It’s time for a revenge for the Olympic Games! This will be a big battle for everything

This will be the match that both teams have been waiting for practically the entire 2026 season. Poles and French will face off in a direct fight for the European Championship on Saturday (i.e. September 26). Who will be the favorite? It seems that the Polish volleyball players have more arguments. But the Tricolor team has managed to surprise more than once, so it’s certainly hard to underestimate such an opponent.

Especially if we are talking about playing for gold, in a serious tournament of the European Championship level.

Poland – France. This will be an opportunity to take revenge for the Olympic Games!

Let us recall that in Friday’s (September 25) semi-final, the Poles defeated the Slovenians, winning in three sets. The French needed four games to defeat the highlight of the tournament – the Finnish team. The Finns sensationally defeated the world champions Italy, the hosts of the European Championship 2026, after a tie-break in the quarterfinals of the event.

What can you expect from Saturday’s final? Both teams will certainly be very motivated. Events from the last two Olympic tournaments will be playing in the background. The French found a way to beat the Poles on their way to later Olympic gold medals – in 2021 in Tokyo at the quarterfinal stage (3:2) – and at home in Paris in the grand final (3:0) two years ago.

However, the Tricolors have undergone a revolution in recent years. Some new names appeared (Mathis Henno, Theo Faure), although there are still those who remember well what happened in the clashes with the Poles (Antoine Brizard, Trevor Clevenot). Poland is the leader of the FIVB ranking, the most consistent team on the world arenas. However, in the direct match for the gold medal of ME 2026, none of this will matter much. Only what both teams will present on a given day will count.

It is worth adding that, apart from the cup and gold medals of the European Championship 2026, the stake in Saturday’s final will be to secure tickets to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028. As you can see, the intensity of the match will be really high.

ME 2026: The Polish national team defends the title. Where and when to watch the Polish final?

The Polish national volleyball team has won gold medals in the European Championships twice in its history. Poles won in 2009 and 2023. Historically, Poland won its first title in Turkey, and Piotr Gruszka was honored with the MVP award.

The last tournament, the 33rd edition in the history of the Men’s Volleyball Championship, was held in four countries: North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Israel and Italy. Ultimately, in the final battle in Rome, the Poles defeated the Italians 3-0. The MVP award went to Wilfredo Leon.

Looking at the entire history of the Men’s Volleyball Championships, Poland won a total of 11 medals. This is the third best result in terms of the number of Old Continent championship medals won by Polish representatives. There are two gold medals (2009, 2023), and five silver medals in a row (1975, 1977, 1979, 1981 and 1983). What is even more interesting, at that time only the USSR volleyball players won the championship titles. In the years 1967-91, the Soviet Union national team won 10 titles out of 11 editions of the European Championship.

Poland won four bronze medals at the European Championships, in the editions of 1967 (the first medal for volleyball players in the history of the European Championships) and more recently – 2011, 2019 and 2021.

The final of the European Championship 2026 Poland – France on Saturday (i.e. September 26), starting at 9:00 p.m.

Matches of the European Men’s Volleyball Championship 2026 are shown on Polsat open channels (meetings of the Polish national team) and Polsat Sport. However, you can use the Polsat Box Go platform online.