Turkey is once again the European women's volleyball champion and has secured a direct Olympic quota. In front of their home crowd at "Sinan Erdem" in Istanbul, Daniele Santarelli's team defeated Italy 3:2 (16:25, 25:22, 12:25, 25:21, 15:10) in the EuroVolley 2026 final. Thus, Turkey defended their 2023 title and won their second European gold in history. Italy started stronger and won the first set 25:16. Turkey equalized after 25:22, but in the third set, the world and Olympic champions were dominant – 25:12. The hosts responded with 25:21, and in the decisive tie-break, they reached 15:10 and triumphed in front of their fans. The great individual clash between Melissa Vargas and Paola Egonu ended with 28 points each. Ekaterina Antropova added 16 points for Italy, Miriam Sylla – 12, and Zehra Güneş scored 12 for Turkey. Interestingly, Italy won the total number of points in the match with 103:93, largely thanks to the crushing 25:12 in the third set. The final lasted 122 minutes. The defeat also ended Italy's impressive streak of 39 consecutive victories in official matches against European national teams. The last European team to beat the Italians was Poland with 3:0 in the VNL on May 14, 2024, in Ankara. It was FIPAV that reported the streak of 39 successes after the EuroVolley semi-final against the Poles. The "Squadra Azzurra" also missed the historic opportunity to unite the three biggest titles. Italy entered the final as the reigning Olympic and world champion, and with a win, would have become only the second women's national team after the USSR to simultaneously hold the Olympic, World, and European titles.

Turkey – Italy 3:2 (16:25, 25:22, 12:25, 25:21, 15:10) Top scorers: Melissa Vargas 28, Zehra Güneş 12 (Turkey); Paola Egonu 28, Ekaterina Antropova 16, Miriam Sylla 12 (Italy).