Poland retained the men’s EuroVolley title with a 3-1 final victory over reigning Olympic champions France in Assago, near Milan, on 26 September, and secured a place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Volleyball World reported that Poland won 31-29, 25-19, 20-25, 25-16 at the Unipol Forum, overcoming France in a repeat of the Paris 2024 Olympic final. France had won that Olympic gold-medal match in straight sets, making Poland’s European Championship success a notable response on another major final stage.
The Polish Volleyball Federation said that the final’s winner was guaranteed qualification for the 2028 Olympics. France, according to Volleyball World, must now pursue qualification through the 2027 FIVB Men’s World Cup or the world ranking.
Poland recover after France take the third set
The opening set proved decisive in setting the tone of a close contest. Poland eventually took it 31-29 before establishing a more substantial advantage with a 25-19 second-set win. France responded by taking the third 25-20, but Poland regained control in the fourth and completed the match with a 25-16 set.
Specialist outlet Volleyball.it reported that Poland produced the stronger attacking figures across the final, recording 58% attacking efficiency against France’s 51%. Poland also registered eight aces and nine blocks, compared with six aces and eight blocks for France. France committed 19 service errors, while Poland recorded 15.
Bartłomiej Bołądź was Poland’s leading scorer with 16 points, according to Volleyball.it. Tomasz Fornal and Wilfredo Leon each added 13 points, while Mathis Henno led France with 20. Théo Faure contributed 18 for the French side.
The figures suggest Poland’s advantage was built not solely on a strong start but on maintaining greater efficiency in attack and finding an edge from serve and block over four sets. France’s third-set recovery showed the contest remained competitive, but Poland’s fourth-set margin removed the prospect of a deciding set.
Both finalists had reached the gold-medal match with semi-final victories on 25 September. Volleyball World reported that Poland swept Slovenia 3-0, while France overcame Finland 3-1 after dropping the second set. Those results placed Poland and France in a final that carried both the continental title and the European Olympic qualification place. Finland subsequently returned to the court to beat Slovenia 3-0 in the bronze-medal match.
Third European crown and Olympic reward
Volleyball World said Poland’s victory delivered their third men’s European title, following successes in 2009 and 2023. It was also their second consecutive EuroVolley gold medal and a fourth successive podium finish at the competition.
Poland completed the tournament with a 7-1 record, Volleyball World reported, with their only defeat coming against co-hosts Bulgaria in a pool match in Sofia. The European title also followed Poland’s Volleyball Nations League win earlier in 2026, according to the same report.
Leon was named the tournament’s most valuable player, with the Italian Volleyball Federation reporting that he was also selected in the EuroVolley Dream Team. Poland coach Nikola Grbić was named the Dream Team coach.
The final was played in front of more than 11,000 spectators, according to Volleyball World and the Italian federation. France collected their fifth EuroVolley silver medal, Volleyball World said, but the Olympic champions will have to use a different route in their attempt to join Poland in Los Angeles.
Elsewhere at the finals, Finland beat Slovenia 3-0 to earn their first EuroVolley medal. Volleyball World reported that Poland, France, Finland and Slovenia, the four semi-finalists, also qualified for the 2027 FIVB Men’s World Cup through the stated qualification pathways.