ISTANBUL – The’Italy ò silver medaloh EuroVolley 2026. At the Sinan Erdem Sports Hall in Istanbul, Julio Velasco's Azzurre lose 3-2 (25-16, 22-25, 25-12, 21-25, 10-15) at the Türkiye At the end of a hard-fought final played in a fully-staffed arena supporting the home team, the applause from the crowd for the Italian players was a testament to the sheer value of a team that ended its 39-game winning streak against European opponents in official competitions, but returned to the European podium five years after winning gold in Belgrade 2021, adding another medal to its Olympic gold medal in Paris 2024 and the world title in Bangkok 2025.
At EuroVolley 2026, Velasco's Italian team strung together eight consecutive victories that took them to the final; their ninth match handed the title to Daniele Santarelli's Turkey, who confirmed their European champion status after winning gold in 2023.
This is Italy's third European silver medal in its history, following those in 2001 and 2005, and their ninth overall medal in the event, adding to the three golds in 2007, 2009, and 2021, and the three bronzes previously won. The Istanbul final was an intense match. On September 7, 2025, Italy defeated Turkey 3-2 in the World Championship final to win the world title; on September 6, 2026, in Istanbul, Santarelli's team prevailed in the match that decided the European title. The victory also guarantees Turkey a direct ticket to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
Italy's silver medal comes at the end of a European Championship that also marks another record for Julio Velasco, who became the first coach in history to reach the continental final in both the men's and women's tournaments.
Velasco had played in four European finals with the Italian men's team, winning in 1989, 1993, and 1995 and taking silver in 1991. The Istanbul final was his first continental final as head coach of the women's national team and also the 50th match of his career at the European Championships, considering the two tournaments combined. At 74 years and 209 days, Velasco also became the most experienced coach to lead a team to a European final.
ITALY-Türkiye 2-3 SCOREBOARD (25-16, 22-25, 25-12, 21-25, 10-15)
ITALY Meli ne, Cambi, Spirito, Fersino (L), Orro 4, Danesi 10, Nwakalor ne, Adigwe 3, Nervini ne, Sylla 13, Egonu 28, Fahr 9, Giovannini, Antropova 16. Coach: Velasco
Türkiye Orge (L), Ozbay, Vargas 29, S.Sahin, Baladin 8, Jack-Kisal ne, Akarçeseme Yatgin, Cebecioglu 8, E.Sahin 4, Erdem Dundar 7, Uyanik ne, Gunes 11, Erkek 3, Aydin. All. Santarelli
Referees: Vladimir Simonovic (Srb), Theodora Kyriopoulou (Gre)
NOTE – Attendance: 17,299. Running time: 21′, 28′, 23′, 29′, 16′. Total: 117′
Italy: bv 11, bs 11, mv 16; Türkiye: bv 2, bs 13, mv 11.
ALL STAR TEAM CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026
Opposite: Melissa Vargas (Türkiye)
Setter: Alessia Orro (Italy)
Free: Gizam Orge (Türkiye)
Central: Hena Kurtagić (Serie)
Central: Zehra Gunes (Türkiye)
Spiker: Myriam Silla (Italy)
Spiker: Derya Cebecioglu (Türkiye)
Trainer: Daniele Santarelli (Türkiye)
MVP Melissa Vargas
