Bulgaria volleyball team loses to Ukraine at EuroVolley 2026

The Bulgaria men's national volleyball team suffered its first defeat of EuroVolley 2026, losing 1:3 to Ukraine in a Group B match held at Arena 8888 in Sofia. The set scores were 23:25, 22:25, 25:21, and 21:25.

Bulgarian star Aleksandar Nikolov led the team with 27 points, making him the top scorer of the tournament so far with an average of 6.3 points per game. Despite his performance, coach Gianlorenzo Blengini noted that the team lacked consistency, particularly in service and reception. He attributed the loss to Ukraine's powerful serving, specifically highlighting the performance of Oleh Plotnytskyi, who scored 23 points and several crucial aces.

Ukraine remains at the top of Group B with three wins. Bulgaria currently sits in third place with two wins and one loss. Following this match, Bulgaria is scheduled to face Israel, while Ukraine will play Portugal.