Türkiye bounce back, France keep rolling in Cluj-Napoca

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Türkiye finally got their CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 campaign moving in Cluj-Napoca, while France maintained their perfect record in Pool D with another convincing victory at the BT Arena.

Türkiye overcame Switzerland 3–0 (25:23, 25:19, 25:19), collecting their first victory of the tournament after opening their campaign with a defeat to Germany. The Swiss, who had already pushed Olympic champions France hard in their opening match, were unable to reproduce that level consistently against Türkiye.
The first set was the closest of the afternoon. Switzerland stayed in the contest throughout and refused to allow Türkiye to build a significant advantage, but the Turkish side managed to find the decisive points at the end, closing the opening frame 25–23.
That narrow escape gave Türkiye the momentum they needed. Switzerland continued to fight in the second set, but Türkiye gradually created separation and moved towards a 25–19 finish. The pattern was repeated in the third, as the Swiss struggled to turn promising phases into sustained pressure and Türkiye completed the sweep by the same 25–19 score.
For Türkiye, the result was particularly important in the context of Pool D. After being edged out by Germany despite winning the opening set in their first match, they now have their first three points on the board and remain firmly in contention for one of the four places in the knockout stage.
Efe Bayram and Adis Lagumdzija led the winners with 17 points each, while Türkiye also dominated at the net with 10 winning blocks to 1. Julian Weisigk top-scored Switzerland with 15.
The victory also adds another layer to an increasingly competitive pool in Cluj.
France and Germany had already made strong starts, while Switzerland and Türkiye entered the day still searching for their first victories. With four teams eventually advancing, every point is beginning to carry greater weight.

Later in the evening, France continued exactly where they had left off, defeating Latvia 3–1 (25:12, 25:16, 22:25, 25:13).
The Olympic champions dominated the opening two sets, immediately putting Latvia under pressure and leaving little room for the Baltic side to settle. France took the first 25–12 and followed it with an even more convincing 25–16 to move within one set of another straight-set victory.
Latvia, however, refused to surrender and, after being comfortably beaten in the opening two frames, the Latvians produced their best volleyball of the evening in the third. They stayed with France through the decisive stages and eventually took advantage of their opportunity to win the set 25–22, giving the BT Arena crowd a glimpse of the team that had shocked hosts Romania on the opening day.
France responded immediately in the fourth. There was no sign of panic from the two-time reigning Olympic champions, who restored their authority from the opening points and closed the match 25–13.
The result keeps France unbeaten and, crucially, still without a defeat in Pool D. Their EuroVolley campaign now includes three victories, against Switzerland, Türkiye and Latvia, with only one set lost so far.
Latvia, meanwhile, leave the court with a mixed picture. Their spectacular opening-day 3–1 victory over Romania remains one of the stories of the tournament, but consecutive defeats to Germany and France have made their remaining pool matches increasingly important.
Mathis Henno and Simon Magnin shared top-scorer honors with 16 points each, closely followed by Théo Faure who added 14 and Antoine Pothron also in double digit with 13. However, to make the difference was blocking, as France dominated the rivals with as many as 20 points from this element compared to the rivals’ 5. A big difference also in attack (54% to 35%) and reception (62% to 38%).

The contrasting results of the day underline the shape of Pool D: France continue to set the pace at the top, while Türkiye’s first win brings them back into the race and leaves the battle for the remaining knockout places wide open.

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🏐| CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 | Sunday, September 13, 2026

POOL A📍PalaPanini Modena
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Slovenia – Sweden 3-0 (25:16, 25:21, 25:12)
• 21.05 (Local Time) | Italy – Slovakia 3-1 (25:17, 25:27, 25:10, 25:19)

🏐| POOL A STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Italy 9
2. Slovenia 6
3. Czech Republic 5
4. Sweden 1
5. Slovakia 0
6. Greece 0

POOL B📍Arena 8888 Sofia
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Portugal – Israel 2-3 (25:19, 20:25, 25:20, 22:25, 7:15)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
• 19.00 (Local Time) | North Macedonia – Poland 0-3 (19:25, 16:25, 13:25)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH

🏐| POOL B STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Poland 9
2. Ukraine 9
3. Bulgaria 6
4. Israel 2
5. Portugal 1
6. North Macedonia 0

POOL C📍Nokia Arena Tampere
• 15.00 (Local Time) | Estonia – Denmark 0-3 (26:28, 22:25, 16:25)
• 18.00 (Local Time) | Finland – Serbia 3-0 (25:19, 25:21, 25:23)

🏐| POOL C STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Finland 8
2. Denmark 6
3. Belgium 4
4. Serbia 3
5. Netherlands 0
6. Estonia 0

👉🏼POOL D📍 BT Arena Cluj Napoca
• 17.00 (Local Time) | Switzerland – Türkiye 0-3 (23:25, 19:25, 19:25)
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Latvia – France 1-3 (12:25, 16:25, 25:22, 13:25)

🏐| POOL D STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. France 9
2. Germany 8
3. Romania 4
4. Türkiye 3
5. Latvia 3
6. Switzerland 0

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NEXT GAMES: Monday, September 14, 2026

Monday, September 14, 2026
POOL A📍PalaPanini Modena
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Slovakia – Czech Republic
• 21.00 (Local Time) | Slovenia – Greece
POOL B📍Arena 8888 Sofia
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Ukraine – Portugal
• 19.00 (Local Time) | Bulgaria – Israel
POOL C📍Nokia Arena Tampere
• 17.00 (Local Time) | Serbia – The Netherlands
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Estonia – Belgium
POOL D📍 BT Arena Cluj Napoca
• 17.00 (Local Time) | Germany – Switzerland
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Romania – Türkiye

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