EuroVolley ‘double’ to attract some 2,000 fans in Hartberg on Saturday

The Stadtwerke Hartberg Arena will transform into the stage for a spectacular Volleyball double-header this Saturday, as the Austrian women’s and men’s national teams fight for qualification for the CEV EuroVolley 2026.

For the women, it’s the final EuroVolley qualifying match in Pool F – against North Macedonia (5:35 p.m., live on ORF SPORT+). After a 3-0 away victory against the Macedonians in 2024, a 0-3 home defeat to Greece, and a recent 1-3 loss in Greece, head coach Roland Schwab’s team now faces a must-win situation. The set they took in Greece could prove crucial in the race for one of the five best runner-up spots – and thus for the coveted EuroVolley ticket. Much, however, will depend on results from other pools. Schwab explained that the team had taken a small step forward with that one set taken against Greece, but now needed to take the big step at home against North Macedonia with a convincing win, just like last year. He is confident, stressing that Austria has to dominate from the very start. The team knows North Macedonia well from previous encounters, including CEV European Silver League matches, and they are clearly the favourites.

After the match, the Austrian women will anxiously await other results. Schwab noted it was unfortunate that Germany had recently played against Finland with their B-team and lost 1-3, giving Finland an advantage in Pool A. As of Wednesday, only Israel (Pool C) was behind Austria in the race for a top-five runner-up spot, so there is still one team to overtake. Special attention will be on Sunday’s Pool D matches Switzerland vs Finland and Montenegro vs Latvia. If Montenegro wins, they are through, and Austria could still overtake Latvia mathematically. Schwab emphasised, however, that the first priority is to take care of business on Saturday.

The Austrian men’s team also aims to keep their EuroVolley hopes alive. On Saturday (8:20 p.m., live on ORF SPORT+), they host Belgium in a tough home match, before travelling to Azerbaijan on August 16. The Austrians lost their away game in Belgium 0-3. For Belgium, Saturday’s match marks the start of their own final qualifying push, followed by a home game against Azerbaijan on August 13. Head Coach Radovan Gačič said the team must remain focused to handle the challenge against Belgium, before turning to the decisive step against Azerbaijan. He warned that supposedly easier matches can be tricky, but is happy with the team’s current form. He believes the mix of plenty of experience and fresh energy is ideal, and that everything has come together perfectly this year.

Fans can look forward to a volleyball festival with a state-of-the-art setup – LED video wall, LED advertising boards, and extra entertainment elements included. Around 2,000 spectators are expected, ideally dressed in red-white-red to create a spine-tingling atmosphere. Ticket sales are in full swing, with some sections already sold out – a packed house is almost certain.

The Women’s EuroVolley will take place from 21 August to 6 September 2026 in Türkiye, Czechia, Azerbaijan, and Sweden. The Men’s EuroVolley will run from 9 to 27 September 2026 in Italy, Bulgaria, Finland, and Romania.