Poland have been crowned European men’s volleyball champions for the second successive time after defeating Olympic champions France 3–1 in Saturday night’s final in Milan, completing another major triumph for Nikola Grbić’s side and securing qualification for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
The defending champions won 31–29, 25–19, 20–25, 25–16 at the Unipol Forum, surviving a dramatic opening set before increasingly taking control of the match.
It gives Poland a third European Championship title, following their previous victories in 2009 and 2023, and means they have successfully defended the crown won three years ago in Rome.
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Saturday’s victory also carried another major prize: European champions Poland have secured direct qualification for the men’s volleyball tournament at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
The final brought together the reigning European and Olympic champions and was also a rematch of the Paris 2024 Olympic final, when France defeated Poland 3–0 to win gold on home soil.
This time, Poland prevailed.
The first set immediately developed into the night’s most dramatic contest. Neither team could establish a decisive advantage, and France earned a set point at 24–23 before Antoine Brizard’s service error extended the contest.
Both sides subsequently had opportunities to close the set. A challenge overturned what initially appeared to be a winning French point after a net touch was detected, before Poland eventually took the set 31–29 through Bartłomiej Bołądź.
The second was considerably more one-sided.
Poland raced into a 7–2 lead and then stretched the advantage to 12–4, with their attack, blocking, defence and serving all causing France problems.
The gap at one stage reached nine points at 18–9. France reduced the deficit but never seriously threatened Poland’s control, with Bołądź completing a 25–19 set that left the defending champions one set from gold.
France responded in the third.
The Olympic champions established an early 7–3 advantage and later led 11–4. Kamil Semeniuk came on for Wilfredo Leon and helped Poland reduce the deficit, but France held on to take the set 25–20 and extend the final.
Poland’s response was emphatic.
With Semeniuk remaining on court, Grbić’s side moved 10–7 ahead in the fourth set before French errors helped increase the lead to 15–9.
An ace from Bartłomiej Lemański made it 19–12, while Szymon Jakubiszak’s block on Mathis Henno took Poland to 22–14.
Tomasz Fornal then finished the match at 25–16, securing the European title.
The victory completes an impressive knockout phase in which Poland did not lose a set before the final.
They beat Latvia 3–0 in the last 16, Germany 3–0 in the quarter-finals and Slovenia 3–0 in Friday’s semi-final. The European Volleyball Confederation described Poland’s semi-final victory as another demonstration of the team’s strength.
Their only defeat during the entire European Championship came in the group stage, when Bulgaria edged Poland 3–2 after a marathon deciding set.
France reached the final by beating Finland 3–1 in the other semi-final. It was the French men’s first European Championship final since they won the competition in 2015.
Saturday’s result also reverses one of Poland’s most painful recent defeats.
At the Paris Olympics in August 2024, France beat Poland in straight sets in the gold-medal match. The French had also eliminated Poland in the quarter-finals at Tokyo 2020 before going on to win their first Olympic title.
Poland’s European victory adds to an extraordinary run of medals under Grbić.
Before the final, the European Volleyball Confederation confirmed that reaching the medal match guaranteed Poland a tenth consecutive medal under the Serbian coach across the major international competitions.
The European crown follows another major title only weeks ago.
In August, Poland also retained the Volleyball Nations League title, defeating the United States 3–2 in the final in Ningbo, China. Tomasz Fornal was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
Poland have now won the European Championship three times — in 2009, 2023 and 2026.
The latest triumph is the first time Poland have successfully defended the men’s European title and makes them the first country to win consecutive editions since Italy did so in 2003 and 2005.
Most immediately, however, the victory means Poland will not need to navigate a later qualification route to reach Los Angeles.
European gold has delivered the White-and-Reds both another major trophy and a guaranteed place at the 2028 Olympics — four years after they left Paris with silver.
