One of Bulgaria's main rivals in the Nations League – Slovenia – announced its extended squad of 29 players for the upcoming national season. Head coach Fabio Soli included a total of seven debutants, but at the same time almost entirely retained the core of the team from the last matches against the Bulgarian team.

Among those who received their first call-ups for the national team are – setters Nejc Kožar and Valentin Predan, opposite Jurij Oman, middle blocker Nik Legen, as well as outside hitters Jaka Češnik, Tevž Slatinšek and Ožbej Slatinšek. It is noteworthy that all of them are part of the Slovenian championship and fall within the age range between 2003 and 2010, which clearly shows the rejuvenation and long-term vision in Fabio Soli's selection.
An interesting detail is that among the debutants are also the brothers Tevž and Ožbej Slatinšek, which is not unprecedented in the Slovenian national team. Other brothers – Žiga and Tonček Štern – are already established in the current squad, which further emphasizes the continuity and strong connection between generations in Slovenian volleyball.

Almost complete continuity against Bulgaria

A detailed analysis shows a clear trend – Slovenia retains almost all players who played against Bulgaria both in the VNL 2025 in Burgas and at the World Championship in the Philippines.
All volleyball players from these two matches are again included in the extended list, with the exception of two names:

• setter Dejan Vinčić, who retired from the national team after the tournament in Burgas, and

• setter Gregor Ropret, who is not included for now

An interesting detail is the presence of setter Uroš Planinšič, who was not part of the squads against Bulgaria last year, nor did he feature in the last major tournaments until 2025. Nevertheless, he is not among the debutants, which suggests that he was part of the national team at an earlier stage and remains in the selector's sight.

"For now" out of the squad – but not out of the plans

Gregor Ropret and Klemen Čebulj are not currently on the extended list; they will be given a rest at the beginning of the preparation. Ropret was part of the squad against Bulgaria at the World Championship in the Philippines but did not play in the VNL in Burgas, while Čebulj did not participate in either of the two matches in 2025.
The phrasing "for now" clearly suggests that both remain in the coach's plans and it is entirely possible for them to join the team at a later stage.

The big news – Rok Možič returns

A significant reinforcement for the Slovenians is the return of one of their big stars – Rok Možič, who was not part of the squad against Bulgaria last season. Even more interestingly, he plays at club level for Rana Verona precisely with setter Uroš Planinšič and under the guidance of head coach Fabio Soli.

When is the Bulgaria – Slovenia match
The match between Slovenia and Bulgaria from Pool 6 (Week 2) in the VNL will be played on June 25, 2026, in Ljubljana, with the start time at 21:30 Bulgarian time (20:30 local time).

What happened in the last matches

Bulgaria has an advantage in the recent direct encounters:

Bulgaria – Slovenia 3:1 (18:25, 25:23, 25:21, 25:22) – VNL 2025, Burgas

Slovenia – Bulgaria 2:3 (19:25, 14:25, 25:18, 25:23, 13:15) – World Championship, Pasay City, group stage

The Ranking – The Additional Stake

Currently, Slovenia holds 6th place in the world rankings, while Bulgaria is 9th. The two successes against this opponent have already brought a significant gain:

• +14.63 points from the victory in Burgas

• +12.64 points from the success in Pasay City

This shows that matches with Slovenia are crucial for climbing the rankings. A new success in Ljubljana, especially with a clean sweep, could give Bulgaria the opportunity to close the gap and attack higher positions in the rankings.
Slovenia enters the new season with an almost unchanged squad, the return of Možič and potential depth with the possible inclusion of Ropret and Čebulj.
For Bulgaria, however, the clash in Ljubljana is more than just a prestigious match – it is a real opportunity for a new jump in the world rankings, given that the team has already proven it can win against this opponent.

photos: Nikolay Varadinov and legavolley.it