The Polish national team must lose the match? The selector has no doubts

Since the draw of the European Championship 2026, the fate of the Polish team has been much louder than the opening of the tournament itself. Looking at the tournament ladder, it turns out that in a way it “pays off”… losing a match in the group stage.

Why? If the Polish team took a place other than first, they would not have to face the Italian team in the knockout phase of the tournament. And certainly not at a level that could end hopes for a place in the top four of the event.

Stefano Lavarini clearly about the situation of Polish women. Will the team intentionally lose the match at the European Championship?

Of course, coach Stefano Lavarini is aware of his team’s position. The Italian spoke on the official website of the Tauron Women’s League, clearly distancing himself from any combinations with a possible defeat, opening an easier path in the European Championship 2026.

– Thinking and speaking in such categories makes no sense to me. Moreover, we are not in a situation where we can choose teams and assess their capabilities against us, especially considering that these may be teams that will win the group due to their good level of play. In addition, we must remember that after the group competition, there is a knockout phase, where one match decides whether a team will advance or be eliminated from the tournament. Due to this, the degree of difficulty of these matches is greater and they have a completely different meaning – coach Lavarini clearly admitted.

It seems that the Polish women need to focus primarily on a good start to the tournament. This type of conversation regarding the standings in the table can only be started before the last match against the Turks. Although it still seems unrealistic, at least in the official version. The essence of playing at the European Championship is winning against each subsequent opponent.

What would happen if Polish women avoided Italian women? Potential competition with the Dutch. This scenario sounds a bit better than fighting against absolute giants on the world volleyball stage.

Schedule of Polish women’s matches at the European Volleyball Championship 2026:

• August 22: Hungary – Poland (Saturday, 6:00 p.m.)

• August 24: Poland – Latvia (Monday, 15:00)

• August 25: Poland – Slovenia (Tuesday, 6:00 p.m.)

• August 27: Poland – Germany (Thursday, 15:00)

• August 28: Türkiye – Poland (Friday, 6:00 p.m.)

At the last European Championships, held in 2023, the Polish team was eliminated in the quarterfinals by the Turkish team. As it turned out, Türkiye later won the final triumph, defeating the Serbians in the final (3:2). The bronze medal went to the Dutch.

It is worth adding that in the all-time European Volleyball Men’s Championship table, Poland ranks high in 5th place. This included two gold medals, four silver and five bronze. That’s a total of 11 discs. Of all (!) teams, only the leading representatives of the USSR (16 medals), a non-existent country, have more medals. Interestingly, the runners-up are… Russians.

European volleyball matches will be shown on Polsat Sport and online via the Polsat Box Go platform.