Ten teams to Round of 16, but plenty still to be decided at EuroVolley 2026!

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The CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 Men has reached the decisive stage of the pool phase, with ten of the 16 places in the Round of 16 already secured.

The tournament brings together 24 teams in four pools of six, with the top four from each group advancing to the knockout stage.
The final pool matches will now determine the remaining six qualifiers, while also deciding the final order in several groups and, consequently, the Round of 16 match-ups.

Italy were the first team to establish themselves as an unbeaten force in Pool A.
The reigning world champions opened their campaign with a 3–0 victory over Sweden in the historic outdoor match at Piazza del Plebiscito in Naples, then moved to Modena and continued their perfect run against Slovakia, Greece and finally Czechia. The 3–1 victory over the Czechs on Tuesday left Italy alone at the top with four wins from four and 12 points.
The hosts still have one pool match to play, against Slovenia. Czechia, meanwhile, have also secured their place despite suffering their first defeat against Italy. Their three victories — including the five-set success over Sweden and the wins against Greece and Slovakia — have given them eight points, and they will finish their pool campaign today against Slovenia.
That final match could be particularly significant for the teams still fighting for the remaining two places in Pool A. Slovenia currently sit on six points, level with Greece, who have revived their qualification hopes with consecutive victories over Slovakia and Sweden.
Both still have one match remaining, while Sweden and Slovakia are already out of contention for the top four.

Pool B has produced an equally compelling race. Poland and Ukraine have both reached the Round of 16 after entering Tuesday’s meeting unbeaten. Poland eventually prevailed 3–0, maintaining their perfect record and moving to 12 points. Before that victory, Nikola Grbić’s side had already defeated Portugal, Israel and North Macedonia without dropping a match.
Ukraine had also won their first four matches before meeting Poland, beating Israel, North Macedonia and Bulgaria before their first defeat of the tournament.
They remain on 12 points and are safely through.
Bulgaria have also secured their place. The hosts opened with straight-set victories over North Macedonia and Portugal, then suffered a four-set defeat to Ukraine before responding with a 3–1 victory over Israel. That left Gianlorenzo Blengini’s team on nine points and guaranteed them a place in the knockout phase.
One place remains to be decided in Sofia. Portugal have completed their five matches and finished on four points after ending their campaign with a 3–0 victory over North Macedonia. Their qualification hopes now depend entirely on the final match between Israel and North Macedonia.
Israel have two points after a tie break win over Portugal, while North Macedonia have yet to collect one.
The final result will therefore determine who takes the fourth and final knockout place from Pool B.

Pool C is the other group in which the qualification picture is already taking shape. Finland and Belgium have both secured their places in the Round of 16, although each still has one match to play.
Finland have combined four victories with a single five-set defeat of Belgium and a five-set win over the Netherlands to build a strong position at the top of the pool. Their latest result was another dramatic five-set success, 3–2 against the Netherlands, in front of 6,160 spectators at Nokia Arena. Finland will finish their pool campaign against Estonia.
Belgium have also completed four matches, collecting ten points from victories over the Netherlands, Estonia and Denmark, with their only defeat coming against Finland in five sets. They now face Serbia in their final pool match.
The remaining two Round of 16 places in Pool C are still open: Denmark and Serbia will meet on today, while the Netherlands face Estonia. Denmark currently have six points and Serbia five, with the Netherlands on two.
Estonia are already eliminated.
The final two matches will therefore decide which two of those three teams join Finland and Belgium in the knockout phase.

Pool D comes down to one final match, producing one of the clearest top-end pictures of CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 — and one of the most complicated fights for the final place in the knockout stage.
France have completed a perfect pool phase and finish first after winning all five matches, while Germany take second place despite their final-day defeat to the French. Romania are also safely through in third. The fourth and final Round of 16 place, however, will be decided by the last match of the pool: Türkiye against Latvia in Cluj-Napoca.
France were the dominant team in the group from the opening day. Andrea Giani’s side won all five matches and dropped only one set throughout the pool phase. Their final performance was arguably their most convincing, a 3–0 victory over Germany in the meeting of the two unbeaten teams.
Germany had also built an impressive run before that encounter, winning their first four matches against Türkiye, Latvia, Romania and Switzerland. Their 3–0 defeat to France was their first setback, but it did not threaten their qualification or second place.
Romania complete the three teams already guaranteed to advance. The hosts recovered from their opening defeat to Latvia and collected victories over Switzerland and Türkiye, finishing the pool stage with seven points.
Behind those three, however, everything remained open until the final day.
Switzerland finally turned their competitive performances into a victory on Wednesday, defeating Latvia 3–1 (25:22, 25:19, 16:25, 25:22). It was their first win of the tournament and moved them to three points.
For Switzerland, the result provided a fitting reward after a campaign in which they had shown they could compete with stronger opposition. They had taken a set from Germany and pushed France before finally converting their opportunities against Latvia.
But the victory also changed the qualification equation dramatically.
Latvia remain on three points after their defeat, while Türkiye also have three points following their 3–0 victory over Switzerland earlier in the pool phase. With France, Germany and Romania already through, those three teams were left fighting for the final place.
Now there is only one match left.
Türkiye and Latvia meet in the decisive Pool D finale.
The equation is straightforward but unforgiving for Türkiye. Because the first classification criterion is the number of victories, followed by ranking points, set ratio and then point ratio, the Turkish side must win the match 3–0 or 3–1 to overtake Latvia and qualify.
A 3–2 victory would give Türkiye two points and leave them on five, while Latvia would collect one and also reach four — meaning Latvia would remain ahead of Switzerland on victories and take the final qualification place. The official competition regulations confirm the ranking criteria: wins come first, followed by ranking points, set ratio and point ratio.
For Latvia, the situation is simpler: a victory against Türkiye sends them through. A five-set defeat would also leave them with enough ranking points to remain in contention for the fourth position, depending on the final table.
The match therefore becomes more than the final fixture of the pool. It is effectively a direct qualification play-off, with both teams knowing exactly what is at stake.
The winner of the decisive battle will join France, Germany and Romania in the Round of 16. The loser will see their EuroVolley campaign end in Cluj-Napoca.

The ten teams already through therefore represent four different stories: Italy, Poland and France have finished their pool campaigns unbeaten; Germany and Romania have also completed their schedules and secured knockout places; while Finland, Belgium, Czechia, Ukraine and Bulgaria still have one final pool match to play.

And that is where the tournament enters its most complicated phase.

Qualified for the Round of 16

Pool A: Italy, Czechia
Pool B: Poland, Ukraine, Bulgaria
Pool C: Finland, Belgium
Pool D: France, Germany, Romania

Six places remain to be allocated: two in Pool A, one in Pool B and two in Pool C, while the fourth Pool D place has already been decided.
The remaining pool matches on September 16 and 17 will complete the line-up before the EuroVolley knockout phase begins.

The top four from each pool will then move into the Round of 16, with the tournament continuing through the quarterfinals and semi-finals before the medal matches in Assago on September 26.
The European title carries an additional prize this year: the champions will secure Europe’s direct men’s volleyball quota for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, while the top three finishers will qualify for the 2027 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Cup.

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