Bulgaria took control of the 2026 Men’s U16 Balkan Championship in Mytilene, remaining the only unbeaten team after the first three days of competition.
Bulgaria opened the tournament with an impressive 3-0 victory over Turkiye (25-18, 25-20, 26-24), with Dimitar Georgiev and Kristyan Petkov leading the way with 19 points each. The Bulgarians were superior in all aspects of the game, including nine blocks to Turkey’s four and a 57% to 35% advantage in reception.
They continued their winning run on Thursday, overcoming Romania 3-1 (25-19, 25-22, 22-25, 25-14) in a clash between the two unbeaten teams. Kristyan Petkov was once again Bulgaria’s standout performer, scoring a match-high 25 points. Bulgaria dominated across the board, recording 13 blocks to Romania’s seven, nine aces to six and a 44% to 33% advantage in attacking efficiency.
With two victories from two matches, Bulgaria now sit at the top of the standings and remain the only team yet to taste defeat.
Turkiye have also enjoyed a strong tournament, recording two victories from three matches. After their opening-day defeat to Bulgaria, Turkiye beat hosts Greece 3-1 (25-17, 24-26, 25-19, 25-22), with Selim Emet scoring a match-high 24 points. Turkiye then secured their second victory by defeating Serbia 3-2 (16-25, 25-19, 25-18, 20-25, 15-10) in the tournament’s first five-set match. Mehmet Yavuz Akgoz led Turkiye with 25 points against Serbia, including eight blocks, as Turkiye outblocked their opponents 14-6. The victory moved Turkiye to two wins from three matches.
Romania made an impressive start, defeating Serbia 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-20) on their tournament debut. Luca Onute was the leading scorer with 19 points as Romania proved superior across all areas of the game. However, Romania’s unbeaten run lasted just one match, as they were defeated 3-1 by Bulgaria on Thursday. They now have one win and one defeat from two matches.
Hosts Greece began the tournament in dramatic fashion, coming from a set down to beat Serbia 3-1 (17-25, 27-25, 25-23, 25-17) in front of a sellout crowd in Mytilene. Captain Apostolos Venetidis led all scorers with 20 points, while Greece produced 12 aces in the match.
Greece were unable to build on that victory, however, losing 3-1 to Turkiye in their second match. Despite recovering from 19-23 down to win the second set 26-24, the hosts could not maintain their momentum and eventually suffered defeat. Greece therefore have one win and one loss after two matches.
Serbia remain the only team without a victory after three matches. They began with a 3-1 defeat to hosts Greece, followed by a 3-0 loss to Romania. On Thursday, Serbia came close to their first win but eventually lost 3-2 to Turkiye. Despite the defeat, Serbia earned their first point of the tournament by taking the match to five sets.
After three days of competition, Bulgaria lead the standings with two wins and no defeats. Turkiye follow with two wins and one defeat, while Romania and Greece have one win and one defeat each. Serbia remain winless after three matches.
The competition continues on Friday, with Serbia taking on Bulgaria and hosts Greece facing Romania, while Turkiye will have a rest day. With Bulgaria currently the only undefeated team, the race for the Men’s U16 Balkan Championship title is beginning to take shape.
