Italy are through to the EuroVolley 2026 final after defeating Poland 3-1 in a high-quality semifinal at the Sinan Erdem Sports Hall in Istanbul. Julio Velasco’s team won the opening two sets 25-19, 25-19, dropped the third 21-25, and then responded immediately in the fourth to close the match 25-16. The Azzurre will now face hosts Türkiye in Sunday’s final, scheduled for 6 September at 6:00 pm Italian time, with the European title and direct qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games at stake.
Italy remain unbeaten at EuroVolley 2026
The result against Poland completed a remarkable run for Italy. The Azzurre have won all eight of their matches at EuroVolley 2026, beginning with a perfect Pool D campaign in Göteborg before moving into the knockout stage.
Italy opened the tournament with a 3-0 victory over Croatia, followed by another 3-0 win against Montenegro. The third match brought the first meeting with Sweden, with Italy winning 3-0. The Azzurre then defeated Slovakia 3-0 before closing the group stage with a 3-1 victory over France.
That result secured first place in Pool D.
In the round of 16, Italy continued its perfect record with a 3-0 victory over Bulgaria in Brno. The quarterfinal against Sweden was much more demanding. Sweden won the opening set 25-21, but Velasco’s team reacted to win the next three sets 26-24, 25-21 and 25-23.
That victory sent Italy to Istanbul for the semifinal against Poland.
And this is where one important correction needs to be made very clearly: Sweden appears twice in Italy’s EuroVolley route because the two teams actually met twice during the same tournament. The first meeting was in the Pool D group stage, where Italy won 3-0. The second was the quarterfinal, where Italy won 3-1. Ukraine was not part of Italy’s EuroVolley route. Ukraine belonged to Pool B, while Italy played in Pool D alongside Sweden, Montenegro, France, Slovakia and Croatia.
A commanding start against Poland
The semifinal began with Italy immediately looking comfortable.
Paola Egonu helped set the tone in the opening set, while Italy’s block and service pressure prevented Poland from developing a consistent rhythm. The Azzurre controlled the set from the beginning and closed it 25-19.
Poland attempted to respond in the second set and managed to stay close during the early stages. The score reached 10-10, but Italy quickly restored its control. Myriam Sylla helped push the Azzurre ahead, while the Italian block became increasingly effective.
Italy eventually created a decisive advantage and took the second set 25-19.
At 2-0, the final appeared to be within reach.
Poland, however, refused to disappear from the match.
Poland fight back in the third set
The third set was the most complicated phase of the semifinal for Italy.
Poland started aggressively and built an early 6-2 advantage, with Julia Szczurowska playing a major role. Velasco called a timeout and Italy attempted to recover its rhythm.
The Azzurre eventually drew level at 9-9, but Poland responded again. The Polish side moved ahead 15-10 and used the energy inside the Istanbul arena to maintain its advantage.
Italy managed to reduce the gap to 18-17, but Poland immediately produced another run. The home crowd, although supporting the other semifinalist, created an intense atmosphere as Poland reached five set points at 24-19.
Szczurowska closed the set at 25-21.
Suddenly, Italy’s advantage had been reduced to 2-1.
The reaction was crucial.
Italy answer immediately in the fourth
The fourth set demonstrated the maturity of Velasco’s team.
Instead of allowing Poland’s momentum to continue, Italy started aggressively and moved ahead 5-1. Poland reduced the deficit to 6-5, but the Azzurre maintained control.
Italy increased the pressure through serving and blocking, moving first to 11-7 and then 15-9.
From there, Poland could no longer produce another comeback.
Egonu, Anna Danesi and Myriam Sylla contributed at important moments, while the Italian block and defensive organisation made it increasingly difficult for Poland to find clean solutions.
Italy eventually closed the set 25-16.
The semifinal was over.
Poland 1, Italy 3.
The Azzurre were going to the European final.
The corrected scoring numbers
The official CEV report gives the correct individual scoring figures from the semifinal.
Paola Egonu finished with 20 points, while Ekaterina Antropova scored 14 and Anna Danesi added 13. Poland’s leading scorer was Julia Szczurowska, who finished with 15 points.
These figures are important because the Italian victory was not simply the result of one star player.
Egonu once again provided a major offensive contribution, but Italy’s success came from the collective performance of the team. Antropova added power and consistency, Danesi was important at the net, while the defensive and blocking systems allowed Italy to recover quickly whenever Poland created pressure.
