Team Slovenia ready for fourth EuroVolley appearance

The Slovenian women’s national team has made it to Istanbul, where the CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 Women gets underway for them on Saturday. This will be Slovenia’s fourth appearance among Europe’s elite, and they will begin the competition in Pool A.

The Slovenian players have already had a long national team season, which began with preparations in May and continued with the European League, where they reached the semi-finals with six wins and without dropping a single set. In July, they ultimately claimed the silver medal after twice having to concede defeat to Sweden in five-set matches. Following a short break, the national team reconvened in Ljubljana on July 21 and began preparations for EuroVolley. As part of those preparations, Alessandro Orefice’s players faced the B teams of Türkiye and Slovakia twice each, before concluding the preparation period with two matches against Belgium.

Slovenia made their first appearance at the European Championship in 2015 and took another step forward four years later, recording their first two wins at the 2019 edition of the tournament. A third appearance followed in 2023, when Slovenia finished the championship in 19th place. EuroVolley 2026 is hosted by four countries between August 21 and September 6: Türkiye, Czechia, Azerbaijan and Sweden, with matches taking place in Istanbul, Brno, Baku and Göteborg. Twenty-four national teams are due to compete, with Istanbul serving as the main venue, hosting not only the pool stage but also part of the knockout phase and all semis and medal matches.

The Volleyball Federation of Slovenia is well aware that the rise of the Slovenian women’s national team is based on long-term, systematic work. Another important confirmation of the chosen path is the historic qualification for the elite Volleyball Nations League, in which the Slovenian players will compete next season. Through persistent work and the achievement of important milestones, the team is also paving the way for future generations. 

Secretary General Gregor Humerca stressed that the successes did not come overnight: “The road to the Volleyball Nations League was long and full of sacrifices. Saša Planinšec and Eva Pavlović Mori are among those who have experienced the most on this journey, both celebrations and bitter defeats. There was the first European Championship, then the World Championship and now the first Volleyball Nations League. All these experiences must also be used for the further development of this team. They are certainly a major source of inspiration for young players, who see these successes and follow them. Our players are now role models for younger girls, who will have a clearly defined path showing how to achieve such success and how to progress from club level to the senior national team and the world stage. Many people stand behind this project, which did not happen overnight, because it is a long-term process, and the federation must firmly support the players and the coaching staff. The players are writing their own story. We need to take big steps, show our very best on the court and use matches against the best national teams to drive further development. In recent years we have made the right decisions, the conditions are excellent, and the federation’s task is to provide the players with the appropriate professional support and guidance that will enable them to continue developing.”

Following the draw, the Slovenian players are set for their fourth appearance at the EuroVolley in Türkiye, where they will face Germany, Türkiye, Poland, Latvia and Hungary in Pool A. The Slovenian women’s national team travelled to Istanbul with a somewhat younger and changed roster, and Italian head coach Alessandro Orefice will be able to count not only on the established core but also on libero Tara Filipič, middle blocker Mirta Velikonja Grbac and outside hitter Iza Koren. Ahead of the European Championship, the Slovenian team remains highly motivated, with Orefice highlighting cohesion, the playing system and a collective approach as some of the team’s main strengths: “The team is very motivated. We are looking forward to the start and to the first training sessions, so that we can feel the atmosphere of a competition featuring Europe’s best teams. I think we are ready. We have a very young team, with players who joined us later and some who were already with us last year. We have fourteen players who are constantly working hard and training hard. We are very motivated and can hardly wait to step onto the court. We face demanding matches at a higher level than we were used to in the European League. The final test against Belgium was a good indication that we understand the level at which we can play. The two matches we played last weekend were a good test and showed that we must keep striving to improve and that, with the right playing system, we can control even a team such as Belgium. We are aware of the big names at this championship, but Volleyball is played by six players on the court, not individually. That is also our strength: the team, the system, tactical situations and the collective, which can play Volleyball at a high level with a good system.”

Long-time Slovenian captain Saša Planinšec, who has made a record 122 appearances in the national team jersey, believes the squad is made up of an exceptional generation of players who have already earned the respect of their opponents through their performances in major competitions and are gaining increasing confidence: “I think I can say that we have an exceptional generation of players. A lot of us play for serious clubs around the world. We are all motivated and eager to work, the conditions are excellent and we are truly grateful for that. Our ambitions are certainly growing, and we all want this good season to continue. At last year’s World Championship we already drew attention to ourselves as a good team, and I think many national teams already regard us as a serious opponent. That also increases our confidence, because we know we can be demanding opponents. We have to be aware that we will face national teams with many years of experience at the highest level. We also want to take another step forward. We took the first one by qualifying for the Volleyball Nations League, and now we want to show even more at this European Championship.”

After three EuroVolley appearances, the Slovenian women’s national team’s best result is reaching the round of 16 in 2019, with Eva Pavlović Mori and Saša Planinšec both part of that squad. Drawing on her experience of matches at the highest level, Pavlović Mori is aware of the difficulty of the challenge ahead, while stressing that the key for Slovenia will be to remain focused on themselves and stay united: “We have a tough pool and we are all aware of that, because we are talking about national teams ranked third, fifth and twelfth in the world. Against teams like that, you have to play without pressure and show your best Volleyball. We already made people take notice of us at last year’s World Championship, so I think that if we play good Volleyball, things could become very interesting. The teams do not know us that well because we are something of a new team, made up of experienced players and young talent, so I can hardly wait for this championship. The main thing will be to take it match by match and focus only on the day of each match, then forget the result afterwards, regardless of whether it is a defeat or a win. We will need to focus on ourselves and not look at the other pools or at what is happening there. We have to stay in our own bubble and as far away from everything else as possible. If we stay focused and connected, I think that is it.”

Some national teams will begin the competition as early as August 21, while Slovenia will play their opening match on Saturday, August 22, against Germany. They will then face Türkiye and Poland before concluding the pool stage against Latvia and Hungary.