Brno's Summer of Volleyball: 13 Days, Three Disciplines, One Volleyball Capital

For thirteen days this summer, Brno will not just host Volleyball; it will live and breathe it. The South Moravian capital is set to become the only city in Europe staging three different disciplines of the sport back to back, as CEV EuroVolley 2026 Women, the VW Brno Beach Pro Tour Futures, and the European Sitting Volleyball Championship (PVE) all take over the city in one uninterrupted celebration of the game.

It's a rare feat for any host city, and Brno is embracing it fully.

"We have decided to treat fans to an unforgettable series of Volleyball experiences and, over the course of two weeks, transform the South Moravian capital into a Volleyball capital," said Martin Gerža, Vice-President of the Czech Volleyball Federation. "We have seen time and again that Brno is a city dedicated to this sport, which is why we will be hosting not only the Women's EuroVolley but also a traditional stop on the Beach Volleyball Pro Tour at the Sokol Beachvolleyball Club and the European Para Volleyball Championship."

It's not a bet on an unproven audience, either. Gerža points to a city that has shown up for Volleyball again and again, from a packed house for the CEV European Volleyball League Final Four a year ago, to three consecutive sold-out editions at the Sokol Beach Club, to an attendance record set this year at the women's Extraleague finals. Brno, in other words, has been building towards this moment.

At the heart of the action will be the Brno Exhibition Centre's Pavilion P, where CEV EuroVolley 2026 Women will bring 10 teams, six from Pool B and four more joining for the knockout rounds, together for 21 matches: 15 pool games, four Round of 16 clashes, and two quarterfinals, all in front of a 5,000-capacity crowd. Tickets are available via ticketportal.cz.

Sharing that same venue, and even the same tickets, is the European Sitting Volleyball Championship, Division B, where 12 national teams will compete as an integral part of the EuroVolley experience rather than a side event.

Down at the Sokol Beachvolleyball Club on Brno Dam, the sand will host the VW Brno Beach Pro Tour Futures: 56 teams, 80 matches, three courts, and € 10,000 in prize money, with the venue's 2,500-capacity crowd expected to fill in for what has become a fixture on the Beach Volleyball calendar. Tickets are available via ticketportal.cz.

Around both venues, the city is planning a fan zone with concerts, volleyball activities for all ages, including a mini-Volleyball tournament for children, merchandising, catering, and fan competitions, alongside a full programme of Volleyball and non-Volleyball entertainment designed to keep the party going between matches.

For ParaVolley Europe, sharing a city and a spotlight with EuroVolley and the Beach Pro Tour is about more than logistics. It's a statement of where sitting volleyball belongs in the wider Volleyball family.

"The simultaneous presence of Volleyball and Sitting Volleyball in Brno is an important opportunity to present ParaVolley as a parallel and complementary discipline within the wider Volleyball community," said Branko Mihorko, President of ParaVolley Europe. "Sharing the same city, competition environment and period with major CEV events can significantly increase the visibility of Sitting Volleyball and offer new athletes the opportunity to become part of the Volleyball community. We hope this will become a step towards closer future cooperation between CEV and ParaVolley Europe, creating new opportunities for promotion, event development and inclusion across Europe."

Victoria Georgieva, International Development, Communications and Partnerships Manager of ParaVolley Europe, sees the same opportunity through the eyes of fans and partners discovering all three disciplines side by side.

"Bringing indoor, beach and Sitting Volleyball together in one city creates something much bigger than a series of separate events," Georgieva said. "It gives fans, partners and the local community a complete picture of what Volleyball can be: elite, urban, accessible, inclusive and truly for everyone. From a partnership perspective, it allows us to connect different audiences under one shared story: families discovering the sport, young players seeing their pathway, fans experiencing EuroVolley and EuroSittingVolley, and new audiences being introduced to Sitting Volleyball. That cross-over is extremely powerful."

For Georgieva, the message the festival leaves behind matters as much as the results on the scoreboard. "The message is simple: Volleyball belongs to everyone," she said. "Whether it is played indoors, on the sand or in a Sitting Volleyball format, it carries the same values: teamwork, resilience, joy, inclusion and connection... I hope fans leave with the feeling that they have experienced a true celebration of Volleyball in all its forms."

None of it means quite as much, though, as what it will feel like for the players wearing Czechia's colours to walk out in front of their own fans.

"I'm really looking forward to playing in front of our home crowd in Brno," said national team captain Michaela Mlejnková. "Having our fans behind us means everything, and their support gives us extra motivation. I cannot wait to see the arena full and experience that incredible atmosphere together."

That home support arrives on August 21, when Czechia opens its Pool B campaign against Greece and the moment Brno's summer of Volleyball truly begins.

From the sand at Sokol Beach Club to the hardwood of Pavilion P, from elite indoor Volleyball to a Sitting Volleyball championship sharing the same stage, Brno isn't just hosting three events this August. It's hosting one long celebration of everything the sport can be.