalpuk’s inclusion adds yet another experienced player to an already star-studded group.
Poland will begin their EuroVolley campaign in Pool B in Sofia alongside hosts Bulgaria, Ukraine, Portugal, Israel and North Macedonia.
Their meeting with Bulgaria on September 16 already stands out on the schedule. By then, both teams will have had four matches to establish their position in the group, and the encounter could have a major impact on who finishes first and who takes the more favourable route into the knockout phase.
For now, though, one small tactical detail has created an unexpected connection between the two main contenders in Sofia.
Both Blengini and Grbić have looked at their final 14 players and reached the same conclusion: three middle blockers are enough.
Whether that decision proves equally successful for both teams will be one of the many intriguing stories to follow once EuroVolley gets underway.
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