It took only a year for the world hierarchy in European volleyball to be almost completely overturned. EuroVolley 2026 became a real test for the strongest teams from the last World Championship in the Philippines, and after the sensation in Turin, three of the four teams from the world's Top 4 are now out of contention for the European title.
Bulgaria, Czech Republic, and now Italy have concluded their participation. Of the four teams that reached the decisive phase of the World Cup in the Philippines, only Poland remained in the EuroVolley semifinals.
The last major shock came at 'PalaVela' in Turin. Italy lost to Finland 2:3 (25:21, 26:28, 16:25, 25:20, 13:15) and remained outside the final four that will determine the medalists in Milan.
The Italians were only four points away from the semi-final. In the tie-break, Ferdinando De Giorgi's team led 11:8, but Finland turned everything around and closed the match 15:13. This very moment became a symbol of immense disappointment for the hosts.

Italian press: "Failure", "darkness over Turin" and the lowest point under De Giorgi

The scale of the defeat is best seen from the reactions in Italy. Local media do not simply accept what happened as a surprising elimination from a European championship, but as one of the most difficult moments for the national team in recent years.
"Gazzetta dello Sport" was among the most categorical – "È flop Italia", or "Failure for Italy". The publication describes the defeat as the lowest point in Ferdinando De Giorgi's five-year tenure at the helm of the team and insists that a careful and strict analysis must follow what happened. The text also brings back the painful memory for Italian volleyball from the 2018 World Cup, again in Turin, speaking of the return of the "ghosts of Turin".
Gazzetta's criticism is not limited to the performance against Finland. Questions have also been raised about selection decisions for the championship – including the absence of Alessandro Bovolenta and the choice for Italy to arrive with five receivers and only three middle blockers. This now shifts the conversation from a lost tie-break to the way the team was built for the entire tournament.
"Corriere della Sera" describes the evening even more gloomily: "Darkness fell over Turin". The analysis emphasizes Italy's inability to exert its usual pressure from the serve, problems with blocking, and the fact that the Italians never found a solution against Joonas Jokela and Luka Marttila. Finland did not just survive the match – they managed to impose the game that was most uncomfortable for the hosts.
"La Repubblica" begins with a single definition – "Clamoroso al PalaVela", or "Sensation at PalaVela". The publication speaks of a performance significantly below the usual level of the "Azzurri", highlighting reception as one of the fundamentals where Italy lost the battle. Only 35% positive reception against 51% for Finland seriously limited Simone Giannelli's ability to organize the attack.
The tone of "Eurosport Italia" is similar, where the definition is "bruttissima partita" – "a very poor match" for Italy. There is no attempt to present the defeat solely as a sensation or bad luck. Finland is named as a fully deserved winner, and among the main reasons are the performances of Jokela, Marttila, and libero Niklas Köykkä.
The commonality among the reactions is telling. The Italian press almost never seeks justification in sensation. The main question is how a team with ambitions for the European title, and that too in front of its home crowd in Turin, reached a situation where it failed to close a quarter-final, after already leading 11:8 in the decisive set.
De Giorgi also did not seek an excuse. "At 11:8, you have to close the match," admitted the coach, taking responsibility for the defeat. Simone Giannelli was also extremely clear after the end: Italy failed to play a match at the required level and made too many technical errors.
That's precisely why the defeat hurts so much in Italy. It's not just about a loss to Finland. It's about a missed opportunity at a moment when the semi-final already seemed within reach.

Bulgaria and Italy let slip matches they had in their hands

There is also a curious similarity between the elimination of two of the teams from the world's Top 4. Bulgaria led 2:0 against Germany in the round of 16 in Sofia, but the Germans made a complete comeback and won 3:2. Italy came even closer to the next phase – 11:8 in the decisive fifth set against Finland, but also failed to take the final step.
Thus, two of the strongest European teams from the last World Championship left EuroVolley after dramatic five-set battles and after at various points they seemed very close to advancing.

Only Poland remained from the world's Top 4

The picture after the quarterfinals is impressive. Bulgaria finished in the round of 16, the Czech Republic also did not reach the decisive weekend, and Italy was stopped in the quarter-finals by Finland.
Poland remained the only representative of the world's top four still fighting for the European title.
And it was Finland that became the biggest sensation at EuroVolley. The Northerners are now among the four best teams in Europe and will play against France for a place in the final. In the other semi-final, Poland will meet Slovenia.

EuroVolley rearranged the world's top four

Just one year after the World Championship in the Philippines, the European Championship showed how fragile the established hierarchy on the Old Continent can be. Three of the four teams that played for medals at the World Championship will not be in Milan for the decisive EuroVolley weekend.
Bulgaria, Czech Republic, and Italy are out. Poland remained the only one from the world's Top 4.
And Finland – the team that shouldn't have been a big obstacle on Italy's path to Milan – is now traveling there itself.

photo:cev.eu