Alan Nine
TURIN – Italy booked their place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 Men’s EuroVolley with a composed 3-0 victory over Denmark. After a closely contested opening set, Ferdinando De Giorgi’s side progressively took control, pulling clear in the second and third to make a convincing start to the knockout rounds.
Patience and discipline underpinned Italy’s performance. Their block provided a solid foundation, while spells of effective serving put Denmark under increasing pressure. Yuri Romanò, Giovanni Sanguinetti and Pardo Mati all made valuable contributions, but the strength of the display lay in the balance of the team rather than individual performances.
Italy will face Finland in Turin on Wednesday at 21:05. The Finns ended a 13-year wait for a EuroVolley quarter-final by outlasting Greece 3-2 (22-25, 25-16, 22-25, 25-23, 15-13) in a two-hour, 26-minute contest at the PalaVela.
Nooa Marttila and Luka Marttila finished with 21 points apiece, while Joonas Jokela added 20, including six blocks. Twice trailing by a set, Finland fought back to force a decider, then regrouped after Greece erased their early advantage to draw level at 7-7. Luka Marttila put away the match-winning attack to send Finland into the last eight for the first time since 2013.
In Sofia, Romania secured a second successive EuroVolley quarter-final appearance with a 3-0 win over Ukraine (25-22, 25-21, 30-28). Sergiu Stancu’s side were more clinical at the decisive moments and kept Ukraine under pressure from the service line, finishing with seven aces. Alexandru Rață led Romania with 16 points, converting 55 per cent of his attacks, while Oleh Plotnytskyi scored 15 for Ukraine.
Olympic qualification: Brazil and Cuba book places at Los Angeles 2028
RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazil clinched their 34th South American title and a place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games with a 3-0 victory over Argentina (25-20, 25-23, 25-20) in front of 11,968 spectators at the Maracanãzinho.
The result capped a dominant campaign for Bernardinho’s side, who won all five matches without dropping a set.
Darlan spearheaded the victory with a match-high 23 points, all in attack, converting 69 per cent of his attempts. Brazil also outblocked Argentina 7-2, with captain Lucarelli contributing three blocks. Lucarelli was named the tournament’s most valuable player.
Brazil have now qualified for every men’s Olympic volleyball tournament since the sport made its Games debut in 1964.
Cuba, meanwhile, secured their first Olympic berth since Rio 2016 by defeating hosts Canada 3-1 (25-21, 25-23, 23-25, 25-22) in the NORCECA qualifying final in Moncton. The Cubans finished 11th at their last Olympic appearance and missed both Tokyo and Paris.
Yant Herrera led Cuba with 25 points, while Miguel Lopez added 22, matching the tally of Canada’s Stephen Maar. The service line proved decisive: Cuba fired nine aces to Canada’s three.
Brazil and Cuba join hosts the United States and Asian champions Japan among the teams already qualified for Los Angeles.
Television: Italy’s EuroVolley matches average 1.7 million viewers on Rai 2
Italy’s men’s EuroVolley matches broadcast in prime time on Rai 2 since 10 September have averaged 1.7 million viewers, with a 10.7 per cent audience share. Those figures follow an average share of 11.2 per cent for the women’s European Championship earlier in the month, despite less favourable broadcast slots.
The demographic breakdown highlights volleyball’s appeal to younger and university-educated audiences. Audience share reached 18.2 per cent among graduates and 17 per cent among viewers aged 15 to 24.
Figures cited by Corriere della Sera also show a 67 per cent year-on-year increase in volleyball coverage on Italian television, reflecting the sport’s growing broadcast presence.
