The Bulgarian national volleyball team will once again be part of the preparatory Silesia Cup tournament in Poland. This was confirmed by the coach of the 'Polish team', Nikola Grbic, who in an interview forTVP Sportrevealed part of the team's program before the start of the international season.
The tournament is traditionally held immediately before the start of the Nations League and serves as one of the last checks for the participants.
Bulgaria also played in the previous edition of the competition, where their opponents were the teams of Poland, Germany, and Ukraine.
During the tournament, the Bulgarian national team played an extremely contested match against the hosts.
Poland – Bulgaria 3:2 (19:25, 25:23, 24:26, 25:16, 15:12)
The Bulgarian team was leading 2:1 in sets and was close to victory, but the Poles managed to turn the tide of the match and secure a win after a tie-break.
In his interview, Nikola Grbic outlined some of the personnel plans for the new season. The most important news is that Mateusz Bieniek is returning to the Polish squad.
Aleksander Sliwka will also be with the national team from the start of preparations, who, according to the coach, needs more playing time.
The Polish coach also commented on the situation surrounding outside hitter Mikolaj Sawicki, who returned to play after a doping case. Grbic stated that he would support the volleyball player in the process of returning to form and would maintain contact with him, not excluding the possibility of him rejoining the national team in the future.
Among the key figures remaining in the team are:
Wilfredo Leon, who has no serious health problems, only accumulated fatigue from the season
Kevin Sasak, who is recovering and should soon be available
The condition of middle blocker Jakub Kochanowski, who has knee problems, is also under observation.
Grbic confirmed that he would give opportunities to new names during the season. Among the volleyball players on his radar are:
Jakub Nowak
Jakub Kiedos
The coach assumes that up to about ten younger players may be included in various stages of the national team's preparations and tournaments.
The Serbian specialist admits that he will plan the national season carefully to avoid excessive strain on the leading players. Poland's main goal is the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which means that preparation will be aligned with the long-term Olympic cycle.
Besides the Silesia Cup, Poland will also play in the traditional Hubert Wagner Memorial tournament, which will feature France, the USA, and Slovenia. The Polish federation is also looking for additional friendly matches before the European Championship.
Bulgarian fans will have the opportunity to closely follow the development of the Polish national team even before the championship on the Old Continent. Our team's participation in the Silesia Cup will provide a first indication of the condition of the Polish team at the start of the season. And at Euro 2026 in Sofia, where Bulgaria and Poland are in the same preliminary group, the clash between the two teams is shaping up to be one of the most interesting matches in the program. For now, however, both camps are looking strategically towards the future, monitoring the development of their squads at the beginning of the new Olympic cycle.
photos: Nikolay Varadinov
