One of the strongest friendly tournaments in world volleyball starts today in Krakow. From August 28 to 30, "Tauron Arena" hosts the XXIII Hubert Jerzy Wagner Memorial, and this year the lineup of the competition is impressive – Poland, USA, Slovenia, and France.
For the hosts, the tournament is of particular importance. This is the last serious test for Nikola Grbić's team before EuroVolley 2026 and the trip to Sofia, where Poland will be one of Bulgaria's opponents in Group B. Besides these two teams, the group includes Ukraine, Portugal, Israel, and North Macedonia.
The tournament in Krakow practically gathers some of the world's volleyball elite. Poland comes as the winner of the Nations League 2026, after defeating the USA 3:2 (25:21, 23:25, 25:27, 25:23, 15:10) in the final. Slovenia was also among the strongest teams in this year's VNL edition, and France arrives as the Olympic champion from Paris 2024.
Thus, Nikola Grbić will have the opportunity to test his team in three consecutive matches against top-level opponents immediately before the European Championship.
Wagner Memorial program in Bulgarian time:
August 28
6:30 PM – USA – France
9:30 PM – Poland – Slovenia
August 29
3:00 PM – France – Slovenia
6:00 PM – Poland – USA
August 30
3:00 PM – Slovenia – USA
6:00 PM – Poland – France
Of particular interest from a Bulgarian perspective will be Poland's three matches, as "drużyna polska" is one of the main opponents of our national team in Sofia.
The big clashPoland – Bulgaria is on September 16 at 7:00 PM in "Arena 8888 Sofia"Therefore, the Wagner Memorial will provide a good idea of what condition Nikola Grbić and his volleyball players will be in when they arrive in the Bulgarian capital for EuroVolley 2026.
