The Montenegrin men’s volleyball team will wrap up their qualifications for the 2026 European Championship with a match against Norway, which they’ll host on Sunday at SC “Kolašin,” starting at 19:00.

This match presents an opportunity for Ivica Jevtić’s young squad to avenge their loss to the Norwegians in Arendal (3:0) and aim for their first victory in Group C, dominated by the Czech Republic with a clean sweep of wins. Middle blocker Matija Ćinćur highlights the importance of this triumph for team morale and future progress.

“Even though we’ve lost our chance to qualify for the European Championship, the upcoming match with Norway holds significant value for our generation, the team’s mentality, and long-term goals. Sunday will be a tough match; the Norwegian team is of high caliber — they demonstrated this last year and need a win to advance to the championship. However, that won’t change our mindset and objective: we are definitely aiming for a win. I would like to urge our fans to come out in large numbers and help us finish these qualifiers on a high note,” Ćinćur stated.

Technician Rastko Milenković is set to rejoin the team on Wednesday following a brief illness in the Czech Republic. Proofreader Milutin Pavićević assures that the team is ready.

“While the match holds no significance for us in terms of results, we will strive to defeat the Norwegian team in front of our home crowd. I hope we can conclude this cycle with a victory. The team is in good health right now; we couldn’t rely on our technician Milenković in the last match. I expect a strong performance on Sunday and a fight until the final point,” Pavićević expressed.

Norway has one victory from three matches and still has a chance to claim one of the top five runner-up spots from seven groups, but its fate heavily hinges on the outcomes of various matches across Europe.

The match will be officiated by referees Bernard Valentar from Slovenia and Dejan Rogić from Serbia. Entry to the SC “Kolašin” hall is free.

At the European Championship in September 2026, teams from Italy, Bulgaria, Finland, and Romania, along with the four host nations—Poland, Slovenia, France, and the Netherlands—will compete, alongside Serbia, Ukraine, Germany, and Portugal, which qualified based on their prior performances. Additionally, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Turkey, Estonia, Greece, Slovakia, Switzerland, Denmark, and Sweden have all secured their spots for the tournament ahead of the final round.

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