Volleyball European Championship: Bulgaria Routed the Underdog Ahead of Its Match Against Ukraine

The hosts, the Bulgarian men’s national volleyball team, secured a straight-sets victory in the group stage of the 2026 European Championship on home soil. In a Group B match held in Sofia at the Sports Palace in front of more than 10,600 spectators, the Bulgarian volleyball team defeated Portugal 3-0 in three sets.

The Bulgarian team completely controlled the match from the very first rallies until the final whistle. In the first two sets, the hosts quickly built a comfortable lead thanks to aggressive play at the net and confident attacking, closing out both sets with the same score of 25–18. In the third set, the Portuguese players tried to put up a fight, but Gianlorenzo Blengini’s team handled the decisive moments with composure and secured a confident victory.

The match statistics confirmed the Bulgarian team’s superiority in attack (31–30) and at the net (9–3). The Bulgarians were also more effective in aces, 6–1.

The top scorer for the winning team was Aleksandar Nikolov, who scored 17 points. For the Portuguese national team, Lorenzo Garcia Martins added 9 points to his tally.

This strong performance allowed the Bulgarian national team to earn the maximum three points and strengthen its position in the Group B standings, where the national teams of Ukraine, Israel, and North Macedonia are also competing.

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

Portugal – Bulgaria – 0:3 (18:25, 18:25, 20:25)