The Polish national volleyball team is back in action! When are the first matches?

The 2025 season will be the beginning of a new chapter, looking towards the most important international event, the Olympic Games. After the tournament in Paris, which included both volleyball teams, it is now time to build in the context of the challenge that awaits the national teams in Los Angeles, during the 2028 Olympics.

The female volleyball players will play next weekend, and the male players will play at the very end of May.

Before the next Olympic dream comes true, there are a few other important events to play (and win). Looking to 2025, the most important one seems to be the world championships, both for women and men.

Coach Stefano Lavarini's team will play in Thailand, where the event is scheduled for August 22 to September 7. During the last World Championships, in 2022, the Polish women finished the competition in seventh place, with a big disappointment. The volleyball players lost by a hair in Gliwice to the Serbians, after a dramatic, five-set battle. As it turned out later, the team that beat the co-hosts of the tournament (organized by Poland and the Netherlands) won the title of world champions. The Serbians won both in 2022 and 2019.

Looking at the overall history of Polish volleyball players at the World Championships, the best result is a silver medal. However, that happened a long time ago, in 1952. The last time Polish women were on the podium at this event? Not much later, at the 1962 World Championships – then it was 3rd place.

The gentlemen, who since 2014 have won twice (2014 and 2018) and were once vice-champions (2022), are in a completely different situation. This last tournament ended with a bittersweet result. On the one hand, it was a team built according to a new idea, then started by Nikola Grbić with the team. On the other hand, the defeat in Spodek Katowice against Italy certainly remained somewhere in the back of the Poles' minds, looking at the history of the World Cup. Let's add that Poland took revenge a year later, beating Italy on its own soil during the final of the European Championship.

And what about the 2025 Men's World Championships? Those will be held in the Philippines. Date? September 12-28.

As you can see, there should be no shortage of volleyball emotions. The interesting part will start now, because for the first time you will be able to see the volleyball teams in action live, or on TV/online.

The women will start next Friday during the tournament for the Koszalin President's Cup. The Polish women will play three matches in the local sports and entertainment hall.

Schedule of the Polish women's national team

• Poland – Bulgaria (Friday, 23.05, 7:00 p.m.), Koszalin
• Poland – Sweden (Saturday, 24.05, 7:00 p.m.), Koszalin
• Poland – France (Sunday, 25.05, 6:30 p.m.), Koszalin

In the case of the men, the choice to start the season once again fell on Silesia. More specifically, on Spodek in Katowice and PreZero Arena Gliwice.

During the Silesia Cup, the most interesting match is expected to be the last one on Saturday, in which the Polish team will play against Germany. That is, the quarter-finalist of last year's Olympics, led by coach Michał Winiarski.

Schedule of the Polish men's national team

• Poland – Ukraine (Wednesday, 28.05, 7:00 p.m.), Katowice
• Poland – Bulgaria (Friday, 30.05, 5:00 p.m.), Gliwice
• Poland – Germany (Saturday, 31.05, 8:00 p.m.), Gliwice

As you can see, there should be no shortage of volleyball emotions for fans. After the friendly tournaments, before you know it, the Nations League will start playing. And to think that only last weekend (i.e. May 16-18) the club games ended, thanks to the Final Four of the Champions League in the Atlas Arena in Łódź.

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