The Polish Volleyball Federation (PZPS) has officially confirmed that one of the national team's leaders, Jakub Kochanowski, will not participate in the 2026 European Championship. The federation announced that the latest medical examinations did not show the necessary improvement in the condition of the middle blocker's knee, which is why he will undergo surgery. Thus, he is definitively out of Nikola Grbic's squad for the championship on the Old Continent. In the official statement, PZPS wishes the athlete a successful recovery and a quick return to the court.
Kochanowski himself also confirmed the news via his Instagram profile, where he wrote: "There is no way I can recover for the European Championship, so I have to focus on my recovery and the club season."
For the readers ofVolleyWeek.bgthis development is not surprising. Even before the final tournament of the Nations League, we informed that the middle blocker was out of Nikola Grbic's plans due to a knee injury. Kochanowski did not play in the third week of the tournament in Chicago, was not included in the squad for the Nations League finals in Ningbo, and now it is clear that he will not be available for Euro 2026 either.
In his absence, Poland relies on Bartosz Lemanski and Szymon Jakubiszak as the starting pair of middle blockers. They were the ones who started today's quarter-final of the Nations League finals against Ukraine, and the young Jakub Nowak is the third middle blocker in the squad.
The news also has direct significance for the Bulgarian national team. Bulgaria and Poland are in preliminary Group B of the European Championship in Sofia, where Ukraine, Portugal, Israel, and North Macedonia will also compete. Thus, "Druzyna Polska" will arrive in the Bulgarian capital without one of the best middle blockers in the world and a key pillar of the team in recent years. Although Nikola Grbic's selection remains among the favorites for the title, Kochanowski's absence is undoubtedly a serious blow to the Polish team on the eve of Euro 2026.
photo: Nikolay Varadinov
