Poland defended its European men’s volleyball title by defeating Olympic champions France 3–1 in a tense final, while Finland secured a historic bronze medal by sweeping Slovenia at the continental championship.
The defending champions claimed the European crown once again at the Unipol Forum in front of more than 11,000 spectators, posting set scores of 31–29, 25–19, 20–25, and 25–16 against France. The victory allows Poland to add another major trophy to its resume following a strong run that included success in the Volleyball Nations League, while avenging a previous loss to the French squad from the Paris Olympic tournament two years prior.
Under the direction of coach Nikola Grbić, the Polish side weathered an intense opening frame in which they successfully turned away four set points. After controlling the second set cleanly, Poland dropped the third as the French Olympic champions mounted a brief surge. The champions responded decisively in the fourth, powered by 16 points from opposite hitter Bartłomiej Bołądź, to secure the title.
Individual honors followed the team success when hitter Wilfredo León, who has Cuban roots, received the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award amidst the packed arena.
Meanwhile, Finland capped off an unexpected tournament run by capturing its first European championship medal. The Finnish national team secured the bronze with a straight-sets victory of 3:0, posting scores of 25–23, 25–20, and 29–27 over Slovenia in Milan. The result denied the Slovenian side a fourth podium finish at the continental tournament.
Finland reached the podium after pulling off a notable tournament upset by eliminating world champions Italy. That momentum carried through despite significant roster setbacks; the Finnish team had to play both the semifinal loss to France (1–3) and the bronze medal match without setter Fedor Ivanov, who sustained an injury during a pre-match warm-up ahead of the French fixture. The squad also managed to win despite limited offensive production from opposite hitter Joonas Jokela, who contributed only four points before being substituted.
Elsewhere in the tournament standings, the Czech Republic national team exited in the round of 16 following a defeat to Belgium, finishing the competition in 12th place. That result marked a step back from the team’s fourth-place finish at the previous year’s world championship in the Philippines.
