The reigning European champion Turkey is the last team to secure a spot among the top eight at EuroVolley Women 2026.
In the last round of 16 match of the program, the Turkish team gave Azerbaijan little chance and won convincingly 3:0 (25:14, 25:16, 25:22) in 79 minutes.
The Azerbaijani team, who finished third in their home group in Baku, only managed to put up a more serious fight against the European champions in the third set. In it, they took the lead several times and kept the intrigue alive, but in the decisive moments, Turkey's class prevailed.
In the first two sets, the difference was significant – 25:14 and 25:16, with the hosts completely controlling the development of the match. The Turkish team had superiority in the main elements and a particularly serious difference in attack and blocking.
Melissa Vargas was once again the top scorer for the winners with 16 points, 8 of which were scored from Turkey's own serve. Zehra Güneş added 12 points, Hande Baladın finished with 10, and İlkin Aydın with 9.
For Azerbaijan, Polina Rahimova was the top scorer with 12 points.
Thus, Turkey minimized their time on the court before the much more serious challenge in the next phase. In the quarterfinals, the European champions will face Germany, who earlier today eliminated Belgium after a true five-set thriller.
With the conclusion of Turkey – Azerbaijan, all eight teams that continue the battle for the European title are now clear. Poland and the Netherlands will meet each other after overcoming Portugal and Slovenia respectively on Monday. Italy and Sweden also advance after their successes in Brno.
All EuroVolley Women 2026 quarterfinals:
Poland – Netherlands
Turkey – Germany
Serbia – Greece
Italy – Sweden
The final phase of the European Championship will conclude on September 6 in Istanbul, with the new European champion also receiving a direct quota for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

photo:cev.eu