The ability to spread responsibility across the lineup has become one of the defining characteristics of this Italian team.
The block and the reaction make the difference
One of the biggest themes of the semifinal was Italy’s ability to use the block and serve to regain control.
The third set showed that Poland could create problems when the Italian defence lost some of its timing and positioning. Sarah Fahr also acknowledged after the match that Italy had experienced difficulties in the third set, particularly with the timing and positioning of the block and defence.
But the response was immediate.
That reaction may be one of the most encouraging elements for Italy ahead of the final. Against Türkiye, a team with enormous offensive quality and an outstanding player such as Melissa Vargas, Italy will need precisely the same ability to reset after difficult moments.
A final can turn on one or two rotations.
Italy has already shown that it can recover when the momentum changes.
The sixth European final in Italian history
The victory over Poland takes Italy to its sixth European Championship final.
The previous finals came in 2001, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2021. Italy won the European title in 2007, 2009 and 2021, meaning the Azzurre are now one victory away from a potential fourth continental crown.
The context makes this achievement even more significant.
Italy are the reigning Olympic champions after their historic gold medal at Paris 2024. They are also the reigning world champions after winning the 2025 World Championship.
A European title in Istanbul would therefore complete an extraordinary sequence of international success.
According to FIPAV, Italy would become only the second women’s national team in volleyball history to hold the Olympic, World and European titles simultaneously, following the Soviet Union.
Julio Velasco makes history again
The final also adds another historic chapter to Julio Velasco’s extraordinary coaching career.
Velasco has become the first coach in history to reach a European Championship final in both the men’s and women’s tournaments.
With Italy’s men, he previously reached four European finals, winning three of them in 1989, 1993 and 1995.
Now, with the women’s national team, he has guided Italy back to the European final five years after the 2021 triumph in Belgrade.
Velasco’s experience could be particularly valuable in the final. Italy will face a Turkish team playing at home, in front of a passionate Istanbul crowd, with the defending European champions looking to retain their crown.
The atmosphere will be intense.
The pressure will be enormous.
And Italy will have to remain focused from the first serve.
Türkiye stand between Italy and the title
Türkiye reached the final after defeating Serbia 3-0 in the other semifinal.
The hosts have won seven of their eight matches at EuroVolley 2026, with their only defeat coming against Poland in the Pool A stage, when they lost 3-2. They then returned to winning ways in the knockout rounds, defeating Azerbaijan 3-0, Germany 3-1 and Serbia 3-0.
Türkiye are also the reigning European champions, having won their first continental title in 2023.
The Turkish team is led by coach Daniele Santarelli and features one of the most dangerous scorers in international women’s volleyball: Melissa Vargas.
Vargas is Türkiye’s leading scorer in this tournament with 167 points.
She also played a decisive role in the 2023 European title and was the MVP of that tournament. The Italian defence will therefore face one of the biggest challenges of the entire competition.
Italy and Türkiye: another major chapter
The final will be the 79th meeting between Italy and Türkiye overall.
Italy lead the historical head-to-head record 57-21.
It will also be the tenth meeting between the two countries at the European Championship.
Türkiye have won the last three European meetings between the teams, all of them ending in five sets, including the 2023 semifinal.
However, Italy have dominated the official meetings since that semifinal.
The Azzurre have won all six official matches played against Türkiye since the 2023 European semifinal: 3-1 in the 2024 VNL, two 3-0 victories at the Paris 2024 Olympics, a 3-2 win in the 2025 VNL, the 3-2 victory in the 2025 World Championship final in Bangkok, and a 3-1 win in the 2026 VNL.
That history will add another layer to Sunday’s final.
But none of those results will matter once the first ball is served.
A rematch of the 2025 World Championship final
There is also a particularly recent memory between these two teams.
On 7 September 2025 in Bangkok, Italy defeated Türkiye 3-2 in the World Championship final.
That match was another five-set battle, with Italy winning 15-8 in the deciding set.
Egonu scored 22 points for Italy, while Vargas produced 33 for Türkiye.
Almost exactly one year later, the two teams meet again with another major title at stake.
This time, the setting is Istanbul.
The crowd will be overwhelmingly behind Türkiye.
And the prize will be European gold.
