24 teams to learn their fate in the Drawing of Lots for the CEV EuroVolley 2026 Women

The excitement is building for the draw of the CEV EuroVolley 2026 Women, which will be staged at the Castello Normanno-Svevo in Bari this Saturday, starting at 20:45 CEST. This draw marks the official start of preparations for Europe’s premier volleyball event, with teams and fans eagerly awaiting the composition of the preliminary pools that will shape the tournament’s narrative.

The 2026 competition promises an extraordinary atmosphere as it unfolds across four countries - Türkiye, Czechia, Azerbaijan, and Sweden - each bringing its own flavor to the European premium competition. With Istanbul hosting the final round, the path to European glory will pass through Brno, Baku, and Gothenburg with the continent’s best teams battling for progression and a spot in the medal matches.

Twenty-four national teams have qualified, headlined by the four hosts, as well as reigning world and Olympic champions Italy. Powerhouses Poland, France, Serbia, and the Netherlands join an elite field that also features Bulgaria, Ukraine, Slovakia, Germany, Belgium, Romania, Slovenia, Hungary, Greece, Spain, Croatia, Austria, Portugal, Montenegro, and Latvia. 

Each team will enter the draw determined to secure a favorable pool and plot their course toward the latter stages in Istanbul, as Türkiye will host the final round for the third time in the last 23 years, after Ankara was the scene for the medal matches in 2003 and 2019.

The live-streamed draw on the European Volleyball YouTube channel will see hosts select an accompanying team for their pools before the remaining line-up is divided into the pools.