The head coach of the Israeli men's national team, Itamar Stein, set qualification for the round of 16 as the main goal for the team at EuroVolley 2026 in Sofia.
Israel is one of Bulgaria's opponents in Group B at "Arena 8888 Sofia", along with Poland, Ukraine, Portugal, and North Macedonia. The team is already in Sofia and preparing for the tournament.
In an interview with the official website of the Israeli Volleyball Federation, Stein emphasized that merely reaching the European Championship is a significant achievement, but the team does not intend to be satisfied with just participating.
"The qualification itself is already a great success. But we want more. Our goal at this European Championship is to qualify for the round of 16," stated Itamar Stein.
According to the coach, the matches against Portugal and North Macedonia will be key to achieving this task. However, the Israelis do not intend to give up prematurely against the other opponents in the group either.
Stein singles out Bulgaria and Poland as the strongest forces in the group, while the Israeli team will also look for its opportunities against Ukraine.
"We have no inferiority complex against anyone," is the coach's message before the start of the tournament. He emphasizes that the team respects its opponents but will go onto the court with the ambition to win.
Stein pays special attention to North Macedonia – an opponent Israel knows very well from its recent international appearances.
"We know the Macedonians very well. When we go out on the court, it will be an open and tough battle. We feel that today we are better than them," commented the Israeli coach.
The two teams also met this season in the European League, where Israel continued its ascent under Stein's leadership. The team finished the main phase of the tournament with six wins and 17 points and reached the semifinals. With this, Israel also secured a spot at EuroVolley 2028.
The team's progress is not just momentary. Back in June, Stein told CEV that his ambition is for Israel to continue to progress, listing qualification for a World Championship among the national team's next major goals.
Now, however, the focus is entirely on Sofia.
"We want to leave our mark at this European Championship," summarizes Itamar Stein.
Israel begins its participation in EuroVolley 2026 against Ukraine on September 10th at "Arena 8888 Sofia". On the official CEV page, the match is scheduled for 7:00 PM.
photo: iva.org.il
