The MEVZA U16 qualification tournaments for the 2027 CEV European Championships will take place from 8 to 10 January 2027, with the women’s competition hosted in Maribor, Slovenia, and the men’s tournament held in Steinbrunn, Austria. A total of 14 national teams will compete across both tournaments, aiming to secure their places at next year’s European Championships.
Following the decision of the MEVZA Executive Committee, the venues, dates and participating teams have been confirmed for both competitions, which will serve as the first round of European Championship qualification.
Women’s Competition: Six Teams to Compete in Maribor
The women’s tournament will bring together six national teams in Maribor, Slovenia, from 8 to 10 January 2027.
The participating teams are Slovenia, Croatia, Czechia, Austria, Cyprus and Israel.
All six teams will compete in a single round-robin group, with each team facing every other opponent. A total of five matches per team will be played over three competition days, with two matches scheduled per team per day where applicable.
Slovakia and Hungary will not participate in the MEVZA qualification tournament, as both countries are hosting the Final Round of the 2027 CEV U16 Women's European Championship and have therefore already secured direct qualification. Luxembourg has not registered for the competition.
Men’s Competition: Eight Teams Divided into Two Groups
The men’s qualification tournament will take place in Steinbrunn, Austria, from 8 to 10 January 2027, featuring eight national teams divided into two groups of four.
The group compositions are as follows:
Pool A: Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Cyprus
Pool B: Czechia, Slovenia, Israel, Slovakia
The competition will begin with the group stage, followed by play-off and placement matches, including classification matches for fifth to eighth place. The tournament will be played over three competition days, with two matches per team scheduled each day.
Qualification Path to the 2027 European Championships
The winners of both MEVZA qualification tournaments will secure direct qualification for the Final Round of the 2027 CEV U16 Volleyball European Championships.
In the women’s competition, the remaining five teams will advance to the second round of qualification, while in the men’s competition, the next six highest-ranked teams will continue their qualification campaigns in the second round.
National federations are reminded that the deadline for registering players through the CEV database using the EC 04 form is 1 December 2026.
Further information, including detailed competition schedules, will be communicated in due course.
