Link leads Sweden back to EuroVolley after 33 years, with bigger dreams ahead

Sweden have returned to the CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 Men in style. Not only did they play their opening match at a spectacular open-air venue in the historic centre of Naples against hosts Italy, but they also caught the attention of the Volleyball world with an impressive performance against the pool’s top contenders. Returning to the European Championship for the first time since 1993, Sweden have already shown that their comeback is about much more than simply being here.

The CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 Men marks Sweden’s eighth appearance at the European Championship, but their first in more than three decades. It is also an important milestone in the rebuilding of Swedish men’s Volleyball, a process launched by the Swedish Volleyball Federation in 2024 when they appointed Gido Vermeulen as head coach to lead an ambitious five-year project supported by the FIVB Empowerment Programme.

“We hired Gido on a five-year contract to re-build the men’s team in Sweden from scratch as there had not been a team for several years. Gido made a detailed five year plan for the programme, to grow in professionality and with goals set along the way. Needless to say, the team has exceeded expectations, also by already having qualified for the European Championships,” explained Angelica Ljungqvist, Sports Director of the Swedish Volleyball Federation.

Sweden immediately attracted attention with their opening performance against Italy, and they underlined their progress a few days later in Modena, taking Czechia - the fourth-ranked team at last year’s World Championship - all the way to a dramatic five-set battle. Although they later suffered a straight-set defeat to Slovenia, Sweden remain in contention for a place in the next round, with matches against Greece and Slovakia still to come.

One of the key figures in this new era is captain Jacob Link. The 29-year-old opposite is one of the most experienced players in the squad and has spent the past decade helping build the foundations for Sweden’s return to the European stage.

Sweden are competing in Pool A alongside Italy, Czechia, Slovenia, Greece and Slovakia, a challenging group in which every match carries significant importance. With two games still to play, Link knows exactly what his team must deliver.

“Obviously, it’s a very tough pool. All the games are super competitive, and all the teams are here for a reason. Before the tournament, we set the goal of getting out of the pool. Greece and Slovakia are must-win games for us. I hope we can play our game, because I think if we reach our level, we can win both of them and go through the group. But we have to reach a better level than we played today, obviously. I truly believe in our team.”

While Sweden’s men are only beginning to re-establish themselves on the international stage, Volleyball as a whole is gaining momentum in the country. The recent successes of Sweden’s beach volleyball teams and women’s national team have helped bring the sport greater visibility, and Jacob Link hopes the men’s return to the spotlight can inspire even more people to pick up a volleyball.

“Volleyball is a very small sport in Sweden, obviously, but it is growing now because of all the success from the national teams and the beach volleyball teams. I started playing because my dad played, and I think that’s the case for many other players in our team - they had a parent or someone in their family who played, and that’s how they got into Volleyball. But that’s definitely changing now. Because of all the success, more kids are starting to play at school because they see Volleyball on TV. So it’s fun to be part of this process and to see Volleyball growing in Sweden.”

The CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 Women, co-hosted by Sweden in Gothenburg just a few weeks ago, provided another major boost for the sport. Link and his teammates experienced the atmosphere first-hand, both on and off the court.

“We were actually there, playing some friendly games in Gothenburg and also watching the women’s games. It was an amazing event and it’s super, super important for the growth of our sport. I mean, games in a full venue with 5,000 or 6,000 people - it’s amazing! To see all of Sweden’s Volleyball community gathered in one place and watching the women’s games was fantastic, and our women’s team did a great job as well.”

For Sweden’s men, however, EuroVolley is not the destination. It is the first major milestone in a much bigger project - one that aims to establish the national team among the world’s best.