# 2021 Men's European Volleyball Championship qualification

This article describes the qualification for the 2021 Men's European Volleyball Championship.
Poland, Czech Republic, Estonia and Finland as host countries were directly qualified. The eight best placed teams at the 2019 edition also gained direct entries into the tournament. 26 teams had registered for participation but Denmark later withdrew due to restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, 25 teams competed for the remaining 12 places at the final tournament.

## Qualified teams

| Means of qualification | Qualifier | Means of qualification | Means of qualification | Qualifier |
| Host Countries | Poland | Qualification | Pool A | Netherlands |
| Host Countries | Czech Republic | Qualification | Pool B | Bulgaria |
| Host Countries | Estonia | Qualification | Pool C | Turkey |
| Host Countries | Finland | Qualification | Pool D | Latvia |
| 2019 European Championship | Serbia | Qualification | Pool E | Slovakia |
| 2019 European Championship | Slovenia | Qualification | Pool F | Montenegro |
| 2019 European Championship | France | Qualification | Pool G | Portugal |
| 2019 European Championship | Russia | Qualification | Best runners-up | North Macedonia |
| 2019 European Championship | Italy | Qualification | Best runners-up | Spain |
| 2019 European Championship | Ukraine | Qualification | Best runners-up | Greece |
| 2019 European Championship | Germany | Qualification | Best runners-up | Croatia |
| 2019 European Championship | Belgium | Qualification | Best runners-up | Belarus |
| Total 24 |||||

## Direct qualification

* 2019 Men's European Volleyball Championship final standing
| Rank | Team |
| | Serbia |
| | Slovenia |
| | Poland |
| 4 | France |
| 5 | Russia |
| 6 | Italy |
| 7 | Ukraine |
| 8 | Germany |
| 9 | Belgium |
| 10 | Netherlands |
| 11 | Bulgaria |
| 12 | Turkey |
| 13 | Czech Republic |
| 14 | Finland |
| 15 | Spain |
| 16 | Greece |
| 17 | North Macedonia |
| 18 | Montenegro |
| 19 | Slovakia |
| 20 | Portugal |
| 21 | Romania |
| 22 | Belarus |
| 23 | Austria |
| 24 | Estonia |
* Qualified for the 2021 European Championship
* Qualified as hosts for the 2021 European Championship

## Format

There being seven pools of either three or four teams each, the winners of each pool and the 5 best runners-up qualified for the 2021 European Championship. The pools were played in a double round-robin tournaments format officially from 30 August 2020 to 16 May 2021, according to the CEV web site. Since there was a different number of teams across the seven pools, the results of the matches played with the teams finishing last in the pools of four were discarded in order to determine the five best runners-up across all pools.

## Pools composition

Teams were seeded following the serpentine system according to their CEV European Ranking as of 1 January 2020. But, Denmark withdrew after the draw. Rankings are shown in brackets.
| Pool A | Pool B | Pool C | Pool D |
| Netherlands (8) | Bulgaria (10) | Turkey (11) | Spain (14) |
| Sweden (26) | Austria (25) | North Macedonia (24) | Latvia (23) |
| Croatia (27) | Israel (28) | Denmark (29) | Moldova (30) |
| | | Bosnia and Herzegovina (47) | Cyprus (41) |
| Pool E | Pool F | Pool G |
| Slovakia (17) | Greece (18) | Belarus (19) |
| Romania (22) | Montenegro (21) | Portugal (20) |
| Switzerland (30) | Azerbaijan (32) | Norway (33) |
| Albania (39) | Georgia (36) | Hungary (34) |

## Pool standing procedure

* Number of matches won
* Match points
* Sets ratio
* Points ratio
* If the tie continues as per the point ratio between two teams, the priority will be given to the team which won the last match between them. When the tie in points ratio is between three or more teams, a new classification of these teams in the terms of points 1, 2 and 3 will be made taking into consideration only the matches in which they were opposed to each other.
Match won 3–0 or 3–1: 3 match points for the winner, 0 match points for the loser Match won 3–2: 2 match points for the winner, 1 match point for the loser

## Results

* The winners in each pool and the top five of the second ranked teams qualified for the 2021 European Championship.

