The Bulgarian national U18 men's volleyball team qualified for the European Championship finals in Italy from July 7 to 18, 2026, in Italy, after defeating Serbia in the decisive regional qualification match witha 3:1 score in sets. Thus, the protégés of head coachMiroslav Zhivkovtook the most important revenge against an opponent to whom they had earlier dramatically lost 2:3 in the tournament.
The Bulgarians reached the final after victories overGreeceandMontenegro, and the defeat by Serbia in the group stage only added extra motivation for the decisive clash.
Match Progression
Bulgaria started more focused and took the first set, but Serbia managed to get back into the match, leveling after a second set that ended after overtime in favor of our western neighbor. The third set was a real battle – both teams went point for point, and at 21:20, our players withstood the pressure and took a 2:1 lead in sets.
The fourth set, however, was a total Bulgarian monologue. A run ofseven consecutive pointsfinally broke the 'Blues'. Everything worked flawlessly, especially the block, which literally stifled the Serbian attack. Serbia managed to save match point twice, butNikola Gradinarovput an end to the dispute, and the 'white flag' was finally raised.
The hero of the match wasAntoan Veselinov, who was unstoppable in attack and on the block.
Individual performance of Bulgarian athletes
Antoan Veselinov- 23 points, +16, 1 block, 49% in attack
Nikola Gradinarov- 14 points, +8, 1 block, 50% in attack
Adrian Ganev- 13 points, +11, 4 blocks, 64% in attack
Kristiyan Kosev- 13 points, +10, 8 (!) blocks, 50% in attack
Team Statistics
| Metric | Bulgaria | Serbia |
|---|---|---|
| Block Points | 18 | 8 |
| Attack Efficiency | 44% | 38% |
| Total Points Scored | 78 | 62 |
| Points from Opponent's Errors | 22 | 22 |
The block was the decisive factor - a total of18 pointsagainst only8for Serbia, which clearly shows where the match was decided. Bulgaria also had better attack efficiency (44% against 38%), and the difference in the total number of points (78:62) highlights the overall superiority. The only completely even indicator was points from opponent errors – 22:22, meaning that the success came not from gifts, but from a better own game.
With this success, Bulgaria deservedly qualified for the U18 European Championship finals in Italy – with confidence, character, and a clearly expressed superiority in the key elements of the game.
