North Macedonia concluded its participation at EuroVolley 2026 with a victory that proved crucial for Portugal's fate. The Macedonians defeated Israel 3:0 (25:21, 25:23, 25:22) in "Arena 8888 Sofia", thus sending the Portuguese to the round of 16.
After four consecutive defeats, North Macedonia managed to finish the group stage with a success. Despite the clean sweep, all three sets were relatively contested, but the Macedonians maintained their advantage in the decisive moments – 25:21, 25:23, and 25:22. The official CEV statistics show a total of 75:66 points for North Macedonia.
Nikola Gjorgiev was the top scorer for the winners with 20 points. The experienced opposite hitter made 19 out of 30 attacks for an excellent 63% success rate and added one block. Stojan Iliev also played a very strong match and finished with 14 points, all from attack, with an impressive 74% success rate – 14 out of 19.
The top scorer in the entire match was Shay Mayo Lieberman from Israel with 21 points. He made 21 out of 34 attacks for 62%. Mark Rura added 12 points – 11 from attack and one block.
Before the last match, the situation at the bottom of Group B was clear – Portugal had already finished its participation with one win and 4 points and had to wait for a North Macedonia victory over Israel.
The Macedonians did what was necessary. After their success, all three teams finished the group with an equal balance of one win and four losses. The second tie-breaking criterion – points won – proved decisive.
| Place | Team | Wins | Losses | Points | Sets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Portugal | 1 | 4 | 4 | 5:12 |
| 5 | North Macedonia | 1 | 4 | 3 | 3:12 |
| 6 | Israel | 1 | 4 | 2 | 5:14 |
With an equal number of wins, Portugal remained ahead of North Macedonia and Israel thanks to its 4 points. The Macedonians finished with 3, and the Israelis with 2. Thus, Portugal took fourth place and advanced to the knockout phase, while North Macedonia and Israel concluded their participation. The success will not take North Macedonia to the round of 16, but the team finished EuroVolley 2026 with a victory and left Israel in last place in the group. This is also North Macedonia's fifth victory in the history of its participations in the final phase of the European championships. However, the biggest winner from the result turned out to be Portugal. The Portuguese no longer had control over their own destiny, but North Macedonia's 3:0 (25:21, 25:23, 25:22) victory secured them fourth place and a ticket to the round of 16.
photo: Nikolay Varadinov
