The Bulgarian women's national U18 team has started its preparation for the upcoming international tournaments this summer. Head coach Atanas Petrov gathered 21 volleyball players for a training camp in Sofia, which will last until June 14.
The preparation of the young national team players will take place from May 27 to June 14, with training sessions held in "Hristo Botev" Hall and "Levski Sofia" Hall.
After the first stage of the camp, on June 14, the Bulgarian team will depart for Poland, where they will play three friendly matches. The control games are scheduled for June 15, 16, and 17.
Immediately after the matches in Poland, the national team players will travel directly to Albania, where they will participate in the Balkan Championship. The tournament will take place from June 19 to 23, 2026, and Bulgaria's opponents will be the teams of Serbia, Turkey, and host Albania.
On June 24, the squad returns to Bulgaria, where they will continue their preparation until June 29.
At the end of the month, the Bulgarian national team will depart for the European Championship, which will be held in Lithuania and Latvia. Bulgaria has been drawn in a group with the teams of Lithuania, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Finland, Greece, and France.

Extended squad of Bulgaria U18

Setters

• Vyara Ivanova (Maritsa)

• Elitsa Kuneva (CSKA)

• Ivaila RIkova (Levski Sofia)

• Violina Dimitrova (CPVC)

• Emona Zdravkova (Minyor Pernik)

Liberos

• Nikol Stefanova (Levski Sofia)

• Emiliya Koleva (Levski Sofia)

• Magdalena Bogdanova (Levski Sofia)

Middle blockers

• Tsvetomira Velcheva (Maritsa)

• Simona Savova (Levski Sofia)

• Adriana Aleksieva (Levski Sofia)

• Antonia Stanislavova (CSKA)

• Elitsa Georgieva (CPVC)

Outside Hitters

• Edna Todorova (Volda)

• Katerina Popova (Maritsa)

• Ivana Petrova (CSKA)

• Siyana Genduzova (Maritsa)

• Zornitsa Stefanova (Levski Sofia)

• Krasimira Garova (Levski Sofia)

Opposite Hitters

• Bozhidara Ivanova (Levski Sofia)

• Petya Rusinova (Maritsa)

A significant part of the squad is made up of players from Levski Sofia and Maritsa, which demonstrates the stable work of both clubs with youth. The upcoming Balkan Championship will be an important test for the team before participating in the European Championship, where Bulgaria will have a tough group against traditionally strong academies like Germany, the Netherlands, and France.

Photo: bvf.bg