Gačič: “Our mission is clear: Beat Sweden and Hungary”

The men’s national team of Austria is preparing for its home tournament in Amstetten (June 27-29) as the pool stage of CEV European Silver League 2025 slowly comes to an end. There, the hosts will face the still-undefeated Sweden and Hungary. The Johann-Pölz-Halle will become a decisive stage in the battle for the coveted ticket to the CEV Golden League 2026. 

Austria’s head coach Radovan Gačič is showing fighting spirit ahead of the home tournament: “We are up against the two strongest teams so far – and our mission is clear: we want to beat them. I hope we can resolve some health-related issues before the first match so that we are as ready as we want to be by Friday. Saturday gives us the opportunity to recover and prepare for Sunday. Performance-wise, Hungary, Sweden, and we are all very close. We will do everything we can to prepare our players in the best possible way. Our goal is to win both matches – and then we will see what that means for the final standing.”

With three wins from four matches, the Austrian team is currently in a strong position. The goal now is to secure two home victories in front of their own fans. Mathäus Jurkovics and Tobias Willimek are back in the squad and ready to contribute.

Austria vs Sweden kicks off the tournament

The tournament begins with Austria taking on Sweden on Friday (June 27, 17:35 CEST). On Saturday, Sweden will face Hungary, followed by Austria vs Hungary on Sunday (June 29, 17:35 CEST). Both matches involving Austria will be broadcast live on ORF Sport+. The top two teams in the League Round will qualify for the promotion playoffs with a spot in the 2026 edition of the Golden League at stake.