Third Day of Competition Concludes Pool Phase at MEVZA U18 Qualifiers

The third day of competition at the MEVZA U18 Qualifiers for the 2026 European Championship marked the conclusion of the pool phase in both the men’s and women’s tournaments. Here is an overview of the day’s action from Maribor and Zadar.

U18 Men: Maribor

The men’s competition in Maribor opened with a clash between Czechia and Croatia, in which Czechia claimed a 3-1 victory (25-21, 25-15, 20-25, 25-20). In the second match of the day, Austria faced Israel and secured a 3-1 win (23-25, 25-16, 25-16, 25-13).

With the pool phase completed, the semifinalists in the men’s tournament are Slovenia, Czechia, Austria and Croatia.

The semifinal matches will be played on Saturday. The first semifinal will see Slovenia take on Croatia at 12:30, followed by Austria facing Czechia at 15:00.

U18 Women: Zadar

In Zadar, the women’s tournament delivered exciting matches. The day opened with an impressive five-set victory by Slovakia over Slovenia, 3-2 (25-17, 23-25, 25-22, 22-25, 15-9). In the second match, Hungary defeated Czechia 3-1 (25-23, 25-17, 21-25, 25-17).

Following the conclusion of the pool phase, the women’s semifinalists are Croatia, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia.

The women’s semifinals will also be played on Saturday. Croatia will face Slovenia at 14:00, while Hungary will take on Slovakia at 16:30.

Where to watch the matches?

All women’s U18 matches can be followed live on the YouTube channel of the Croatian Volleyball Federation, while all men’s U18 matches are available on the YouTube channel of OK OTP Banka Branik.