A day before departing for the two control matches with the Netherlands, the final roster of the Bulgarian women's national team for EuroVolley 2026 was announced.
Head coach Marcello Abbondanza has already selected the 14 volleyball players he will rely on for the European Championship in the Czech Republic. The last three players to be cut from the extended squad are Dimana Ivanova, Gabriela Zhekova, and Aleksandra Kitipova.
Thus, Abbondanza will travel to the championship with two setters, two opposites, four outside hitters, four middle blockers, and two liberos.

Bulgaria's roster for EuroVolley 2026

Setters:

• Lora Slavcheva

• Margarita Guncheva
  Opposites:

• Iva Dudova

• Mikaela Stoyanova
  Outside Hitters:

• Tsvetelina Ilieva

• Alexandra Milanova

• Monika Krasteva

• Emileta Racheva
  Middle Blockers:

• Maria Krivoshiyska

• Elena Kolarova

• Boryana Angelova

• Kaya Nikolova
  Libero:

• Zhana Todorova

• Mila Pashkuleva
  The final selection comes after several squad changes during preparation. Bulgaria started working with an extended group, but subsequently, Marcello Abbondanza had to react to personnel problems as well.
  Middle blocker Darina Naneva was released for medical reasons due to inflammation in her lower back. Maria Krivoshiyska joined the team in her place. The 24-year-old volleyball player joined the preparation later due to family problems, but ultimately found a place among the selected 14.
  There was also a change among the outside hitters. Kalina Veneva will not participate in the European Championship, after her family decided that she should recover and focus her preparation on the start of the club season in Italy. Her place was taken by Emileta Racheva. The 27-year-old outside hitter has serious international experience. Last club season she played for Serbian Železničar (Lajkovac) and participated in the Champions League, and was also part of the Bulgarian national team in the Volleyball Nations League.
  With the last selection, Dimana Ivanova, Gabriela Zhekova, and Alexandra Kitipova also remained outside the EuroVolley squad.

Last test match against the Netherlands

Before the start of the European Championship, Bulgaria will play only two friendly matches. The national team will face the Netherlands on August 15 and 16, and these matches will be the last opportunity for Marcello Abbondanza to test his team in a game environment before the championship. After the friendly matches, the Bulgarian team will depart for Sofia and a day later for Brno, where they will play their Group B matches of EuroVolley 2026 against the Czech Republic, Serbia, Ukraine, Greece, and Austria.

Who are the 24 in Bulgaria's extended list

A total of 24 players are included in the extended list for EuroVolley 2026 published by CEV. Of these, a maximum of 14 can be registered to participate in the championship, with the final squad confirmed via the CEV 05bis form after the team's arrival in Brno. All selected volleyball players must have been previously included in the extended CEV 05 list.

The extended list gives the staff greater freedom in an emergency. The CEV regulations allow for one medical substitution after the official confirmation of the squad during the final phase of EuroVolley. It can only be made for duly proven medical reasons, certified by the team doctor and after approval by the CEV jury, and the substitute must necessarily be on the extended CEV 05 list. It is noteworthy that among the 24 players are two of Bulgaria's world champions in the junior category - Darina Naneva and Kalina Veneva, who subsequently dropped out of the women's national team's preparation. According to our media, no decision has been made yet to penalize Kalina Veneva for not appearing for the women's national team, but it remains questionable whether Marcello Abbondanza and his staff will call her up again next season.