Bulgaria's next opponent at EuroVolley 2026 – Portugal, begins its participation in the tournament today. At 16:00 in "Arena 8888", the Portuguese face Poland, and the match will provide an opportunity to see in an official game how João José's team looks before their encounter with Bulgaria.
For our national team, this is an excellent opportunity to get an up-to-date idea of the opponent, as only 27 hours after the start of Poland – Portugal, the Portuguese will be on the court again. Bulgaria and Portugal meet on Friday, September 11, at 19:00 in "Arena 8888".
Portugal arrived in Sofia with a changed team, in which João José is gradually combining experience with a new generation of players. The coach himself explained to CEV that the team is at a different stage compared to EuroVolley 2023. In recent years, younger volleyball players have been purposefully included in the national team, who need to be prepared for more serious roles. This summer's European League was also used precisely for expanding the squad and gaining international experience.
One of the big changes is already known – Miguel Tavares is not in Sofia. The experienced setter was a key figure for Portugal at the 2025 World Championship, including in the last meeting between the two teams at a major forum.
It is a particularly pleasant memory for Bulgaria. On September 22, 2025, in Pasay City, our national team eliminated Portugal in the round of 16 of the World Championship in the Philippines with 3:0 (25:19, 25:23, 25:13) and advanced to the quarterfinals. Tavares was in the Portuguese squad and even caused problems for Bulgaria with his serve.
Bulgaria had a serious advantage at the net in that match. Our national players finished with 37 successful attacks against 23 for Portugal and 11 blocks against only 2 for the opponent. Alex Nikolov was the top scorer in the match with 19 points, and Lourenço Martins was #1 for Portugal with 10.

A year later, however, Portugal comes to Sofia with a different configuration. João José defines the current squad not as experimental, but as a team with a wider range of capabilities, in which the young players are gradually taking on greater responsibility. At the same time, experienced players continue to be an important part of the team's structure.

Among them is captain Alexandre Ferreira, who remains one of Portugal's leading figures. The official squad for today's match with Poland also includes Diogo Fevereiro, Kelton Semedo Tavares, Filip Cveticanin, Gonçalo Gomes, Guilherme Menezes, Manuel Figueiredo, Gonçalo Cruz Sousa, Lourenço Garcia Martins, Rodrigo Costa, Tomás Teixeira, Bruno Dias, André Pereira, and Nuno Teixeira. Miguel Tavares is not among the 14.
The Portuguese are aware of the tough start that awaits them. Even before the tournament, João José described the group in Sofia as difficult and pointed to Poland and Bulgaria as among the most serious obstacles for his team. The goal set by the coach is to qualify for the next phase and to be as competitive as possible in every match.
Therefore, today's match with Poland is particularly interesting from a Bulgarian perspective. The result is important for the development of Group B, but even more valuable will be the opportunity to see how the renewed Portugal functions without Tavares – who organizes the game, what are the main directions in attack, and to what extent the team can withstand an opponent of the highest class.
And there will be little time for recovery. Poland – Portugal starts today at 16:00, and tomorrow at 19:00, the Portuguese will be on the other side of the net against Bulgaria.

photos: Nikolay Varadinov