The European Games will have their fourth edition in 2027, with Istanbul as the host. The Turkish metropolis will host 26 sports, including 22 Olympic disciplines planned for the Los Angeles 2028 program.

Among the news regarding the approved program, there is one particularly important for Bulgarian volleyball – the beloved game is returning to the European Games calendar, after being absent from the last two editions in Minsk 2019 and Krakow 2023.
The Istanbul forum will also offer opportunities for Olympic qualification, but this applies only to some of the sports. Quotas for Los Angeles 2028 will be distributed through direct spots or by accumulating points for the rankings, depending on the policy of the respective international federations.
Volleyball, however, is not among the disciplines that will offer Olympic quotas, as the tournament will have more of a competitive and representative character.
At this stage, it is unclear whether Bulgaria will participate with men's and women's teams in Istanbul. In view of the practice from previous years, the decision will be made at a later stage by the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation.

Historical memory: Baku 2015

The return of volleyball to the European Games inevitably takes us back to the first edition of the competition in Baku in 2015, when Bulgaria recorded one of its strongest performances at such a forum.

🥈 Men – silver medal

The Bulgarian national team, led by Nikolay Zhelyazkov, reached the final after a strong tournament:

• Quarterfinal: Bulgaria – Turkey 3:1

• Semifinal: Bulgaria – Poland 3:2

• Final: Bulgaria – Germany 1:3 (16:25, 18:25, 31:29, 21:25)

Thus, the "Lions" won the silver medals, remaining one step away from the title.
Here is the full roster of Bulgaria (men) from the European Games in Baku 2015:

🏐 Bulgaria – roster (Baku 2015)

Todor Aleksiev (captain)

Georgi Bratoev

Valentin Bratoev

Nikolay Nikolov

Svetoslav Gotsev

Martin Bozhilov

Rozalin Penchev

Branimir Grozdanov

Velizar Chernokozhev

Dobromir Dimitrov

Zhani Zhelyazkov

Borislav Apostolov

Ventsislav Ragin

Petar Karakashev

Head Coach: Nikolay Zhelyazkov

📊 Women – 9th place

The women's team, led by Dragan Nesic, failed to advance past the group stage and finished 9th in the tournament's final standings, with their participation primarily used for team cohesion and gaining international experience.

Istanbul 2027 will be the next step in the development of the European Games as a multisport forum, which is gradually solidifying its role in the Olympic cycle.
For volleyball, however, the focus remains different – not so much on qualification, but on sporting prestige.
And that is precisely why its return to the program opens up an opportunity for Bulgaria to appear on this stage again – 12 years after the historic silver in Baku.

photos:cev.eu