European champions Poland end Latvia's volleyball run at Euros

Latvia's men's national volleyball team was swept 0-3 by defending European champions Poland in the round of 16 of the European Championship in Sofia on Saturday. The sets finished 17:25, 16:25 and 16:25.

A similar pattern repeated across all three sets: Latvia managed to compete early on, at times even taking a small lead, but Poland consistently responded with a scoring run that seized control and was never relinquished.

Road to the round of 16

In the group stage, held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, Latvia beat Romania and Turkey 3-1 each, but lost to Germany 0-3 and to both France and Switzerland 1-3. That record left Latvia fourth in the group, enough to advance.

Poland won every group match, including 3-0 victories over Portugal, Israel, North Macedonia and Ukraine, and secured the single point needed for first place with a result against Bulgaria in its final group game.

A one-sided history

The two national teams have met seven times officially, with Latvia's only win coming in 1993 in Wroclaw during World Championship qualifying. Their most recent meetings came in 2014, when Poland won both legs of European Championship qualifying in straight sets.

Poland currently tops the world rankings, while Latvia sits 44th. Poland entered this year's finals without qualifying, as reigning champions, while Latvia earned its spot in August 2025 by finishing second in its qualifying group behind Slovakia and ahead of Kosovo, advancing as one of the best runner-up teams.

This marked only the third time Latvia has reached the European Championship finals. The tournament runs from September 9 to 26 across Bulgaria, Romania, Finland and Italy, with medals to be decided in Milan.