Austrian national teams poised to contest European League opener on home soil

The Austrian men’s national team has successfully completed its final preparations for the CEV Volleyball European League. Head coach Adam Swaczyna’s squad defeated Spain 3-1 in two friendly matches on Friday and Saturday at the VIVA Regional Sports Centre in Steinbrunn. On both occasions, Austria came back after losing the opening set, thereby providing a significant confidence boost ahead of the European League opener against Finland on June 5 at the Multiversum Schwechat. Ticket sales for this highlight event are already in full swing. For the first time, qualification spots for the CEV EuroVolley will be awarded through the European League.

The victories marked Swaczyna’s fifth win as Austria’s national team head coach. His only defeat so far came against Croatia. “I am very satisfied with the team’s development and, of course, with these results against Spain,” said Swaczyna. “In the second match, we made a lot of changes to the lineup, yet we still saw many positive aspects. The team understands what we want to achieve. However, these were still friendly matches. Playing for points in the CEV European League is a different challenge. Spain has quality players and is a strong team. The direction in which our team is developing should make us all happy, but we still need to keep working hard.”

First major highlight of the national team summer
The first major event of the national team season will take place from June 5-7 at the Multiversum Schwechat, where the opening tournament of the CEV European League will be held. Both Austrian national teams will begin their campaigns in front of a home crowd, aiming to lay the foundation for successful EuroVolley qualification with strong performances. Ticket sales are ongoing. For the women’s national team, a historic summer awaits with participation in the CEV EuroVolley, for which they have qualified for the first time since 1971. Their group-stage matches will be played in Brno, Czechia, in August.

Blockbuster opener against Golden League Champions Finland
Austria’s men face a tough challenge right from the start of the European League. Their opening opponent on June 5 is Finland, winner of the 2025 Golden League, participant in the 2025 World Championship, and EuroVolley 2026 co-hosts. Their other opponent will be Montenegro. The women’s team is due to play Slovakia and Iceland. 

Picture courtesy of Carina Müller/ÖVV