Bulgaria crushed Ukraine's next opponent in the opening round of the European Volleyball Championship

The Bulgarian men’s national volleyball team scored a convincing three-set victory to kick off the home leg of the group stage of the 2026 European Championship. In a Group B match, the Bulgarian volleyball players defeated the North Macedonian team 3-0 in 79 minutes.

Gianlorenzo Blengini’s team completely controlled the action on the court from the very start of the match. In the first set, the Bulgarians quickly built a lead and closed out the set without any trouble, winning 25–17. The second set followed a similar pattern: the home team excelled in reception, maintained a comfortable lead, and sealed the set 25–19. In the third set, the Macedonians, led by Josko Milenkoski, tried to put up a fight in the opening rallies, but the Bulgarian team’s superior skill allowed them to calmly finish off their opponents—25–18.

The final statistics showed Bulgaria’s clear dominance in all key aspects of the game: in attacks—42–21, in aces—10–0, and in blocks—6–4.

The top scorer of the match was Bulgarian national team outside hitter Alexander Nikolov, who scored 19 points. Denislav Bardarov added 15 points for the hosts, while Asparuh Asparuhov scored 12 points. For the North Macedonian national team, Nikola Georgiev scored 8 points.

The Bulgarians will play their next match on September 11 against Portugal. On the same day, North Macedonia will face Ukraine.

2026 European Championship, Men. Group B. Sofia (Bulgaria)

Bulgaria – North Macedonia – 3:0 (25:17, 25:19, 25:18)

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