Sofia will start living with EuroVolley 2026 even before the first referee's whistle in "Arena 8888". A giant volleyball with a countdown clock will be placed on "Sveta Nedelya" Square as part of the initiatives around the Men's European Championship.
The installation will be officially opened on September 4 at 10:30 AM. The clock in it will count down the remaining time until the start of the championship in Sofia on September 9.
The opening will be attended by Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev, Bulgarian Volleyball Federation President Lyubomir Ganev, national team captain Alex Grozdanov, head coach Gianlorenzo Blengini, and his assistant Andrey Zhekov. They will symbolically kick off the countdown.
The large volleyball will remain on "Sveta Nedelya" Square until the end of the European Championship and will be one of the special locations in the capital where fans can take photos during the championship.
EuroVolley 2026 begins for Bulgaria on September 9 at 7:00 PM, when the world vice-champions will face North Macedonia in "Arena 8888".
All matches from Group B, four round of 16 matches, and two quarter-finals will be played in Sofia. Bulgaria will successively meet North Macedonia, Portugal, Ukraine, Israel, and Poland, with all national team matches starting at 7:00 PM.
Bulgaria's schedule in Group B:
September 9, 7:00 PM – Bulgaria – North Macedonia
September 11, 7:00 PM – Bulgaria – Portugal
September 12, 7:00 PM – Bulgaria – Ukraine
September 14, 7:00 PM – Bulgaria – Israel
September 16, 7:00 PM – Bulgaria – Poland
The round of 16 matches in the Bulgarian capital will be on September 19 and 20, and the two quarter-finals on September 22. The decisive phase of EuroVolley 2026 with the semi-finals and medal matches will take place in Italy.
The European Championship will also extend beyond "Arena 8888". There will be a fan zone in front of the hall, and the special EuroVolley Camp will be located in the park behind the "Earth and Man" Museum, near "European Union" metro station. Volleyball installations for photos are also planned at "Vasil Levski Stadium" metro station.
Between September 8 and 26, six capital parks will also join the volleyball program. From 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM, those interested will be able to play volleyball in "Lyulin" Park, "Studentski" Park, "Geo Milev" Park, North Park, South Park, and "100 Years Sofia" Park in "Mladost" district. Various activities and prizes are provided for participants.
The volleyball theme is also included in the Sofia Municipality's photo contest "In Step", whose September edition will be under the motto "Sofia is Volleyball".
Thus, five days before Bulgaria's first match, "Sveta Nedelya" Square will symbolically kick off the countdown to one of the biggest sporting events in Sofia in 2026.