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Laman Ismayilova

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Azerbaijan's preparations for hosting the 2026 CEV Women's European Volleyball Championship were discussed at an expanded meeting of the Board of the Azerbaijan Volleyball Federation (AVF), AzerNEWS reports.

The meeting was held at the Volleyball Centre of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Before the discussions began, Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gayibov and AVF leadership watched a training session of the Azerbaijan women's national volleyball team, which is continuing preparations for the tournament starting on August 21.

AVF President Shahin Baghirov presented a report on the federation’s recent activities, including efforts to develop volleyball in the country, support youth volleyball, and prepare the women's national team for the European Championship.

Speaking at the meeting, Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gayibov praised the AVF's work, describing it as one of the country's most effective sports federations. He said he had been closely following the national team's training sessions and noted the positive atmosphere within the squad. Gayibov expressed confidence in the team's performance under head coach Faig Garayev and said the ministry would continue supporting the federation and the organisation of the European Championship. He also expressed confidence that Azerbaijan would host the tournament at a high level and wished success to the national team.

AVF Vice President Bahruz Guliyev provided an update on preparations for the European Championship, covering organisational arrangements, logistics, marketing, media activities, volunteer programs, ticket sales, and other areas.

Head coach of the Azerbaijan women’s national volleyball team, Faig Garayev, spoke about the team's preparation, training camps, friendly matches, and the squad's current condition. He noted that the team has been preparing intensively since July and emphasised that the players will do their best to achieve a successful result in front of home supporters. Garayev added that hosting such a prestigious tournament places major responsibility on the federation, including both the successful organisation of the competition and the national team's performance.

The meeting also included discussions on beach volleyball competitions scheduled for September, as well as further preparations for the European Championship. Officials noted that installation work at the National Gymnastics Arena would begin the following day, with the venue to be fully prepared for both tournament matches and national team training sessions.

The participants also discussed organisational issues related to the final stage of the national beach volleyball championship and reviewed the remaining preparations for the upcoming European Championship.

The 2026 CEV Women's European Volleyball Championship will take place from August 21 to September 6 across four host countries — Azerbaijan, Turkiye, Czechia, and Sweden. A total of 24 national teams will compete in the tournament. Azerbaijan will host one of the preliminary round groups, with matches scheduled at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku from August 21 to 28. The Azerbaijani team will compete in a group alongside Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, and Spain.

This will mark Azerbaijan's return as a host of the CEV Women's European Volleyball Championship after previously organising matches of the tournament in 2017.

The event is expected to bring some of Europe’s strongest national teams to Baku and further strengthen Azerbaijan’s experience in hosting major international volleyball competitions.