North Macedonia U20 beaten 3-0 by Bulgaria in Sofia
North Macedonia lost 3:0 (25:13, 25:12, 25:12) to Bulgaria in the opening zonal qualifier in Sofia, part of the Balkan Championship and the road to Euro 2027.
North Macedonia's U20 men's volleyball team opened the zonal qualifying stage in Sofia with a heavy 3-0 defeat to Bulgaria on 25 August 2026.
The Balkan Championship fixture, which also functions as a qualifying phase for the European Championship 2027, ended 3:0 in favour of the hosts with set scores of 25:13, 25:12 and 25:12.
Home side controlled the match from the first serve
Bulgaria dominated every phase of the encounter, leaving the young Macedonian side unable to establish any sustained pressure. The difference in serve-attack combinations and block-defence organisation was visible across all three sets.
Head coach Jovan Shape’s squad struggled to find rhythm against a polished home team, and opportunities to change the momentum were limited. Despite the loss, the coaching staff will take notes from the debut performance in the zonal round.
Stefan Nikolov finished as North Macedonia’s top scorer with five points, the best individual return on an otherwise difficult night for the U20 side.
The team will remain in Sofia to continue the zonal programme and seek better results in the remaining matches of the Balkan qualifying tournament for Euro 2027.
Photo: Odbojkarka federacija na Makedonija
