The Bulgarian Women's U20 national team will be among the first European selections to officially face Russia following the return of Russian youth national teams to international tournaments. This will happen during the European Championship qualification, which will take place in Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina) from August 19 to 23.
Russia will participate for the first time in an official international junior competition following the admission of its youth national teams to international events since the start of the war in Ukraine. The draw pitted "Sbornaya" against Bulgaria, with Turkey and Serbia also in the group.
Only the winner of the qualification group will secure a direct quota for the European Championship in Italy and Malta, which will take place from July 8 to 17, 2027. However, a special condition applies to Russia – if the Russian team finishes first, it will not receive a quota for the final tournament. In this case, the highest-placed team among Bulgaria, Turkey, and Serbia will qualify for the European Championship.
Head coach Denislav Dimitrov admitted that information about the Russian squad is limited, but nevertheless, the Bulgarian team's goal remains unchanged.
"Information about the Russian team is not extensive. We have footage from their control matches. Our goal is to qualify for the European Championship. To achieve this, we need to show our best. Our preparation has already begun, but not all players have joined the camp yet. On Wednesday, Bozhidara Ivanova and Edna Todorova will arrive, and after the end of the U17 Balkan Championship in Kosovo, Krasimira Garova, Elitsa Georgieva, Adriana Aleksieva, and Magdalena Bogdanova will join the team," said Dimitrov.
Bulgaria will rely on a squad featuring representatives from Levski Sofia, Maritsa, CSKA, and TTPVC, as well as Edna Todorova, who plays for Norwegian Volda.
Bulgarian U20 Squad:
Setters:Vyara Ivanova (Maritsa), Liana Vasileva (Levski Sofia), Ivaila Rikova (Levski Sofia)
Liberos:Nikol Stefanova (Levski Sofia), Maria-Magdalena Nedyalkova (Maritsa), Magdalena Bogdanova (Levski Sofia)
Middle Blockers:Adriana Aleksieva (Levski Sofia), Elitsa Georgieva (TTPVC), Antonia Stanislavova (CSKA), Simona Savova (Levski Sofia), Tsvetomira Velcheva (Maritsa)
Opposite Hitters:Elisaveta Sarieva (Maritsa), Bozhidara Ivanova (Levski Sofia)
Outside Hitters:Edna Todorova (Volda, Norway), Siyana Genduzova (Maritsa), Katerina Popova (Maritsa), Krasimira Garova (Levski Sofia), Zornitsa Stefanova (Levski Sofia), Nikol Okoro (CSKA).