Sofia.A wave of thousands of flags, pyrotechnics, and chants flooded St. Alexander Nevsky Square as the double-decker open-top bus with the silver medalists from the World Championship in the Philippines made its way through the city center. The huge video wall transformed the procession into a shared experience – from the start at Hotel Vitosha to the final bow before the sea of people.

The atmosphere – a celebration felt in the chest.

Even before sunset, the square was teeming – families with children on their shoulders, students with blue-and-white scarves, and Bulgarian tricolors everywhere. A musical program was playing from the stage, but the real excitement grew in front of the video wall, where footage from the column with the open-top bus ignited shouts and applause with every update.

The cameras captured one of the moments of the evening: a fan running alongside the bus and shouting heartily "Only Levski!" – a natural refrain, as seven of the national team players grew up in the "blue" club. The square responded with a storm of chants, and on the high second floor of the bus, the boys waved their medals and made heart shapes with their hands.

When the bus turned past the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences building, the square was no longer just watching – it was living every second:Bulgarians, heroes!", "Bravo, lions!", "Bulgaria!".

Fireworks in national colors gave a Hollywood finish to the team's entrance on stage. Each national team player walked the red carpet, cameras zoomed in on their faces – fatigue and happiness in one. A sign of reciprocity – the team turned their backs for a big selfie with the sea of people behind them.

The timeline and logistics allowed the event to "breathe" – without oversaturation and with a constant culmination towards the square. The live broadcast on the video wall turned the entire route into a shared stage; the inclusion of the fan running and chanting "Only Levski" symbolically highlighted the club roots of a core of the national team players and gave an organic, "street" rhythm to the celebration.

What the participants in the celebration said:

• Lyubomir Ganev –"The proudest president; we felt you even in the Philippines. Next year we are hosting the European Championship – we are seriously considering Sofia, because Varna will be too small for us. Goal: Nations League upwards, European Championship at home, course towards Los Angeles 2028."
  

  
  

  
  For Bulgaria, hosting is a chance to capitalize on the enthusiasm at home – full halls, sustained interest from young people, and a real goal for a medal with an "ardent" audience. And last but not least, the winner qualifies for Los Angeles.
  

  Event	Dates	Hosts	Format	Finals
  EuroVolley 2026 (men)	9–26 September 2026	Bulgaria, Italy, Romania, Finland	24 teams, 4 groups	Italy

• Gianlorenzo Blengini –in Bulgarian: "Bulgarians, heroes! Bulgaria, heroes! Thank you!" – a few words, but the perfect motto for the evening.
  

  
  

• Aleksandar Nikolov –"This medal is less important than the fact that we united the nation. I love Bulgaria – thank you for your support."
  

  
  

• Alex Grozdanov –"We united the people; we went through injuries and difficult moments – there was a result, thank you for your faith."
  

  
  

• Simeon Nikolov –"As long as we play for Bulgaria, each of us is ready to die on the court. We want to see you here again."
  

  
  

• Rusi Zhelev –"Bulgaria has always been and will always be volleyball. Look for a bigger square for the Olympic gold."
  
  

  
  

• Iliya Petkov –"The youngest team – our youth helps us play without unnecessary pressure. Next year again in front of our home crowd."
  

  
  

• Venislav Antov –Our biggest weapon is teamwork. We come from strong championships – we will return even better.
  

  
  

• Georgi Tatarov –Incredible emotion; hopefully more children will enter the gyms – sport is the way forward.
  
  

  
  

• Dimitar Karov –Heroic! You turned the game around against the USA from 0:2, you tamed Czechia. You made Bulgaria cry with joy.

Two words summarized the evening –prideandunityThe square was the stage, the bus – the bridge, and the video wall – the heart that synchronized the pulse of the city with the rhythm of the team. After the silver medal – the goals are now golden.