First EuroVolley 2026 matches in Göteborg on Friday

The first match of the CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 Women will be played on Friday at Scandinavium. France and Slovakia will have the honour of opening Europe’s premier women’s volleyball competition at 13:00. The second match, between Croatia and Italy, will start at 16:00, while fans in Göteborg will welcome their home favourites from 19:00, when Sweden take on Montenegro.

France call for patient ahead of meeting Croatia

France finished sixth at the last EuroVolley.
Outside hitter Amelie Rotar is participating in her third European Championship. She has studied the opposition closely and believes the team must balance aggressiveness with composure.
“They fight for every ball, and there are long rallies against them. So we have to be patient; that's how we're going to beat them.”
She also says that the team have had good training sessions since their last friendly match on August 13, when they faced Ukraine. The coming days will largely consist of watching video footage of their opponents.
Head coach Cesar Hernandez highlights Slovakia's outside hitters and middle blockers as the biggest threats. Leading up to the tournament, the focus during the friendly matches was purely on themselves.
“Starting today, we will study them, focus on them, and adjust our tactical system to match them so that we can handle the game the way we want and ultimately come away with a victory.”
Héléna Cazaute will miss the tournament due to a back injury. The injury has troubled her for several weeks and forced her to miss France's final Nations League matches. Outside hitters Sabine Haewegene and Lucille Gicquel, along with setter Nina Stojiljkovic, will also miss the tournament.
Slovakia will have a challenging start in their seventh EuroVolley appearance. Slovakia will face France in their opening match of the CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 Women, with the French side missing their star Héléna Cazaute. However, the Slovak national team are warning against underestimating their opponents.
“The goal is to take us to the next stage of the playoffs. Every point will matter, but we're ready. France are a tough opponent, but we're prepared,” says head coach Martino Volpini ahead of the opener.
Karin Šunderlíková (27), Slovakia's top scorer in both this summer's European League and EuroVolley 2023, agrees:
“A tough opening opponent, but far from impossible to beat, since they'll be without their star Héléna Cazaute, which will affect the character of the match. Still, France are a team with quality players in every position. We need to perform at our highest level, fight, and be aggressive.”
This is only the second meeting ever between the two teams at the EuroVolley – and the only one of the entire 2000s. Last time, in the pool stage in Tallinn in 2023, France claimed a comfortable 3–0 victory.

Croatia face Olympic and World Champions Italy

Croatia will open their CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 Women campaign against Italy on Friday afternoon at 16:00, in a match that can be described as a David versus Goliath matchup.
Croatia's head coach Igor Arbutina has previously coached the country's men's national team, but the CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 Women will be his first European Championship. He says that defeating Italy would be a dream, but accepts the difficulty of turning that wish into reality.
“We are excited to play our opening match against Italy, one of the top teams in the world, led by the legendary coach Julio Velasco.”
When asked which player Croatia need to watch out for in particular, Arbutina says he cannot point out just one, as Italy are truly a collective. Team captain Božana Butigan agrees with her coach that it is impossible to isolate individual players such as Paola Egonu, Ekaterina Antropova or Sarah Luisa Fahr.
Butigan says that they have had an intense match schedule, playing six friendly matches in ten days. She hopes that these tests have prepared the team for a match in which they will need to play as if in a trance to take down the reigning Olympic and World Champions.
“If we serve well and work with our block defence, anything can happen. Anything can happen in volleyball.”
Olympic and World Champions Italy are preparing for their first match of the CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 Women. They will face Croatia in Pool D. The two teams last played each other at the previous EuroVolley in 2023.
“I don't think we have faced Croatia since 2023, which is a lot of time. It will be an emotional game; the first game is always like that. We can just focus on our game and what we have to do,” says Italy's team captain Anna Danesi.
Head coach Julio Velasco explains that the team do not take anything for granted, despite their success in recent years.
“Our slogan is ‘here and now’. We don’t focus on what’s behind us or what is in front of us. We are in the moment. The girls have a good mentality. Even if we have won the World Championship and the Olympics, they know every game is different, and that is our mindset,” says Velasco.

Montenegro make historic EuroVolley debut against hosts Sweden

On Friday evening, debutants Montenegro will make their debut at the highest European level. In their first game, Montenegro will go up against hosts Sweden in Pool D.
Montenegro's head coach Jovo Caković explains that it will be a tough match, especially since Sweden will be playing on home court.
“It will be a tough match for sure, especially since Sweden are playing at home. We will try to play even sets,” says Caković.
Team captain Nikoleta Perović highlights the team's development. The CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 Women marks the first time Montenegro have qualified for the Women's European Championship.
“It is a mix of emotions. We are really happy and proud to be here. It is a historic moment for us, so we will try to represent ourselves in the best way we can,” Perović explains.
Sweden will play their first match of the CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 Women on Friday, August 21. In front of a record-breaking crowd, the Swedish team will take on tournament debutants Montenegro.
“It's very exciting. We're eager, full of anticipation, and ready to go,” says Sweden's libero Filippa Brink.
The Swedish team are also looking forward to playing in front of a record crowd.
“It's a bit hard to imagine. You almost get goosebumps when you think about it. But we're trying to go with the flow,” Brink explains.
Sweden's head coach Lorenzo Micelli says that the team have high expectations for the tournament, but that they will take it one match at a time.
“For us, we have to take it day by day, match by match. We know how to work against Montenegro and make things difficult for them. But winning a match is never easy. We have to do everything right, simply do our job.”