The draw for the 2026 European Volleyball Championship has been announced, creating new excitement in Belgian volleyball circles. Both the Red Dragons and the Yellow Tigers are working hard on their path towards the top, striving to distinguish themselves through consistency, vision, and talent development.

With both national teams – still preparing behind the scenes – for the European Championship, a clear roadmap towards LA 2028, and a structured development model with ‘shadow teams’, Kris Eyckmans demonstrates that Belgian volleyball is ambitious and forward-looking. The 2025 World Championship confirmed what is possible, but now it is about translating this potential into a lasting European and world-class status.

For clarity: the Red Dragons (FIVB-15) will head to Finland next summer, while the Yellow Tigers (FIVB-14) will play their group stage in Azerbaijan. Both teams face challenging pools: the men will meet Serbia (13), Finland (18), the Netherlands (20), Estonia (34), and Denmark (41); the women will face the Netherlands (8), Romania (24), Spain (30), Portugal (41), and host country Azerbaijan (48).

Kris Eyckmans, technical director of elite sport at Volley Vlaanderen, sees the draw as a crucial moment to place the Belgian teams in a European perspective. Europe dominates volleyball, and the top 4 of the 2025 Men’s World Championship consisted entirely of European teams. In the women’s competition the situation is less pronounced, partly because of Asian influences, but even there Europe continues to top the rankings.

What became clear after the recent World Championships: Belgium is on the threshold of the very best teams. The Red Dragons stood strong against Italy, Finland, and Ukraine, while the Yellow Tigers impressed against Poland. At the same time, the results show the necessity of strategic planning, talent development, and making optimal use of experienced players.

Together with national coaches Emanuele Zanini and Kris Vansnick, strategist Eyckmans faces the task not only of consolidating the current success but also of creating a sustainable path to the top of the world. He explains how European dominance, player population, and generational overlap come together in the vision of the Belgian volleyball federation.

Photo: VolleybalWorld
Texte: KH