Russia's U17 girls' national team, led by Alexander Karikov, won the international Cornacchia World Cup tournament, held in Pordenone (Italy). The competition became significant as it marked the first participation of a Russian national team after the lifting of international restrictions.
The tournament took place between April 3 and 6, 2026, and gathered teams from all over the world, establishing itself as one of the leading youth competitions in Europe.
Russia was part of Group C, where they faced Oeiras (Portugal), ATA Trento (Italy), and US Cordenons. Already in the group stage, the team asserted its dominance and confidently advanced to the knockout rounds.
Throughout the tournament, the Russian team played a total of 7 matches and won all of them without losing a single set – an indicator of complete domination.
In the title match, Russia decisively defeated the Italian Argentario Pallavolo with a score of:3:0 (25:6, 25:12, 25:7)
The Cornacchia World Cup gathered participants from Germany, Romania, Brazil, Canada, Austria, Hungary, India, Spain, and Luxembourg in the U17 girls' category. In the other age groups, teams from the USA, Serbia, Poland, Portugal, England, and Belgium also participated, highlighting the strong international character of the tournament.
Russia's return to such a forum is in line with the new policy of the European Confederation (CEV), which again allows the participation of Russian junior and youth teams.
The title in Pordenone comes not just as a success, but as a clearly stated presence. Russia U17 returned to the international stage with a convincing performance and a maximum result – without losing a single set throughout the tournament.
The beginning was set last year when, in early May in Belgrade, the Russian men's and women's national teams played friendly matches against Serbia.

photo:cornacchiaworldcup