“We, together with Gothenburg and our partners, look forward to delivering a sports celebration for both new and already devoted volleyball fans in and outside of Sweden,” says Annika Sjöberg, the President of the Swedish Volleyball Federation.

“We welcome the Volleyball European Championship and the successful Swedish team to Gothenburg. Now we look forward to exciting matches, a great atmosphere in the stands, and contributing to the team’s continued success in the way we can. We are particularly pleased that this is a championship for women as we aim to become world leaders in women’s sports events,” says Magnus Hallberg, Vice President and Event Manager at Gothenburg & Co.

For the first time ever, Sweden is hosting a Women’s Volleyball European Championship. The application was approved by the European Volleyball Federation’s board, which has now decided to award the Swedish Volleyball Federation the hosting rights for one of the four EM groups.

The other EM groups will be decided in Turkey, Czech Republic, and an as-yet-unannounced host country, with the first two also hosting the knockout phase.

“It feels incredibly exciting to have the opportunity to host the European Championship in Sweden and build on the positive development we have within Swedish volleyball. After reaching two consecutive European Championships away from home, it also feels very enjoyable and exciting to see what the women’s national team can achieve with strong home support. I believe we will experience a celebration in Gothenburg in 2026,” says Simon Dahl, Secretary-General of the Swedish Volleyball Federation.

Gothenburg is designated as the host city, with the mighty Scandinavium hosting 15 group stage matches over eight days, starting in the latter half of August 2026. Sweden’s successful women’s volleyball team will play a total of five EM matches in Scandinavium.

“Fantastic to have another championship at Scandinavium! The arena has hosted over 40 European and World Championships over the years. This will be the first time we get to prepare Scandinavium for a Volleyball Championship, which will be exciting and something we look forward to,” says Henrik Jutbring, Event Manager at Got Event.

First “Home-EM” in 37 years

The last time Sweden hosted an international volleyball championship at the senior level was in 1989 when the Men’s Volleyball European Championship was held in Stockholm and Örebro. Under the leadership of coaching legend Anders Kristiansson, Sweden was in the midst of its golden age and managed to secure a historic silver in front of packed crowds at the Globe Arena.