The Russian U17 girls' national team will be the first to mark the country's return to the international stage by participating in the prestigious tournamentCornacchia World Cupin Pordenone. The competition will take place from April 3 to 6 in the city in Northeast Italy, located in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. The tournament traditionally gathers strong youth teams from Europe and around the world and is often referred to as an unofficial world championship for this age group. This was announced by the websitevolley.ru, with the information also covered by the authoritative publicationvolleyball.it.

For the squad led by Alexander Karikov, this will be the first international test, as the current generation has not yet had the opportunity to face foreign opponents. In the tournament, the Russian team will be alongside teams from Italy, Germany, Romania, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Canada, India, Hungary, Austria, and Luxembourg, which guarantees a serious level of competition.
Participation in Pordenone does not come as a surprise, but is a direct consequence of a process that began a year ago. In May 2025, friendly matches were held in Belgrade between the national teams of Russia and Serbia for men and women, following permission from the European Volleyball Confederation. Part of the CEV leadership was also present there, headed by the Confederation's Vice-President Ivan Snezhevich ", a sign that this is a coordinated policy, not an isolated incident.

The real breakthrough, however, came on March 3 this year, when the CEV Executive Committee voted 12 to 3 in favor of reinstating the rights of Russia's and Belarus's junior and youth national teams. The decision was in line with the recommendations of the International Volleyball Federation and the International Olympic Committee, according to which young athletes should not be deprived of participation in international competitions.
Expectedly, this move provoked a strong reaction in Ukraine. The president of the local federation, Mykhailo Melnyk, described the decision as "unfair, but expected" and emphasized that Ukraine, along with ten other countries, had sent official letters opposing the admission of Russia and Belarus. According to him, within the Eastern European Zonal Association, five out of eight countries also declared themselves against such a step.
The Ukrainian federation is even considering a boycott of future tournaments, despite the risk of sporting consequences, and in parallel, a restructuring of the zonal associations is being discussed due to the deep geopolitical differences in the region.
Against this backdrop, the tournament in Pordenone becomes the first real test for the new policy in European volleyball. From friendly matches in Belgrade to participation in an international competition ", the process of Russia's return is now a reality, albeit currently limited to the youth level.

photos: Nikolay Varadinov