Football also influenced the schedule of the decisive phase of EuroVolley 2026. If Italy reaches the semifinals of the European Championship, the "Azzurri" will play in the first of the two matches for a place in the final.
The Italian Federation (FIPAV) officially announced that if they qualify among the top four, Italy will take to the court on September 25 at 5:00 PM in the "Unipol Forum" in Assago near Milan.
The reason for the pre-determined time is football. On the same evening, at 8:45 PM, Italy plays against Belgium in the Nations League. Therefore, the schedule of the volleyball European Championship is adjusted so that Italy's potential semifinal does not overlap with the football match.
The decision is also related to television broadcasting. All matches from EuroVolley 2026 will be broadcast live and free in Italy on RAI channels and RaiPlay. Moving the potential semifinal of the "Azzurri" to the early hour allows the television to show both volleyball and the national football team.
Thus, even before the start of the eliminations, Italy knows when they will play if they manage to reach the battle for medals – on September 25 at 5:00 PM. The second semifinal will be later the same evening.
The decisive matches for the medals will also be held in the "Unipol Forum". After the semifinals on September 25, the third-place match and the grand final of EuroVolley 2026 will be played a day later.
In addition to RAI and RaiPlay, the European Championship will be available in Italy on Sky Sport, as well as via Sky Go, NOW, DAZN, and EuroVolleyTV.

photo: Nikolay Varadinov