France and Germany open with victories as Pool D gathers pace in Cluj

France and Germany made winning starts to their CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 Men campaigns in Cluj-Napoca on Thursday, but neither was allowed to ease quietly into the tournament.
France were pushed throughout three competitive sets by Switzerland before prevailing 3-0 (25-23, 31-29, 25-21), while Germany had to respond after dropping the opening set against Türkiye, eventually turning the match around for a 3-1 (23-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-19) victory.

For Switzerland, the scoreboard told only part of the story.

Playing their first match of the tournament against one of Europe's leading sides, the Swiss stayed within touching distance of France for much of the afternoon. They came closest in a gripping second set, when neither side could create separation before France finally converted their opportunity at 31-29.
That ability to find another level when the points carried the greatest weight was, for Switzerland, one of the clearest differences between the teams.

“We played very good Volleyball,” Switzerland's Alexander Lengweiler said. “Especially in serve-reception, I think we did this very well. In the end, it's just small things. They are world-class, and in the critical moments they step it up. That's why they won. But overall, we really kept the level, so we can be proud of ourselves.”

France finished with a 50% attacking efficiency and seven blocks, with Théo Faure leading the scoring with 20 points. Switzerland, meanwhile, found 34 attacking points and seven blocks of their own, keeping pressure on the Olympic champions despite the straight-sets result.

For some of Switzerland's younger players, the afternoon also provided their first answer to a question they had carried into Cluj: how would they cope once confronted with this level for real?

Cyril Kolb admitted that the occasion initially affected the Swiss side before familiarity began to replace the nerves.

“I'm proud to see that we can hold our own at this level, and we can see that we're not far off when we play to our full potential,” Kolb said. “We were certainly very nervous and tense at first, but then we realised it was just a normal Volleyball match and managed to find our rhythm and get into our game.”

That confidence will be tested differently on Friday. Against Romania, Switzerland will move from playing with the freedom of an outsider against France to entering a match they believe they can win.

“Tomorrow is Romania, so this is a very important game for us,” Lengweiler added. “The pressure and the mindset will be completely different because we will go into the game wanting to win. Today was more about playing our best Volleyball and seeing what happens. The idea is to keep the pressure up, and then we can win something.”

Germany respond after Türkiye strike first

If France were required to hold off their opponents, Germany had to come from behind.

Türkiye made the sharper start to the evening encounter and took the opening set 25-23, but Germany gradually imposed themselves as the match developed. They levelled with a 25-22 second set before moving ahead 25-21 and closing the contest 25-19 in the fourth.

Germany's advantage became increasingly visible at the net. Massimo Botti's team finished with 55 attacking points at 55% efficiency and 4 blocks, compared with Türkiye's 48 attacking points and nine blocks.
Theo Mohwinkel led Germany with 16 points, while Moritz Reichert and Erik Röhrs added 14 apiece. Türkiye's leading scorer was Gokcen Yuksel with 16 points.

For Anton Brehme, however, the most significant part of Germany's opening night was the response after a nervous beginning.

“To be honest, at the beginning we were really nervous. I think on both sides,” Brehme said. “For sure we had a nervous start, but after one set we came back and played better Volleyball. I think we are happy. With the new coach and the first important game of the season, everybody is happy.”

It was an opening night that offered an early reminder of how quickly the mood of a European Championship can change.

Switzerland left a 0-3 defeat encouraged by how closely they had challenged France. Germany left with a 3-1 victory after first being forced to find their way back into the match.

For both, the nerves of the opening whistle are now gone.

And with France and Germany already on the board, and Türkiye and Switzerland looking for their first wins, Pool D is beginning to take shape.