Los Angeles 2028 is also on the line
The European Championship final carries another enormous incentive.
The winner of EuroVolley 2026 will earn direct qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
For Italy, this would add another important piece to the Olympic cycle that began with the historic gold medal in Paris.
For Türkiye, qualification would represent another major step for a national team that has become one of the leading forces in European women’s volleyball.
The final therefore has consequences that extend far beyond the medal ceremony in Istanbul.
Italy’s road to the final
For clarity, the complete and verified Italian route at EuroVolley 2026 is:
Italy-Croatia 3-0
Italy-Montenegro 3-0
Italy-Sweden 3-0
Italy-Slovakia 3-0
Italy-France 3-1
Italy-Bulgaria 3-0
Italy-Sweden 3-1
Italy-Poland 3-1
That means eight wins from eight matches.
The repeated appearance of Sweden is therefore correct. Ukraine should not be inserted into this list because Ukraine was not an opponent of Italy at EuroVolley 2026.
The final in Istanbul
The appointment is now set.
Italy vs Türkiye.
Sunday, 6 September 2026.
6:00 pm Italian time.
Sinan Erdem Sports Hall, Istanbul.
The final will be broadcast in Italy on Rai 1, Sky Sport Uno, Sky Sport Arena and DAZN, according to the updated FIPAV final preview.
Italy arrive unbeaten.
Türkiye arrive as defending champions and hosts.
Egonu, Antropova, Danesi, Fahr, Sylla and the entire Italian squad will have to withstand the pressure of an Istanbul final and the quality of one of the strongest teams in world volleyball.
But the Azzurre have already shown something essential during this tournament: they know how to respond.
They responded against Sweden after losing the opening set in the quarterfinal.
They responded against Poland after dropping the third set in the semifinal.
Now they have one final challenge.
One match.
One title.
And potentially a place in history.
Italy are in the EuroVolley final. Türkiye are waiting. European gold and a ticket to Los Angeles 2028 are at stake.
Read the previous article
To follow the entire knockout-stage journey of the Azzurre, read the previous article:
ITALIA-SVEZIA 3-1, LE AZZURRE VOLANO IN SEMIFINALE AGLI EUROPEI DI VOLLEY 2026
And watch the video of Italy’s previous historic victory:
WATCH THE VIDEO OF ITALY’S PREVIOUS HISTORIC VICTORY
👉 READ THE FULL ARTICLE ON THE " Commenta La Notizia " BLOG 👇
https://commenta-la-notizia.blogspot.com/2026/09/volley-italia-finale-europei-2026-polonia-turchia.html
Subscribe and vote for all articles 👇
https://www.publish0x.com/goldweb?a=xkazKWYYbJ
© 2026 Commenta la Notizia - All rights reserved
Official sources used under fair use
📺 Follow Commenta La Notizia for deeper insights, global analysis, and fearless discussions about the issues that shape our world — from politics and technology to society and the hidden forces behind the headlines.
⚠️ Legal Notice This article and the related multimedia content are the exclusive property of the author. Copying, reproduction, distribution, or modification in any form or on any platform is prohibited without written permission.
Copyright © CondividiSulWeb – YouTube Commenta La Notizia
👤 Author: @condividisulweb
✍️ Commenta La Notizia is my editorial project created to provide clear and engaging insights into news, events, and major current issues.
Every article, video, and short is made with a clear goal: not only to inform, but also to give context, reflection points, and analysis to understand not just what happens, but especially why it happens.
With Commenta La Notizia I want to build a reliable and accessible space where everyone can get informed, understand, and join the discussion.
🌐 If you want to stay updated, you can follow me here.
💬 Your opinion matters! Every piece of news is a chance to discuss: share your thoughts and make your voice heard.
📰 Comment, share, stay informed.
🙏 Thank you for reading: your time and your opinion are the true value
✍️ SUPPORT FREE INFORMATION✍️
⚠️REMEMBER, YOU CAN VOTE ON ALL ARTICLES EVERY HOUR
AND REGISTER FOR FREE TO VOTE!⚠️
👇👇👇👇 😍 HELP GROW MY PASSION😍 👇👇👇👇
Publish0x Blog
Official Blog (Original Complete Articles)
Blurt Blog
Facebook Page
X Page
Youtube Channel
Telegram Channel
