The Belgian men's volleyball team has made an excellent start to their qualification campaign for the 2026 European Championship. In Baku, the Red Dragons convincingly defeated Azerbaijan with a clear 0-3 victory. The set scores were 17-25, 12-25, and 19-25, allowing the Belgians to secure a full win in less than an hour and a half. Noteworthy was the performance of Sam Deroo, who played a key role in the victory with 19 points. This wasn't Belgium's first win over Azerbaijan; they had already won by the same margin in the European Golden League at the end of May.

With this victory, the Red Dragons have taken a strong first step in their qualification campaign. The 7 group winners and the 5 best runners-up will qualify for the European Championship, along with the 8 already qualified countries and the 4 host nations. The next challenge for Belgium is on Wednesday when they face Austria (CEV-29) in Kortrijk for their second qualification match. This match begins at 5:30 PM and can be followed live on Sporza.

The start of the European Championship qualification was less favorable for the women's team. The Yellow Tigers could not follow the good example set by the Red Dragons and lost 3-0 to Hungary in Budapest. Belgium (CEV-10) ranks significantly higher on the European ranking than Hungary (CEV-25), but this superiority was unfortunately not reflected in the match. The set scores were 25-22, 25-18, and 25-20 in favor of the Hungarian team.

This defeat puts immediate pressure on the home match on Wednesday evening against Denmark (CEV-28). This match is also crucial, as Hungary currently leads the group with 2 wins. The group winners and the 5 best runners-up will join the 12 teams that have already secured a ticket. The Yellow Tigers' match against Denmark will be broadcast live on Sporza on Wednesday evening.

Buy your tickets: https://topvolleybelgium.be/EurovolleyQ2026