The Bulgarian national volleyball team achieved a decisive 3-0 victory (25:17, 25:19, 25:18) over North Macedonia in their first match of Group B at EuroVolley 2026. The match took place at "Arena Sofia," where the hosts were supported by sold-out stands, and the atmosphere before the game was fueled by a bagpipe show.

Gianlorenzo Blengini's players demonstrated a powerful serve, which proved to be the key factor in their success. Setter Simeon Nikolov stood out with a series of 7 aces during the match, while Aleksandar Nikolov was the top scorer for the Bulgarian team with 19 points. Denislav Bardarov added 15 points to the team's tally, and Iliya Petkov contributed 7.

The match began with a slight lead for North Macedonia, but Bulgaria quickly leveled the score at 5:5 in the first set. The "Lions" established their dominance after a series of serves from Simeon Nikolov and strong blocking, closing the set at 25:17. In the second set, the visitors put up resistance, but the national team increased the tempo in the decisive moments to win 25:19.

The third set mirrored the scenario of an early Bulgarian deficit, followed by an equalizer after an ace by Simeon Nikolov. After 7:6, Bulgaria took control, pulling ahead to 20:13, and Aleks Grozdanov ended the match at 25:18. For North Macedonia, Nikola Gjorgiev finished with 8 points.