2026 Women's European Volleyball Championship

The 2026 Women’s European Volleyball Championship is set to take place from August 21 to September 6, utilizing a multi-host format across Turkey, Azerbaijan, the Czech Republic, and Sweden.

E-commerce platform Trendyol has signed an agreement with the European Volleyball Confederation (CEV) to become the title sponsor, making the event ‘CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 Women’. This represents the first title sponsorship for the championship since its inception in 2009.

Istanbul, Turkey, will serve as a central hub, hosting 25 matches including the semifinals and the final. Other host locations include Brno in the Czech Republic, Gothenburg in Sweden, and Baku in Azerbaijan. The tournament is highly significant as it provides the first qualification opportunity for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

As the tournament approaches, the Italian national team is finalizing preparations under head coach Julio Velasco. Velasco has selected a 14-player roster featuring stars such as Paola Egonu, Myriam Sylla, and Stella Nervini, though Loveth Omoruyi will be absent due to injury. Italy is placed in Pool D in Gothenburg, Sweden, where they will compete against Croatia, Montenegro, Sweden, Slovakia, and France. The Italian squad, currently holding Olympic and World Championship titles, aims to complete a historic ‘Triple Crown’. In Italy, broadcasting rights for the tournament have been acquired by Sky, with matches available on Sky Sport, NOW, and Sky Go.

Italy is currently preparing in Sweden for its tournament debut against Croatia on Friday, August 21, in Göteborg. The group stage schedule includes matches against Montenegro on August 22, host nation Sweden on August 23, Slovakia on August 25, and France on August 26. Coach Velasco may use the Montenegro match to test player rotations, potentially utilizing Ekaterina Antropova in zone 4.