Team Latvia to vie for place in #EuroVolleyU18M Final Round on home soil

The Latvian U18 men’s national team coached by Raimonds Liniņš will compete this weekend in Sigulda for a place in the final round of this year’s European Championship, facing the Netherlands, Belgium, and Ukraine.

Representing Latvia in Sigulda will be setters Kristers Elksnis and Mārtiņš Jaundžeikars, middle blockers Ņikita Livča, Mārtiņš Skudra, and Toms Emīls Stalidzāns, outside hitters Tomass Silavs (Fenice Roma, Italy), Emīls Lapsalis (Vero Volley Monza, Italy), Renārs Lasmanis, Ernests Pastars, and Ričards Birža, opposite hitters Artis Andrejevs and Aksels Marks Džeriņš, and liberos Olivers Pope and Niks Ameļkovičs.

The team, composed of players born in 2009 and younger, is led by head coach Raimonds Liniņš, assisted by coach Aivis Kokins, statistician Evisa Rudmieze, physiotherapist Rainers Ermalis, and team manager Andris Nuķis.

“Fourteen players will travel to Sigulda. Only middle blocker Pēteris Auniņš is missing from the optimal lineup, and he will be replaced by Mārtiņš Skudra. Seventeen players took part in this week’s training camp, including three setters, four middle blockers, and six outside hitters. The toughest decision when selecting the final roster was between the second and third setter. The final decision took several days,” said head coach Raimonds Liniņš about the squad selection.

“Overall, I am satisfied with the preparation. A lot of work has been done, and we have accomplished almost everything we could. The tournament will show whether it is enough to reach the finals. Emīls Lapsalis only joined the team on Tuesday, but we still have a day and a half to fine-tune details. I would like to emphasise that without participation in the preparatory tournament in Italy in early January and training camps with the Swedish and Norwegian national teams, our team would be much weaker. Matches were an essential part of the preparation process.”

“The Netherlands is a well-organised team that knows how to play Volleyball. They have their tactics and objectives, and every player knows their role on the court. Their overall gameplay is strong,” Liniņš describes Latvia’s first opponent. “We have analysed our opponents, but they have added some new players. We will see how well we can execute our plan on the court.”

“The teams in our group are very evenly matched. At the moment, it seems that Belgium might be slightly stronger, but even though the Netherlands lost to Belgium in three sets in the first qualification round, they scored at least 22 points in each set. We know Ukraine from the Eastern European Volleyball Zonal Association (EEVZA) Championship. Unfortunately, due to the tournament regulations, we did not have the opportunity to face them,” Liniņš comments on the group. “There are no weak teams in our group, which should make for an exciting tournament. We will do everything we can to reach the final round.”

All matches will be streamed live on the YouTube channel “Volejbols Latvija”.

In the first qualification round, which also served as the EEVZA Championship, Latvia finished third in Daugavpils in November, while Poland won the tournament and secured a place in the finals.

The winners of each group, as well as the four best second-placed teams out of five groups, will qualify for the #EuroVolleyU18M Final Round. Host nation Italy has already secured its place, along with regional tournament winners Iceland (SCA), Bulgaria (BVA), Poland (EEVZA), Slovenia (MEVZA), Finland (NEVZA), and Spain (WEVZA).

The final round will take place from July 7 to 18, 2026, in the Italian cities of Porto San Giorgio and Cisterna di Latina. 

Click here for further information including a detailed match schedule, results, standings, and photos.