Alan Nine
The latest Volleyball.it news roundup brings together the main stories published on Tuesday, August 18, 2026. Italy’s national teams continued their preparations for a busy international schedule, while clubs and federations across Europe, Asia and the Americas looked ahead to the next stage of the season.
The main Italian stories came from the women’s national team in Gothenburg and the men’s Under-20 team competing in Frankfurt. Further updates covered international transfers, EuroVolley preparations, youth beach volleyball and the start of preseason for several Italian clubs.
International
Italy’s women’s national team completed its first day of work in Sweden, where the Azzurre are preparing for EuroVolley 2026.
The team landed at Gothenburg-Landvetter Airport at 11:20 on Tuesday before holding its first training session on the secondary court of the Scandinavium, the venue for its Pool D matches.
Italy will begin its European Championship campaign against Croatia on Friday, August 21 at 16:00. Montenegro, Sweden, Slovakia and France are the other teams in the group.
Outside hitter Stella Nervini spoke about the positive atmosphere within the squad following Italy’s successful warm-up tournament in Poland. With Loveth Omoruyi unavailable through injury, the Azzurre will need every member of the squad to be ready to contribute as Julio Velasco looks for greater tactical flexibility.
Italy’s next training session is scheduled for Wednesday, August 19 at 17:00.
Youth International
Italy’s men’s Under-20 team secured first place in Pool B of the WEVZA qualifying tournament for the 2027 European Championship.
In Frankfurt, the team coached by Mario Di Pietro defeated Spain 3-1, winning 25-18, 22-25, 25-17 and 25-21. Italy finished the group stage with three victories and only one set lost.
The Azzurrini recorded a 55% attacking efficiency and held an 11-3 advantage in blocks. German Khotsevitch led the scoring with 19 points, followed by Gioele Costa with 18 and Pietro Carrera with 14. Martino Bigozzi contributed three blocks.
Italy will play its semifinal on Wednesday, August 19 at 19:00 against the loser of the match between France and Germany. Only the winner of the tournament will qualify directly for the European Championship final round, which will be jointly hosted by Croatia and Montenegro.
Attention also turned to the Men’s Under-17 World Championship in Doha, where Italy are preparing for their opening match.
Head coach Daniele Conci highlighted the importance of teamwork ahead of a tournament whose original format had to be revised following the withdrawal of several participating teams.
Around the World
The latest Mondo Volley roundup included several updates from the international transfer market.
Experienced setter Fabian Drzyzga has returned to Poland’s PlusLiga, joining Cuprum Stilon Gorzów after spells with Shanghai and Fenerbahçe.
French setter Samuel Njok has signed for Dutch club Sliedrecht Sport, while Benfica have extended the contract of Brazilian outside hitter André Aleixo, better known as Japa, until 2027.
In Italy, Narconon Volley Melendugno began preparations for the new Serie A2 women’s season under head coach Simone Giunta.
Several national teams also received important news ahead of EuroVolley. Croatia welcomed Samanta Fabris back onto the court during its warm-up matches, while Germany included the returning Hanna Orthmann in its final 14-player roster.
In Turkey, discussion continued over the injury suffered by middle blocker Karmen Aksoy. Meanwhile, the debate surrounding the Brazilian Volleyball Confederation’s eligibility regulations remained in the spotlight, with Douglas Souza and Rosamaria Montibeller publicly expressing their support for Tifanny Abreu.
The women’s continental championships will also have major Olympic implications. The champions of Europe, Asia, Africa, NORCECA and South America will each secure a place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The FIVB has also established the qualification criteria for the 2027 Women’s World Championship, which will be held in the United States and Canada. The remaining places will be awarded according to continental results and the world ranking as of October 2, 2026.
Beach Volleyball and Italian Clubs
Four Italian youth beach-volleyball training camps began simultaneously in Formia and Montesilvano.
The camps involve the women’s Under-20 squad, the men’s Next Gen group, and the men’s Under-20 and Under-18 teams. Among the players called up are Margherita Coretti, Micol Lafuenti, Davide Borraccino, Andrea Sanguanini, Francesco Denina and Mattia Leghi.
The immediate goal is to prepare for the European youth competitions scheduled to take place in Battipaglia in September.
In the Italian men’s club game, Allianz Milano officially began preseason training under new head coach Guillermo Falasca.
Eight players took part in the opening session, while Francesco Recine continued his individual recovery programme. With the international season still dominating the headlines in mid-August, the return of clubs to training signals that the domestic campaign is also beginning to take shape.
