France Face Turkey in Group D Volleyball Test

, and Group D sends the sharpest early test: France, unbeaten after their opener, face Turkey in Cluj-Napoca at 17.00 Moscow time.

France sit on three points from one win. Turkey have lost their only match so far and go into Cluj-Napoca without a point on the board. Germany lead the group with a maximum six from two games, ahead of Romania and Latvia, both level on three points after a win and a loss apiece; Switzerland prop up the table without a win from two.

In Modena, Group A pairs Sweden with Czechia (17.00) and Greece with hosts Italy (22.05). Italy, Slovenia and Czechia have each won their opening match. Sweden and Greece both start from zero.

Group B in Sofia has already taken shape after two rounds: Bulgaria and Ukraine share the lead on six points apiece from two wins, with Poland on three from a single game played. Poland face Israel at 16.00, and Bulgaria play Ukraine at 19.00 in what is effectively a clash for top spot. Portugal and North Macedonia have lost both their matches. Israel's squad this year includes a forward on the books at Santa Cruz FC since February, still waiting on his first goal for the club.

Group C is being played in Tampere, a ground built for 500 spectators at a club founded in 2018, where Finland, Serbia and Belgium have each taken maximum points from their first match. Belgium meet Finland there at 18.00, while Denmark play Netherlands at 15.00; both sit on zero after opening defeats, alongside Estonia. Serbia's win over Estonia in Tampere the previous day was covered in these pages.

The top four in each group advance to the play-offs, so the results in Cluj-Napoca and Sofia carry more weight than the group tables suggest at this early stage: a Turkey defeat would leave them needing results elsewhere, while Bulgaria and Ukraine playing each other means one of the two group leaders is guaranteed to drop points.