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site.btaUPDATED Giant Volleyball Installed in Central Sofia as Countdown to EuroVolley 2026 Begins A giant volleyball has been installed in central Sofia’s Sveta Nedelya Square, marking the official start of the countdown to EuroVolley 2026 in the Bulgarian capital. The special installation, featuring an integrated clock, was unveiled and has begun counting down to the start of the European Volleyball Championship in Sofia. Bulgarian Volleyball Federation President Lyubomir Ganev and Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev symbolically launched the countdown. Bulgaria’s first match of the championship will be played on Wednesday, September 9, at 7:00 p.m. at Arena 8888. The world runners-up from 2025 will face North Macedonia in their opening game. The official unveiling of the volleyball installation at Sveta Nedelya Square was attended by Vassil Terziev, Lyubomir Ganev, Bulgaria national team captain Aleks Grozdanov, head coach Gianlorenzo Blengini and his assistant Andrey Zhekov. Bulgarian Volleyball Federation President Lyubomir Ganev is hoping for a strong performance from the national team at EuroVolley 2026. “This will be the biggest event in Bulgaria. We already have a basis for comparison, but the Giro d’Italia was only three days, while the European Championship in Sofia will last two weeks. Bulgaria will be volleyball, Sofia will be volleyball. I hope we can delight the thousands of fans in the arena, those watching on television and those following us through the media with good play. I hope the boys leave their hearts and souls on the court and stay healthy. We knew exactly what we were taking on. There was tremendous interest from the municipalities, partners and fans. The arena will be full for all of Bulgaria’s matches, and hopefully there will be seven of them. Tickets for the match against Poland have long been sold out. There are still around 100 tickets available for Bulgaria-Ukraine, while only five or six seats remain for Bulgaria-Portugal. The interest is enormous, and we made history by selling tickets within just 24 hours. I am sure we will play in front of a full house in every match. I hope the boys can make the fans happy,” Ganev told reporters at Sveta Nedelya Square, where the countdown to EuroVolley 2026 was symbolically launched. More than 120,000 fans are expected to attend the European Championship matches in Sofia in September. During EuroVolley 2026 in Sofia this September, sports activities will be organized in six city parks. A special fan zone will also be set up near Arena 8888, while two additional locations across the city will feature special installations where fans can watch Bulgaria’s matches in the tournament. /KK/ Additional news.modal.image.header news.modal.image.text news.modal.download.header news.modal.download.text news.modal.header news.modal.text