Three Bulgarian national teams will take to the court today, August 21, and parallel to the start of EuroVolley 2026 for women, two more continental championships are starting – in Asia and the NORCECA zone.
The main focus for Bulgarian fans is in Brno, where the Bulgarian women's national team begins its participation in the European Championship. Marcello Abbondanza's team will face Ukraine at 18:00 (Bulgarian time). The match will be broadcast live on bTV Action and online on VOYO. Bulgaria is in Group B along with the Czech Republic, Serbia, Ukraine, Greece, and Austria, with the first four teams advancing to the round of 16.
The day for Bulgarian volleyball starts earlier. At 13:00 (Bulgarian time), the U20 girls will meet Serbia in their last group match of the European qualification in Mostar. Bulgaria has already played its matches against Turkey and Russia, with the Russian team participating in the tournament but not in determining the winner and quota holder. The tournament can be followed on the SOK Mostar YouTube channel, which broadcasts the competition days.
At 17:00 (Bulgarian time), Bulgaria U17 boys will face Spain in their second match at the World Championship in Doha. Ivan Stanev's boys started the tournament with a 3:0 (25:20, 25:22, 25:21) victory over Egypt and will be looking for a second success in Group D. The Spain – Bulgaria match will be on MAX One. The World Championship schedule confirms the start time of the match.
Bulgarian teams today – August 21
13:00 Serbia – Bulgaria – European qualification U20, women –YouTube (SOK Mostar)
17:00 Spain – Bulgaria – World Championship U17, men –MAX One
18:00 Bulgaria – Ukraine – EuroVolley 2026, women –bTV Action / VOYO
Eight matches will be played today in the four groups of EuroVolley 2026. For Bulgaria, the match against Ukraine marks the beginning of a series of five matches in the preliminary phase, with the first four teams in the group advancing to the round of 16.
EuroVolley 2026 – women, August 21
14:00 France – Slovakia
15:00 Austria – Serbia
17:00 Croatia – Italy
18:00 Bulgaria – Ukraine
18:00 Azerbaijan – Portugal
19:00 Turkey – Latvia
20:00 Sweden – Montenegro
21:00 Czech Republic – Greece
Parallel to the European Championship, the Asian Women's Championship also begins. The tournament in Tianjin, China, gathers 12 teams divided into three groups. China, Chinese Taipei, Iran, and Iraq are in Group A, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, and Australia are in Group B, while Japan, Vietnam, Republic of Korea, and Hong Kong (China) form Group C.
Asian Championship – Women, August 21
05:00 Chinese Taipei – Iran
09:00 Thailand – Australia
13:30 Japan – Hong Kong (China)
Watch onVBTV
The third continental championship starting today is the NORCECA Championship in Santo Domingo. Eight teams are divided into two groups. Group A includes USA, Canada, Mexico, and Trinidad and Tobago, while Group B includes Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Costa Rica.
NORCECA – Women, August 21
20:00 USA – Trinidad and Tobago
22:30 Canada – Mexico
Thus, August 21 offers an almost continuous international volleyball program – from early morning with the Asian Championship to late evening with NORCECA. For Bulgarian fans, there are three highlights – Serbia – Bulgaria in the U20 girls' category, Spain – Bulgaria at the U17 World Championship, and Bulgaria – Ukraine at the start of EuroVolley 2026 for women.