Türkiye secured a place in the last 16 of the 2026 CEV Women’s European Volleyball Championship on Friday despite suffering a hard-fought 3-2 defeat to Poland.
The defending champions finished second in Pool A after Poland won the decisive fifth set 15-10 at Istanbul’s Sinan Erdem Sports Hall.
Both teams entered the match unbeaten with four wins from four, making the encounter a direct battle for top spot in the pool.
Türkiye made a strong start, taking the opening set 25-15.
Poland responded by winning the second set 25-21 to level the match at 1-1.
The Polish side then edged the third set 25-22 to move within one set of victory.
Türkiye bounced back in the fourth set, winning 25-16 to force a deciding tie-break.
Poland held their nerve in the fifth set, taking it 15-10 to seal a 3-2 victory and finish top of Pool A.
Türkiye finished second and will face Azerbaijan in the Round of 16, with the match date and time yet to be announced.
The top four teams in each pool advance to the knockout stage, which begins with the Round of 16 before progressing to the quarterfinals, semifinals and medal matches.
The 2026 Women’s EuroVolley final is scheduled to be played in Istanbul on Sept. 6.
