Poland is the first quarterfinalist from the Sofia bracket at EuroVolley 2026. The world No. 1 allowed no surprises against Latvia and won convincingly 3:0 (25:17, 25:16, 25:16), turning their Round of 16 match into a kind of training session before the much more serious challenge in the next round.
The opponent for the Poles in the quarterfinal will be determined tonight at "Arena 8888 Sofia," where at 7:00 PM, Bulgaria faces Germany. Thus, if our national team wins, we will get a Bulgaria – Poland rematch just a few days after the dramatic group stage match, won by Gianlorenzo Blengini's team 3:2.
The class difference between Poland and Latvia was evident from the very first set. Nikola Grbić started with Marcin Komenda, Bartosz Bolondz, Wilfredo Leon, Tomasz Fornal, Bartosz Lemanski, Szymon Jakubiszak, and libero Jakub Popiwczak. The Poles took a 6:2 lead, and their block immediately began to create huge problems for the Latvian attack. The first set ended 25:17.
Latvia managed to create a little more tension at the beginning of the second set and even led 7:6. After that, however, Poland again shifted into a higher gear. After two sets, the blocking difference was already an impressive 11:2, and Fornal closed the second set with two consecutive successful attacks for 25:16.
The third set was a formality. Grbić gave some of the reserves a chance, but this did not change the balance of power. Poland again won 25:16 and finished the Round of 16 without unnecessary expenditure of energy.
The most effective player in the match was Tomasz Fornal with 19 points, of which an impressive 11 were scored from his own serve – either from a block or a counter-attack. Szymon Jakubiszak added 11 points, and Bartosz Lemanski and Bartosz Bolondz finished with 8 each. Poland also made a significant difference from the serve – 5 aces against only 1 for Latvia.
For the Poles, the actual knockout phase of EuroVolley practically begins from the quarterfinal. The Polish press itself also notes the huge difference in level in this Round of 16, describing the match as a "stroll" for the reigning European champion and emphasizing that the bar will be raised sharply against the winner of Bulgaria – Germany.