The Bulgarian women's national team will play its 200th match in the history of European Championships in the Round of 16 against Italy. The match is on Monday, August 31, at 5:00 PM Bulgarian time in "Pavilion P" at the exhibition center in Brno.
The interesting historical data before the match was published by the Italian Volleyball Federation (FIPAV) in its official material for the game.
Italy arrived in Brno after a flawless group stage in Gothenburg. The team led by Julio Velasco won all five of its matches in Group D and lost only one set – in their 3-1 victory against France.
Bulgaria finished fourth in Group B, which was held in Brno. Marcello Abbondanza's team recorded two wins and three losses and secured a place among the top 16 on the continent.
Bulgaria leads Italy in head-to-head matches at EuroVolley
The upcoming match will be the 52nd overall between Bulgaria and Italy. The Italians have 31 victories against 20 for our national team.
However, the balance at European Championships is quite different. Bulgaria leads with 6-4 victories in the ten previous encounters between the two teams at EuroVolley.
According to FIPAV, Bulgaria is one of only four national teams with a positive record against Italy in the history of European Championships. The others are Russia, including the results of the USSR – 9-5, East Germany – 6-0, and the Netherlands – 11-10.
The last match between Bulgaria and Italy at a European Championship was in 2023 in Monza, when the Italians won 3-0. Ekaterina Antropova scored 15 points, and Miriam Sylla – 14. For Bulgaria, Maria Yordanova finished with 8, and Radostina Marinova with 7 points.
Bulgaria awaits an official victory over Italy since 2003
Bulgaria's last victory over Italy in an official match dates back to the 2003 European Championship – 3-2. At that time, the coach of the Bulgarian national team was Giovanni Guidetti.
Since then, Italy has won 13 consecutive official matches against Bulgaria. The Italians have lost only one set in the last eight official matches between the two teams – in their 3-1 success in the Nations League in 2025.
The two teams also met in VNL 2026. On June 3 in Brazil, Italy won 3-0, with Antropova finishing with 14 points. Alexandra Milanova was the top scorer for Bulgaria with 12.
Another interesting statistic published by the Italian federation is that Bulgaria has one win and eight losses at European Championships against a team that was the reigning world champion at the time. The only success is precisely the 3-2 victory against Italy in 2003.
Our national team also has one victory from five matches at European Championships against the reigning Olympic champion. It was achieved in 1981 – 3-0 against the USSR.
The memory of the bronze in 2001
Bulgaria last reached a European Championship semi-final in 2001. At that time, the national team won the bronze medals precisely after a 3-0 victory over Italy in the third-place match.
At EuroVolley 2023, Bulgaria reached the quarterfinals, where they were eliminated by the Netherlands with a 0-3 score.
According to FIPAV statistics, Bulgaria has 11 wins and 15 losses in European Championship matches played in the territory of the Czech Republic and former Czechoslovakia. In Brno alone, the balance is 4 wins and 8 losses.
Italy, on the other hand, has 8 wins and 6 losses at European Championships in Brno. The city also holds a special place in Julio Velasco's career – his previous participation in EuroVolley at the helm of the Italian women's national team was precisely here in 1997. At that time, the Italians recorded five wins and two losses and finished in fifth place.
Alessia Orro: Bulgaria can create problems for us
Italy's setter Alessia Orro warned that the world champions expect serious resistance from Bulgaria.
"A good match awaits us. Finally, the matches begin where you either continue or you're eliminated. We are playing against Bulgaria – a team that can create problems for us, defends a lot, and blocks and touches many balls on the block. That's why we need to be as concentrated as possible to impose our game from the very beginning. The feelings are positive, we are working and training well in the hall and finalizing the last details. I expect a good match," Orro stated to the official website of the Italian Volleyball Federation.
The elimination phase also brings additional pressure, but according to Orro, the Italian team is used to playing in such situations.
"I am experiencing this moment like all other similar situations I have been through. We know that we carry great responsibility, but that certainly doesn't scare us. We are a team that knows how to play under such pressure, so I expect the team to keep its nerves," added the setter.
Italy successfully passed through the round of 16 in the last three European Championships – in 2019, 2021, and 2023. Bulgaria, on the other hand, will play in Brno for one of its historic matches – match No. 200 for our country in the history of the European Championships.
