The Poland men’s national volleyball team secured the European Championship title in Milan, defeating France 3–1 in the final to defend the crown won three years prior. Alongside the gold medals, the Polish squad earned direct qualification for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Final Match Dynamics in Milan
Poland claimed its third European Championship title in a hard-fought encounter against the reigning 2024 Olympic champions. Bartlomejs Bolondžs led the champions with 16 points, while Vilfredo Leons and Tomašs Fornals each contributed 13 points.
The opening set established a high-intensity tone. Leons sparked an early 4–2 lead for Poland with three consecutive powerful serves. Both teams traded blows with aggressive serving that disrupted opposing reception units. The set culminated in a tense finish where a successfully challenged referee decision—noting a missed net touch by a French player—revived Poland’s chances. Bolondžs eventually closed out the frame at 31–29 despite a subsequent French video appeal.
Poland carried that momentum into the second set, opening with a 7–2 run. Another serving surge from Leons pushed the score to 17–7, effectively neutralizing France’s front-line attack before the set finished 25–19 in favor of the defending champions.
Tournament Path and Historical Context
Throughout the tournament, Poland dropped only a single match—falling to Bulgaria at the close of the group stage after having already secured first place in their pool. Across four knockout fixtures, including an encounter against Latvia in the quarterfinals, the Polish team surrendered just one set total.
The victory marks Poland’s third all-time European Championship triumph. For France, reaching the final represented a return to the continental podium for the first time since their 2015 tournament victory, following their gold-medal run at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
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