Volleyball fans are lucky! A show of the national team at Spodek in Katowice

First Sosnowiec, then Katowice. The Silesia Cup 2026 friendly tournament took place in these two cities. It started with Wednesday’s defeat against Serbia (2:3), quite unfortunate because the Poles missed the end of the tie-break. The hosts led 13:10, but eventually lost 14:16.

Silesia Cup 2026: Poles undefeated in Spodek in Katowice! It’s time for VNL

In addition to sports emotions, in Silesia – more specifically during the Volleyball Walk of Fame – important figures related to the volleyball reality in the country were traditionally honored. Wojciech Korfanty Avenue, where the handprints are located, is located near Spodek. During this year’s Silesia Cup, the Poles did not lose a match in the legendary facility.

On Friday, the hosts defeated Ukraine, led by Raul Lozano, 3-1. On the last day, they had to face the 2025 world runners-up, Bulgarians. Coach Gianlorenzo Blengini could not use his most important players, but the same can be written about the Polish coach. What’s more, there were many debuts among the hosts, which, in the case of playing in Spodek, is a solid test for those entering the national team.

The Poles left no doubt who had… more desire to win that day. Blengini was mainly angry with his young players, especially during time-outs, or he looked sternly at the actions of the Bulgarian team from behind the line. However, this is not a problem for the Poles, who once again – playing in various lineups – maintained a quite solid level.

Pretty solid considering the depth of the changes. Poland won 3-0 in… regular time, so to speak. Due to the friendly nature of the tournament, the coaches agreed to play four games. In the latter, the additional one, the Bulgarians triumphed, but less decisively than before on the Polish side. Poland won 25:17, 25:17 and 25:15.

Fourth set? 25:22 for Bulgaria.

Who is worth highlighting? Certainly the blockers, because in total the Poles scored as many as 18 points in this element. Plus, overall, it is worth noting that the Polish team won the entire Silesia Cup 2026 tournament. Which is also a nice accent, because last year, at the same stage, the hosts finished… in last place.

Coach Grbic is to announce the squad for the first Nations League tournament at the end of May. A few days ago, the Serb announced from which players he would choose. In total, the designated list includes as many as 30 names.

The Poles, who won VNL gold in 2025, will play in three intercontinental phase tournaments: in Linyi, China (June 10-14), Gliwice (June 24-26) and Chicago (July 15-19). The Nations League finals will be held in Ningbo, China (July 30 – August 2).