Eight matches opened the tournament on 21 August, with all four host nations winning, six straight-set results and Isabelle Haak setting the early scoring benchmark with 30 points for Sweden.
DAY 1 ROUNDUP | 21 August 2026 | Istanbul, Brno, Baku and Gothenburg
Women’s EuroVolley 2026 opened with eight matches across the four host cities. The first day was dominated by decisive results: six matches ended 3-0, while Azerbaijan and Czechia were the only winners who needed a fourth set.
The individual headline belonged to Isabelle Haak, who scored 30 points in Sweden’s home win over Montenegro. Bulgaria produced the most notable surprise, sweeping Ukraine after Ukraine had led the opening set 20-15.
For the broader tournament picture, see our Women’s EuroVolley 2026 tournament preview, and for the competition system, standings points and knockout crossover, see Women’s EuroVolley 2026 Format & Rules.
Day 1 Results — 21 August 2026
| Host city | Match | Result | Set scores | Pool |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gothenburg | France vs Slovakia | 3-0 | 25-13, 25-21, 25-13 | Pool D |
| Brno | Austria vs Serbia | 0-3 | 17-25, 9-25, 21-25 | Pool B |
| Gothenburg | Croatia vs Italy | 0-3 | 9-25, 22-25, 23-25 | Pool D |
| Brno | Bulgaria vs Ukraine | 3-0 | 25-23, 25-23, 25-20 | Pool B |
| Baku | Azerbaijan vs Portugal | 3-1 | 25-22, 23-25, 27-25, 25-20 | Pool C |
| Istanbul | Türkiye vs Latvia | 3-0 | 25-17, 25-16, 25-16 | Pool A |
| Gothenburg | Sweden vs Montenegro | 3-0 | 25-13, 25-18, 25-23 | Pool D |
| Brno | Czechia vs Greece | 3-1 | 25-14, 23-25, 25-15, 25-20 | Pool B |
France 3-0 Slovakia — A Controlled Start in Pool D
France opened the competition in Gothenburg with a 25-13, 25-21, 25-13 victory over Slovakia. The second set was the only period in which Slovakia stayed consistently close, while France controlled the opening and closing sets.
Cyrielle Depie led France with 15 points, including 14 winning attacks, while Halimatou Bah added 14. France finished with a 75-47 advantage in total points, the widest team scoring margin of the opening day.
Austria 0-3 Serbia — Serbia Spread the Scoring
Serbia began their campaign with a 25-17, 25-9, 25-21 sweep of Austria in Brno. The second set was particularly one-sided, although Austria made the third considerably more competitive.
Tijana Bošković scored 11 points, while Aleksandra Uzelac and Hena Kurtagić had nine each and Branka Tica added eight. Austria’s Anamarija Galić also finished with 11 points and recorded 11 winning attacks.
Croatia 0-3 Italy — Antropova Leads After a 25-9 Opener
Italy produced one of the most dominant sets of Day 1 by taking the opener 25-9 against Croatia. Croatia responded well and made the next two sets much tighter, but Italy closed them 25-22 and 25-23 to avoid extending the match.
Ekaterina Antropova scored a match-high 21 points, including 17 winning attacks. Paola Egonu added 14, while Anna Danesi recorded three winning blocks.
Bulgaria 3-0 Ukraine — The Day’s Biggest Turnaround
Bulgaria’s 25-23, 25-23, 25-20 win over Ukraine was the opening day result that most clearly broke the expected pattern. The straight-sets scoreline also hides how close the match was in its first half.
Ukraine led the opening set 20-15, but Bulgaria won 10 of the final 13 points to take it 25-23. The second set ended by the same score before Bulgaria completed the sweep 25-20.
Mikaela Stoyanova led Bulgaria with 14 points, Aleksandra Milanova scored 13 and Tsvetelina Ilieva 12. Anna Artyshuk was Ukraine’s leading scorer with nine.
Azerbaijan 3-1 Portugal — The Tightest Match of Day 1
Azerbaijan and Portugal produced the most sustained back-and-forth contest of the day in Baku. The hosts won 25-22, Portugal replied 25-23, and the third set became the key turning point as Azerbaijan edged it 27-25 before closing the fourth 25-20.
