Poland aim to retain EuroVolleyM crown

Over the last decade Poland has been one of the most successful European teams. The runners-up of the last year's world championships and the 2023 Volleyball Nations League winners top the FIVB world ranking since June 2022 and are naturally one of the main contenders to EuroVolleyM title.

Poland men's national team is considered one of the strongest squads in the world, benefiting from the wealth of outstanding players. Probably the process of selection on some positions has to be quite a challenge, considering how many excellent players Poland introduced to the world. Coach Nikola Grbić who took over the team at the beginning of the 2022 can already boast with several achievements, including the silver medal from the last year’s world championships and gold medal won at the VNL only a few weeks ago. Actually, Poland seems hunger for gold and the success achieved in Gdańsk at the Volleyball Nations League Finals proved that they are on the right track.

Poland had their first golden era in 70s - when they won their maiden world champion title in 1974 and the Olympic gold - their only Olympic medal up to date - at Montreal 1976. From 1975 to 1983 Poland finished runners-up at five successive European Championships, but then the modern glory times and Polish Volleyball-mania started in 2006 with silver medal won at the world championships. It was followed by their only European Championship title in 2009 and crowned with back-to-back world championship (2014, 2018).

Poland had to wait for a new gold in their cabinets until this summer, as since memorable 2018 world championships till the 2023 VNL Finals, the White-and-Reds, who finished on the podium of several major events, couldn't get to its top. It looks that Nikola Grbić with his team found a recipe. At the last two EuroVolleys (2019, 2021) Poland finished third. Back in 2021 they lost in Katowice in the semifinal to Italy, eventually beating Serbia in bronze medal match. Now many is looking for the clash of Poland and Italy on the Italian soil, especially that last year also in Katowice Poland lost the world championship title to Italy, too.

Beyond any doubt, Poland can benefit for super deep roster, having several options in almost every solution. Their only limitations is number of the players who can be selected for the event. The all-Poland Champions League SuperFinals included as many as seven national team regulars, but actually it’s uncertain if all of them will fit into EuroVolley’s roster. Bartosz Kurek, who took the captain’s duty after Michał Kubiak, became a true leader of the team. Majestic and powerful 35-year-old opposite struggled with injury during the VNL finals, but was perfectly replaced by one of Zaksa’s pillars Łukasz Kaczmarek. The list of their outside hitters might be an object of envy among other teams… Perugia’s superstar Wilfredo Leon, and key players of the previous Champions League’s editions Kamil Semeniuk, Aleksander Śliwka, Bartosz Bednorz and Tomasz Fornal. Just think that probably one of them won’t make it to the EuroVolley! Due to injury Mateusz Bieniek won't be able to strengthen Poland in the middle of the net, but they still can count on Jakub Kochanowski, Karol Kłos, Norbert Huber and Mateusz Poręba. Poland’s defence is in excellent hands of Paweł Zatorski – Most Valuable Player of the VNL 2023 and Jastrzębski Węgiel’s hero - Jakub Popiwczak. And on the playmaking duty – maestro Marcin Janusz and Grzegorz Łomacz. They not only creates a perfect symphony under the guidance of Nikola Grbić, but they all seem to make a perfect team on and off the court that is capable to gain the European crown again.