The head coach of the Serbian men's national team, Gheorghe Crețu, announced an extended squad of 36 players for the team's participation in the 2026 Nations League and the European Championship. One of the key matches for our western neighbors will be against Bulgaria on June 14 in Brazil, during the first week of the tournament.
Wide selection and strong competition in all positions
The Serbian specialist relies on a combination of experience and young names, with serious depth in every position:
Setters: Nikola Jovović, Vuk Todorović, Aleksa Batak, Andrej Polomac, Danilo Veselić, Stefan Marić
Opposite Hitters: Dražen Luburić, Dušan Nikolić, Veljko Mašulović, Aleksandar Šoša, Petar Premović, Božidar Vučićević
Liberos:: Vukašin Ristić, Stefan Negić, Lazar Jeremić, Dušan Jović
Middle Blockers:: Petar Krsmanović, Aleksandar Nedeljković, Nemanja Mašulović, Aleksandar Stefanović, Stefan Kokeza, Andrej Rudić, Vladimir Gajović, Aleksa Polomac, Nikola Pavlović, Dušan Petrović
Outside Hitters: Marko Ivović, Miran Kujundžić, Pavle Perić, Nikola Brborić, Vuk Kulpinać, Lazar Marinović, Žarko Ubiparip, Ignjat Dopudj, Stefan Ranković, Danilo Ilić
Schedule in Brazil and direct clash with Bulgaria
Serbia will play its first four VNL matches in Brazil:
against Argentina – June 10
against Belgium – June 12
against Brazil – June 13
against Bulgaria – June 14
The match against the
'Lions' comes at the end of a busy series, which could be a factor from a physical point of view.
The clash also holds additional value from the perspective of the world rankings. Bulgaria starts the VNL from 9th place in the FIVB standings, while Serbia begins from 13th position, making the match a direct duel between teams of similar class with ambitions to climb.
A look at the European Championship
In parallel with the VNL, Serbia is also preparing for the 2026 European Championship, where they will play in Group C against Finland, Estonia, Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark. The team's goal is a minimum participation in the knockout stage, but their ambitions are for a significantly higher placement.
photo:volleyballworld.com