Yelizaveta Ruban scored 25 points, including 21 winning attacks, while Polina Rahimova added 22. Together they supplied 47 points for Azerbaijan. Margarida Maia led Portugal with 16.
Türkiye 3-0 Latvia — Vargas Leads the Defending Champions
Türkiye opened their title defence in Istanbul with a controlled 25-17, 25-16, 25-16 victory over Latvia. The hosts did not allow the match to develop into a prolonged contest and took the maximum three standings points.
Melissa Vargas finished with 19 points: 12 winning attacks, four blocks and three aces. Zehra Güneş and Sinead Jack-Kisal added 10 points each. Marta Kamēlija Levinska led Latvia with 13.
CEV recorded 9,112 spectators at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall, the largest attendance among the Day 1 matches covered in this roundup.
Sweden 3-0 Montenegro — Haak Explodes for 30
Sweden gave the Gothenburg crowd a winning start with a 25-13, 25-18, 25-23 sweep of Montenegro. The hosts controlled the first two sets, while Montenegro produced its strongest resistance in the third and stayed close until the finish.
Isabelle Haak delivered the standout individual performance of Day 1 with 30 points, including 27 winning attacks. Hanna Hellvig added 16 points, while Nikoleta Perović led Montenegro with 13.
The match was also Montenegro’s first appearance at a Women’s EuroVolley finals, while 5,261 spectators attended at Scandinavium.
Czechia 3-1 Greece — Hosts Respond After Dropping a Set
Czechia completed a perfect opening day for the four host nations with a 25-14, 23-25, 25-15, 25-20 victory over Greece in Brno. After Greece levelled the match in the second set, Czechia immediately regained control.
Monika Brancuska scored 23 points, including 22 winning attacks. Georgia-Loula Angelopoulou led Greece with 17, Martha Anthouli added 16, and Ela Koulisiani produced five winning blocks for Czechia.
Day 1 Top Scorers
| Player | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Isabelle Haak | Sweden | 30 |
| Yelizaveta Ruban | Azerbaijan | 25 |
| Monika Brancuska | Czechia | 23 |
| Polina Rahimova | Azerbaijan | 22 |
| Ekaterina Antropova | Italy | 21 |
| Melissa Vargas | Türkiye | 19 |
Day 1 at a Glance
| Angle | Match / team | What stood out |
|---|---|---|
| Top individual performance | Sweden vs Montenegro | Isabelle Haak scored 30 points, including 27 winning attacks. |
| Biggest turnaround | Bulgaria vs Ukraine | Ukraine led the first set 20-15 before Bulgaria recovered to win 25-23. |
| Host-nation record | Four host teams | Türkiye, Czechia, Azerbaijan and Sweden all won their opening matches. |
| Most competitive match | Azerbaijan vs Portugal | Three of the four sets were decided by three points or fewer. |
| Most dominant set | Croatia vs Italy | Italy opened the match with a 25-9 first set. |
| Largest total-points margin | France vs Slovakia | France outscored Slovakia 75-47 across three sets. |
What Day 1 Means
The opening day was defined by control rather than long five-set battles. Six of the eight matches ended in straight sets, and the two four-set winners — Azerbaijan and Czechia — still collected the maximum three standings points.
All four host nations also started 1-0. Türkiye, Czechia, Azerbaijan and Sweden each used home court successfully, although their paths were different: Türkiye and Sweden swept, while Azerbaijan and Czechia had to respond after dropping a set.
Individually, Haak’s 30 points set the first major scoring benchmark. Ruban, Brancuska, Rahimova and Antropova also passed 20 points, while Bulgaria’s comeback from 15-20 in the first set against Ukraine provided the clearest momentum swing of the day.
Final Take
Day 1 did not produce a five-set thriller, but it established several useful reference points for the rest of the pool stage. The leading contenders largely handled their opening assignments, the hosts went four-for-four, and Sweden’s dark-horse case gained an immediate boost through Haak’s scoring display.
Bulgaria’s sweep of Ukraine also showed how quickly a pool can change. One five-point lead disappeared in the opening set, and less than an hour later Bulgaria had a 3-0 win and three standings points. With every team still early in the schedule, the next round of matches will show which Day 1 performances were genuine trends and which were simply opening-night snapshots.
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