site.btaMen's European Volleyball Championship Starts, Varna Hosts Pool B

The 2023 Men's European Volleyball Championship will start on Tuesday, as the event will take place in Bulgaria, Italy, Israel and North Macedonia. From August 29 to September 5, Varna (Eastern Bulgaria) hosts the Pool B matches of the competition, while after the end of the group stage half of the eighth finals and quarterfinals will also take place in the city on September 8-11. 

Bulgaria opens Pool B with a match against Spain at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Finland, Croatia, Ukraine and Slovenia are also in the same part of the draw. In the last edition of the competition in 2021, Slovenia finished as runners-up to Italy. Bulgaria is currently 10th in the European Volleyball Confederation rankings, which makes it the third-best ranked team in Pool B after Ukraine (8th) and Slovenia (5th). Finland is ranked 11th, while Croatia is 16th.

The four teams with the best results from each of the 4 pools will qualify for the eighth finals. The best-placed team in Pool B (B1) will meet the fourth best-placed team in Pool D (D4). B3 will meet D2, B4 will meet D1, and B2 will meet D3. 

Pool D includes Israel, Romania, France, Turkiye, Portugal and Greece. The French (3th) and Turkish (7th) national teams are also ahead of the Bulgarian in the rankings.