A captain lost at the worst moment: Tine Urnaut ruled out of EuroVolley

If you wish to publish an Italian translation of this article, any of our other articles, or ANY PART OF THEM, please cite the original source. PLAGIARISM IS ILLEGAL!

Slovenia’s EuroVolley 2026 campaign has suffered a major setback.
Captain Tine Urnaut has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament after suffering a foot fracture during the team’s 3–1 victory over the Czech Republic in Modena.
The 38-year-old outside hitter was injured in the opening set of the match, which Slovenia eventually won 24:26, 25:13, 27:25, 25:23.
Urnaut left the court at 16-16 during the first set and departed the arena on crutches after the match.
Subsequent medical examinations confirmed the fracture, and our information indicates that the recovery period could last at least four months, ruling Urnaut out of the European Championship and potentially affecting the beginning of his club season.

The injury arrives at the worst possible moment for Slovenia, just before the knockout phase and the decisive matches of the tournament.
Beyond his role as captain, Urnaut has been one of the most experienced figures in the national team, making his absence a considerable challenge for head coach Fabio Soli.

Soli reacted immediately by calling up Klemen Čebulj to replace the injured captain. The 34-year-old outside hitter returns to the national team after a two-year absence and will be available for Slovenia’s first knockout match.
Čebulj was not included among Soli’s original 14-player squad for EuroVolley 2026. The initial group of outside hitters featured Tine Urnaut, Luka Marovt, Rok Bračko, Rok Možič and Klemen Šen.
His return comes in particularly unusual circumstances. Just one day before receiving the call-up, Čebulj had played for his club, Asseco Resovia, in a friendly match against Chełm, which Resovia won 3–1. Shortly afterwards, the invitation to rejoin the national team arrived.

For Slovenia, the loss of Urnaut also carries historical significance.
At EuroVolley 2026, he and Alen Pajenk became the first male volleyball players to participate in ten editions of the European Championship. Both have been part of the continental competition since 2007, underlining the extraordinary longevity of their international careers.
Now Soli must reorganise his reception and find new solutions for the most important part of the tournament.
Čebulj faces the demanding task of helping fill the void left by the captain, with almost no time to prepare alongside his teammates.

And Slovenia will have to continue their EuroVolley journey without one of the defining figures of their modern volleyball history.

__________________

👀|QUICK LINKS
• EuroVolley 2026 – Calendar
• EuroVolley 2026 – All News
• All International news 🗞️
• Multimedia
• Facebook
• Instagram

__________________