Türkiye reach EuroVolley Round of 16 despite Poland loss

Türkiye's women's volleyball team secured a place in the Round of 16 at the 2026 CEV Women's European Volleyball Championship on Friday despite suffering a 3-2 defeat to Poland in their final Pool A match at Istanbul's Sinan Erdem Sports Hall.

Pool decider in Istanbul

Both sides entered the encounter with perfect records after four straight victories, making the fixture a direct contest for first place in the group. The defending champions took the opening set 25-15 before Poland responded to take the second 25-21 and the third 25-22, moving within one set of securing top spot and maintaining their unbeaten tournament record.

Türkiye rallied in the fourth set with a 25-16 win to force a deciding tie-break at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall, but Poland held their nerve to take the fifth set 15-10 and seal the victory that confirmed them as Pool A winners ahead of the hosts.

Knockout phase awaits

The result leaves the defending champions in second place behind Poland, setting up a Round of 16 encounter with Azerbaijan — though the match date and time are yet to be announced — with the top four teams from each pool having secured progression to the knockout phase. The tournament continues through quarterfinals and semifinals before the final on September 6 in Istanbul.