Zoran Terzić to lead Serbia at EuroVolley for the 11th time!

Zoran Terzić is the second most successful coach in terms of European Championship gold medals won, with three titles to his name, behind legendary Russian coach Nikolay Karpol, who has seven. Terzić is third in the all-time medal count, behind Karpol (nine) and Giovanni Guidetti (seven). With six medals – three gold, two silver and one bronze – from 10 European Championship appearances, he boasts an impressive 60 percent medal success rate.

“A good percentage, but the way we think in Serbia, we always want more and better. Especially in 2021, when we failed to win gold. It is good that we have reached the podium at every European Championship except in 2013, when we played in the semifinals but did not win a medal. That is the only competition in the history of Serbian Volleyball where we failed to win a medal after reaching the semifinals. Every other time we have made the semifinals, we have won a medal,” Terzić recalled.

During your first spell, you spent 20 years on the bench of Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro, and Serbia. Can you compare Volleyball in 2002 with the game today?

“There are differences. Honestly, some of the current players may get angry with me, but that is their problem. The individual quality was significantly higher. In 2003, when we returned to the European Championship, there were a huge number of world-class players in every position. Take the outside hitter position, for example: players with outstanding reception, attacking, blocking and everything else. Today, we have two or three top-class players in that position. In the past, you could easily name 10 outstanding players.

“Definitely, individual quality has declined, but Volleyball is faster and the game is played somewhat differently. In the past, it was much more difficult to win a medal or achieve a great result. There were many strong national teams. Russia was always strong, extremely strong. Poland were European champions in 2003 and 2005, Türkiye had an excellent team, as did the Netherlands, Serbia emerged on the scene, and there was Italy as well. There were a huge number of countries playing Volleyball at the highest level and boasting fantastic players.
Now the situation is somewhat different. There are not as many top players, but today much more is done from a marketing perspective to promote them and increase the popularity of the sport. That is sport, for better or worse, and that is normal nowadays,” stressed Serbia's most decorated coach.

Alongside changes in the game itself, the competition format has also evolved, with the number of teams participating in the European Championship increasing significantly. At your first EuroVolley in Ankara in 2003, 12 teams competed, whereas 24 will take part this year.

“Unfortunately, the quality is definitely lower when there are more national teams. Automatically, it is less interesting to watch, but from a marketing perspective it certainly makes sense, whether because of the money involved or whatever the reason may be,” Terzić said candidly.

As far as Serbia are concerned, a generational transition has taken place. Could that ultimately bring something positive?

“Very often, we look at and compare current teams with those of the past. Remember the men's national team, the Olympic champions from Sydney. People started saying that there would be no more results, and then the senior team went on to win the European Championship twice.
If you have a chance to compete at the top, that is good. If you do not, then you have a problem. The problem with Volleyball today is that a National Team can have as many foreign players as it wants, bring in a couple of Russians or a couple of Cubans and build a team capable of achieving results. We do not have that possibility. We have to find enough quality players among our population of six million, work with them and then expect them to achieve results similar to those of previous generations. For now, things are going reasonably well. It is not ideal, but it is not bad either. In recent years, we have had several good players – Uzelac, Ivanović, Antonović...
There are young, talented players, and we certainly have a team that deserves respect and is capable of achieving a good result.”

At EuroVolley 2026, Terzić will equal Karpol's record of 11 European Championship appearances, while Giovanni Guidetti will remain on 10. Volleyball continues to evolve year after year. Is that progress also visible in coaching and in the emergence of a new generation of younger coaches?

“Changes have to happen. You simply have to adapt to the situation around you. Different approaches, different generations. But look at who is still coaching the best national teams in the world: Velasco and Zé Roberto, both of whom are in their seventies. It is not as if there are so many young coaches emerging who are fantastic, while us older coaches supposedly know nothing. So I think it is actually the other way around. What has really changed is the other part, not strictly volleyball-related, but the work done by strength and conditioning coaches, doctors and other members of the staff. That has changed enormously. There are many new things that help players stay healthier, become fitter and perform better,” Terzić pointed out.

In the past, as many as 70 percent of school-age girls in Serbia played Volleyball, whereas that percentage has now declined. The system you established used to produce three or four new young players every season. That number is now smaller.

“I never speak badly about those who came before me. Both of my predecessors – Daniele Santarelli and Giovanni Guidetti – are fantastic coaches, and their results speak for themselves. But they were not concerned with thinking about what the Serbian national team would look like in five or 10 years. It is very simple. They did not pay enough attention to younger players.
Nađa Antonović is with us, and that is our approach – the only way for young players to develop is to grow alongside more experienced players and get playing time. There are always young players; at least one can emerge every year.” 

How much more interesting, exciting and competitive will the 34th edition of the CEV EuroVolley? 

“I am not sure how much more exciting or interesting it will be. The European Championship is always important to everyone. Being European champion is something fantastic. I would rather become European champion than qualify for the Olympic Games. We will achieve Olympic qualification in another way.
As for the quality, I do not believe it will be much better. The only really interesting part will be the final – to see who gets everything and who gets nothing. If, for example, Italy are in the final, they will almost certainly qualify for the Olympic Games based on the FIVB World Ranking, so from that perspective it will not matter to them whether they become European champions or not.
On the other hand, it could mean a lot to teams such as the Netherlands or Germany. Winning the European Championship and securing a place at the Olympic Games would be fantastic for them, because the alternative route would be incomparably more difficult. I do not see a huge difference in the fact that the European Championship is, effectively, a qualifying tournament,” Terzić assessed.

Serbia are targeting a place in the semifinals.

“There are quite a few teams that will compete for the medals. Italy and Türkiye are the two main favourites, followed by us, Poland, the Netherlands and Germany. Those six teams are competing for the semifinal spots. For Serbia, reaching the semifinals is, in a way, an obligation. It would be a failure if we did not make it. The only thing is that I hope there will be no circumstances beyond our control, such as the injury suffered by Bošković at the World Championship. Once you reach the semifinals, the goal is to win a medal. Definitely, the semifinals are always the target for Serbia,” Terzić emphasised.

Asked what he would change about his career so far and whether there is anything he regrets, Terzić replied:

“I have never really thought about that. You should always look ahead to what is coming and learn from your mistakes. I would certainly change something. Not one specific situation, perhaps the way we prepared for certain competitions, but nothing drastic.”

At EuroVolley 2026, Zoran Terzić will overtake Giovanni Guidetti as the coach with the most matches at the European Championship. Guidetti currently leads the standings with 73 matches (54 wins and 19 defeats), while Terzić has so far coached 69 matches with Serbia, recording 49 victories and 20 losses in the process.