The Finnish national team won the title of champion of the CEV European Volleyball League 2026, finishing the competition with the maximum result of ten wins from the same number of matches. In the second leg of the grand final, played in The Hague, the Finns defeated the Dutch team with a score of 3:1 (25:15, 20:25, 25:18, 25:21) and thus confirmed the victory of the trophy.
After winning the first match of the final 3-1, played a few days earlier in Nokia, Finland arrived in the Netherlands with a big advantage, aware that a victory would bring them the championship title by any score. On the other hand, the hosts needed a victory to secure the decisive "golden set".
After defeating the Netherlands on home court for the first time since 2013 a few days ago, the Finns opened the second leg with a bang. Although the home team managed to fight back in the second set, the Finnish national team maintained control of the match and once again won 3:1. The key to success was efficient attacking play, a large number of successful blocks and ace serves, but also taking advantage of the opponent's mistakes, especially in the third and fourth sets.
This success is of particular significance for the Finnish team, led by Oli Kunari, as they will soon compete in the 2026 European Championship, which will be co-hosted by Tampere. It is in the group stage of that competition that Finland and the Netherlands will meet again.
The most efficient player of the final two-game series was again Luka Martila with 22 points, after he had also excelled in the first match in Nokia. For his great performances, he was deservedly named the most valuable player (MVP) of the finals.
The four best teams in this year's CEV European League – Finland, the Netherlands, Denmark and Israel – have secured a place at the 2028 European Championship.
Sweden wins women's title
The Swedish national team won the title of champions of the CEV European League for Women 2026, after defeating Slovenia in the second leg of the final with a score of 3:2 (15:25, 18:25, 25:20, 25:18, 15:12). The Swedes thus finished the competition with an impressive record of ten consecutive wins and no defeats.
The grand finale was a fitting end to a season in which Sweden and Slovenia were the dominant teams from the very beginning of the group stage. This is Sweden's second European title in the last three years, after winning the CEV Golden European League in 2024.
After a dramatic comeback in Orebro to beat Slovenia 3-2 just a few days ago, the Swedes staged an even more spectacular comeback in the second leg. Slovenia opened the match in front of their home crowd in Ljubljana in brilliant fashion, winning the first two sets and coming close to winning the decisive “golden set”. However, Sweden found their rhythm and turned the tables thanks primarily to their biggest star, Isabel Hack, who scored 28 points on her birthday, four of which came in the decisive fifth set.
At the beginning of the match, Sweden had problems finding security and organizing the game.
"I agree that we started badly, but Slovenia played really well. We knew they would take the field with a completely different approach and we were prepared for that, but you could say we gave them a little space, and they took full advantage of it," said coach Vilma Julevik after the match.
Before the start of the third set, coach Lorenzo Miceli asked his team to take more risks.
"Partly to try to turn the game around, but also to find our signature game before the eventual golden set."
In the third set, Sweden found their rhythm and confidence, took the initiative and, led by Isabelle Hack, completely changed the course of the match. In the fourth set, Slovenia faced an additional problem due to the injury of their main striker, Fatumata Silah, who had to leave the court due to a foot injury. Although the decisive fifth set was extremely uncertain, the Swedes did not let go of their advantage and achieved a great victory.
This triumph is an excellent prelude to the 2026 European Championship, which Sweden will soon play on home soil in Gothenburg.
"This was very important for us. It was games like this, especially the semi-final against Hungary and the final against Slovenia, that were exactly what we needed. It's great to win the Europa League and prove what we can do. We no longer need to prove our worth to anyone. We also showed that we never give up," Julevik pointed out.
The final's MVP, Isabelle Hauck, did not hide her satisfaction after winning the trophy.
"It's an incredible feeling. The first two sets were very bad, but we knew we could come back. We expected a long match and that's exactly what happened. We never stop fighting. I'm happy for the whole team and our coaching staff, because we worked hard to achieve this success. I think we fully deserved it.
"At the beginning of the competition, the most important thing for us was to find our rhythm. We knew that the level of play would increase significantly from the semi-finals. We played very well in the semi-finals and finals, focusing primarily on our game, and I am extremely pleased with the path we have taken during this competition," said Hak.
Slovenia's captain Saša Planinšec took the defeat hard.
"It's hard to say anything at this point. We're very sorry because we opened the match well and had a chance to win the golden set. Unfortunately, in the middle of the third set we lost the rhythm we had in the first two sets, and with a few unfortunate circumstances things didn't end the way we wanted. However, we have nothing to blame ourselves for. We left our hearts on the court. We're looking forward to next season and we'll try to win the title again."
Sweden coach Lorenzo Miceli stressed that he expected an aggressive start from the home team.
"We knew that Slovenia would start very aggressively and we were ready for that. We didn't start the game well, but we raised the level of play from set to set. I'm sorry about Fatumata Silah's injury and I hope it's not serious. I'm very happy for my players and I believe that we fully deserved this success."
Both teams had a great season. We traveled a lot, and the players also had a long club season behind them. Despite that, my volleyball players never complained at any time, and their attitude towards work was one of the key reasons for our success. This trophy is a reward for their great effort, dedication, and professionalism.”
After returning home, the Swedish national team will have a few days of rest before the final phase of preparations for the European Championship.
The four best teams in this year's CEV European League – Sweden, Slovenia, Hungary and Slovakia – have secured a place at the 2028 European Championship.
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