A historic evening for Italian and European volleyball is set to take place in Naples. All tickets for the Italy – Sweden match of EuroVolley 2026 have been sold, and this evening 5932 spectators will fill the specially constructed arena in the emblematic "Piazza del Plebiscito".
The match starts at 9:05 PM Italian time (10:05 PM Bulgarian time) and will mark the beginning of world champion Italy's participation in the European Championship.
Among the spectators will be the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, and organizers expect numerous representatives of Italian and international sports and political institutions.
Before and during the match, Planet Funk – one of the most recognizable Italian groups on the international dance and electronic scene – will perform.
But the spectacle in Naples is far from limited to what will happen on the court.
200 workers and more than three weeks for one volleyball evening
The transformation of "Piazza del Plebiscito" into a volleyball arena represents a huge technical and logistical operation.
Work began on August 17, involving approximately 200 workers. In just over three weeks, one of Naples' symbols has been practically transformed from scratch into a facility meeting the requirements for an international volleyball match and television broadcast.
Two large temporary stands have been built, reaching16 meters in height, and in front of the Royal Palace, a special stand for official guests is located.
Approximately500 floodlightshave been installed for lighting, and more than200 devicesare intended for special effects and the scenography of the ceremony.
Another indicator of the project's scale is the approximately1000 square meters of printed graphics and textile elementsused for the overall branding of the temporary arena.
For the first time, "Piazza del Plebiscito" hosts a sporting event of such magnitude.
After this unusual premiere, EuroVolley continues for Italy in one of the country's most iconic volleyball halls – "PalaPanini" in Modena. There, the "Azzurri" will play their remaining four group stage matches against Greece, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Slovenia.
The first four teams in the group advance to the round of 16 in Turin, and the decisive part of the championship will conclude on September 25 and 26 in Milan.
Before that, however, Italy wants to kick off in front of 5932 spectators in the heart of Naples – with open-air volleyball, the President of the Republic in the stands, and one of Europe's most recognizable squares transformed into a volleyball arena for one evening.
photos:federvolley.it
