Poland is the first finalist of EuroVolley 2026. The reigning European champion defeated Slovenia 3:0 (25:23, 25:23, 25:18) in the first semi-final in Milan and is now just one win away from defending its title.
The result seems decisive, but especially in the first two sets, the Slovenians had their opportunities. Poland led 20:14 in the first part, but the opponent came back to 20:18, and after an ace by Nik Mujanović and a block by Alen Pajenk against Bartosz Bolondz, the difference was again narrowed. Ultimately, a serve into the net by Klemen Čebul ended the set at 25:23.
The second set unfolded almost identically. The Poles had a lead of 15:11, Mujanović again led the Slovenian attack and the score was tied at 15:15. In the decisive moments, however, Wilfredo Leon took responsibility, and his sharp diagonal attack gave a 24:21 lead. Poland again closed the set 25:23 and took a 2:0 lead.
Slovenia had their best start in the third set and led 3:0, and then 11:7. It was then that Nikola Grbić received a significant boost from the bench. Kamil Semeniuk came in for Leon and with his serving run turned the tide of the set. Bolondz finished important counter-attacks, Marcin Komenda again involved the middle blockers, and after an attack by Bartosz Lemański, Poland was already leading 13:12.
Towards the end came the moment of Tomasz Fornal. The receiver first helped to break away at 17:14 with an important ace, and in the final rallies, he finished two consecutive attacks. The second gave the Poles match point. After that, the block did the rest – 25:18 and 3:0 for Poland.
The top scorer in the match, however, was the Slovenian Nik Mujanović with 20 points, 7 of which were direct aces. For Poland, Bartosz Bolondz finished with 14 points and 5 aces, while Tomasz Fornal and Bartosz Lemański added 11 each. Wilfredo Leon also finished with 11 points.
Mujanović's 7 aces in a three-set match are particularly impressive. However, they were not enough for Slovenia, while for Poland, the points were distributed much more evenly among the main attackers.
Thus, Poland reached a second consecutive European Championship final. In 2023, Nikola Grbić's team again eliminated Slovenia in the semi-final, then with a score of 3:1.

photo:cev.eu