The wait is almost over – on Saturday, October 4th, at 7:30 PM, the official draw for the 2026 European Volleyball Championship will take place in the historic "Castello Svevo" hall in Bari. The ceremony will be streamed live on CEV's YouTube channel, and for all fans, this will be the first important moment on the road to next summer's biggest volleyball event.
🌍 Euro 2026 Format and Hosts
The European Championship will be held in eight countries – four for men and four for women, with a total of 24 teams participating in each gender category.
🏐 Women's Tournament: August 21 – September 6
Hosts: Istanbul (Turkey), Brno (Czech Republic), Gothenburg (Sweden), Baku (Azerbaijan)
Turkey will defend its 2023 title in front of its home crowd, after reaching a historic silver medal this year at the World Championship in Thailand.
🏐 Men's Tournament: September 10 – 26
Hosts: Italy, Bulgaria, Finland, Romania
The opening match will be played outdoors in Piazza del Plebiscito in Naples on September 10.
The semifinals and final will be held at Arena Santa Giulia in Milan on September 25 and 26 – the same arena that will host the ice hockey tournament of the "Milano Cortina 2026" Olympic Games.
Among the other hosts are Modena and Turin (Italy), Tampere (Finland), and Cluj-Napoca (Romania).
The defending champion is Poland, which triumphed in Rome in 2023.
🏅 European Champion goes directly to Los Angeles 2028
With the highest stakes in the tournament's history to date, the winner of Euro 2026 will also secure a direct quota for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. This transforms the championship not only into a battle for the European summit but also into the first decisive stage of the Olympic cycle.
This change means that from the group stage, every point and every set will carry immense weight, and the teams' motivation will be higher than ever.
🇧🇬 Bulgaria – a host with ambitions and a rising wave of fans
Our country will once again host part of the championship matches, which were initially planned to be played in Varna.
However, after the historic silver medal from the World Championship in the Philippines, interest in Bulgaria's national team skyrocketed, which has already led to discussions about moving the matches to Sofia – so that more fans can be part of the celebration and support the "Lions" on their way to European medals.
🗳️ How the Draw Will Proceed
The four hosts will be placed at the head of the groups.
Each of them has the right to choose one team from the qualifiers, which will directly enter the respective group – the names of these chosen opponents will be announced during the ceremony.
After that, the remaining teams will be distributed into four pots according to the current European ranking and will be drawn by lot.
📅 Tickets and key dates
Ticket sales for the 'volleyball event of the year' will begin on November 7, 2025 – one month after the draw.
Fans can now save the dates so they don't miss the European spectacle live.
🏆 Commentary: Bulgaria enters a new era
The silver medal from the World Championship in the Philippines not only brought the Bulgarian men's national team back among the world elite but also unleashed an unprecedented wave of enthusiasm among fans. This now presents new organizational challenges – such as the idea of moving matches from Varna to Sofia so that more people can be part of the magic of Euro 2026.
Saturday's draw will not only determine the opponents – it will provide a clear idea of how far this rejuvenated and ambitious Bulgarian team can go. And with home crowds behind them, new confidence after the Philippines, and an Olympic quota as the grand prize, the 'Lions' will certainly be among the most dangerous contenders for the European title.
