---
title: "Ukraine U22: A proud victory over Portugal, but missing out on the CEV U22 European Championship 2026 playoffs"
description: "The Ukrainian U22 men's volleyball team has concluded its performance at the CEV U22 European Championship 2026. The team convincingly defeated Portugal with a score of 3:1, but due to a single point deficit, they failed to advance to the playoffs, finishing 3rd in their group. 🏐🇺🇦"
date: 2026-07-01T19:34:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ukraine-u22-victory-over-portugal-missed-playoffs-cev-u22-european-championship-2026
tags: []
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Ukraine U22: A proud victory over Portugal, but missing out on the CEV U22 European Championship 2026 playoffs

![Ukraine U22 volleyball team in yellow jerseys during a match against Portugal, player number 10 serving the ball](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/01/ukraina-u22-porazhenie-chempionat-evropy-2026/ukraina-u22-porazhenie-chempionat-evropy-2026-1.webp)

The Ukrainian U22 men's volleyball team has concluded its journey at the 2026 European Championship. In the final group stage match, the Ukrainians secured a convincing victory over Portugal, although this success was not enough to advance to the tournament's playoffs.

### A victory for pride

Heading into the match against the Portuguese, the "blue and yellows" had already lost their mathematical chances of advancing to the next stage. Despite a bright triumph over Poland in the previous round, the team trailed the group leaders in points. Therefore, the match against the group's underdog was purely a matter of prestige.

Their opponent, the Portugal national team, entered the match with a minimal record. They had only one point in their tally, earned in a tie-breaker against Poland following a loss to Israel.

### Match progression: dominance and missed opportunities

The match began under the full control of the Ukrainian team. The players instantly seized the initiative, crushing their opponent in the first set with a score of 25:12. In the second set, the Ukrainians continued to dictate the terms of the game confidently, building a comfortable lead and securing the win — 25:22.

The third set proved to be the most difficult for the Ukrainians. The game was played on equal terms, and a score of 24:24 promised a prolonged struggle. However, in the decisive moment, the Portuguese proved stronger, snatching the set with a score of 26:24.

Despite losing the set, the youth team did not allow their opponents to drag the match into a fifth, deciding set. Thanks to a solid advantage in the middle of the fourth set, the Ukrainians "finished off" their opponent with a score of 25:23, securing a final victory of 3:1.

### Group stage results

Having won two out of three matches, the Ukrainian U22 team finished the group round with 5 points to their name, taking third place in Pool A. According to the competition regulations, Poland and Israel advanced to the semi-final round, having scored 6 points each. The Ukrainians were short by just one point to continue their fight for medals.