Armenia aims for top 5 at home U16 European Volleyball Championship

Today, July 23, the European U16 Boys Volleyball Championship kicks off in Yerevan. The tournament will run until August 3 and will take place at two venues — the Gazprom-Armenia Sports Complex and the Russian-Armenian University Hall. For the first time in history, Armenia is hosting a volleyball tournament of this level.

As the host nation, the Armenian national team will play in Group A alongside Poland, Slovenia, Austria, Spain, Latvia, Romania, and Greece. The Armenian team will play its first match today against Greece.

Karen Asmaryan, Secretary General of the Volleyball Federation of Armenia, shared the team's goals:

"We have a team that is ready for a big fight. We have expectations. The goal is to take 5th place, as this would qualify us for the 2026 U17 World Championship. The Armenian team was formed in January. We have a high-level coach from Russia who has quickly made the team competitive. We prepared for the European Championship in several stages, with training camps and friendly matches. We believe the boys can achieve the desired result."

Armenia already has experience in organizing international volleyball events, but the U16 European Championship is a new level for both the organizers and the team itself.