### Pool A

* Dates: 7–16 May 2021
* All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+02:00).
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | SW | SL | SR | SPW | SPL | SPR | Qualification |
| 1 | Netherlands | 4 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 5 | 2.200 | 382 | 334 | 1.144 | 2021 European Championship |
| 2 | Croatia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 1.250 | 407 | 399 | 1.020 | 2021 European Championship |
| 3 | Sweden | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 0.333 | 315 | 371 | 0.849 | |

#### Tournament 1

* Venue: Krešimir Ćosić Hall, Zadar, Croatia
| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Total | Report |
| 7 May | 18:30 | Croatia | 1–3 | Netherlands | 30–32 | 25–19 | 23–25 | 18–25 | 96–101 | Report |
| 8 May | 18:30 | Netherlands | 3–0 | Sweden | 25–17 | 25–17 | 25–15 | | 75–49 | Report |
| 9 May | 18:30 | Sweden | 1–3 | Croatia | 18–25 | 20–25 | 25–22 | 19–25 | 82–97 | Report |

#### Tournament 2

* Venue: Omnisport Apeldoorn Volleyball Hall, Apeldoorn, Netherlands
| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 14 May | 19:30 | Sweden | 1–3 | Netherlands | 17–25 | 21–25 | 25–19 | 17–25 | | 80–94 | Report |
| 15 May | 16:00 | Croatia | 3–2 | Sweden | 25–21 | 25–22 | 19–25 | 21–25 | 15–11 | 105–104 | Report |
| 16 May | 16:00 | Netherlands | 2–3 | Croatia | 25–27 | 23–25 | 25–18 | 26–24 | 13–15 | 112–109 | Report |

### Pool B

* Venue: Enerbox Sport Palace, Hadera, Israel
* Dates: 12–17 January 2021
* All times are Israel Standard Time (UTC+02:00).
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | SW | SL | SR | SPW | SPL | SPR | Qualification |
| 1 | Bulgaria | 4 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 12 | 1 | 12.000 | 322 | 269 | 1.197 | 2021 European Championship |
| 2 | Austria | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 0.667 | 326 | 345 | 0.945 | |
| 3 | Israel | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 0.273 | 302 | 336 | 0.899 | |

#### Tournament 1

| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Total | Report |
| 12 Jan | 20:00 | Israel | 0–3 | Austria | 25–27 | 23–25 | 20–25 | | 68–77 | Report |
| 13 Jan | 18:00 | Austria | 1–3 | Bulgaria | 21–25 | 25–20 | 19–25 | 22–25 | 87–95 | Report |
| 14 Jan | 19:00 | Bulgaria | 3–0 | Israel | 27–25 | 25–16 | 25–22 | | 77–63 | Report |

#### Tournament 2

| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 15 Jan | 17:00 | Austria | 2–3 | Israel | 21–25 | 25–20 | 25–27 | 25–20 | 11–15 | 107–107 | Report |
| 16 Jan | 21:00 | Bulgaria | 3–0 | Austria | 25–15 | 25–18 | 25–22 | | | 75–55 | Report |
| 17 Jan | 20:00 | Israel | 0–3 | Bulgaria | 20–25 | 21–25 | 23–25 | | | 64–75 | Report |

### Pool C

* Venue: Boris Trajkovski Sports Center, Skopje, North Macedonia
* Dates: 11–16 January 2021
* All times are Central European Time (UTC+01:00).
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | SW | SL | SR | SPW | SPL | SPR | Qualification |
| 1 | Turkey | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 4 | 2.500 | 328 | 263 | 1.247 | 2021 European Championship |
| 2 | North Macedonia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 2.000 | 343 | 325 | 1.055 | 2021 European Championship |
| 3 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 0.083 | 243 | 326 | 0.745 | |

#### Tournament 1

| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Total | Report |
| 11 Jan | 18:00 | North Macedonia | 3–1 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 27–25 | 25–21 | 23–25 | 25–19 | 100–90 | Report |
| 12 Jan | 18:00 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0–3 | Turkey | 15–25 | 17–25 | 18–25 | | 50–75 | Report |
| 13 Jan | 18:00 | Turkey | 3–1 | North Macedonia | 25–16 | 18–25 | 25–18 | 25–12 | 93–71 | Report |

#### Tournament 2

| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Total | Report |
| 14 Jan | 18:00 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0–3 | North Macedonia | 20–25 | 24–26 | 13–25 | | 57–76 | Report |
| 15 Jan | 18:00 | Turkey | 3–0 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 25–9 | 25–19 | 25–18 | | 75–46 | Report |
| 16 Jan | 18:00 | North Macedonia | 3–1 | Turkey | 25–19 | 21–25 | 25–23 | 25–18 | 96–85 | Report |

### Pool D

* Venue: Eleftheria Indoor Hall, Nicosia, Cyprus
* Dates: 30 August – 6 September 2020
* All times are Eastern European Summer Time (UTC+03:00).
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | SW | SL | SR | SPW | SPL | SPR | Qualification |
| 1 | Latvia | 6 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 6 | 2.333 | 485 | 404 | 1.200 | 2021 European Championship |
| 2 | Spain | 6 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 1.444 | 519 | 507 | 1.024 | 2021 European Championship |
| 3 | Moldova | 6 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 13 | 0.615 | 451 | 479 | 0.942 | |
| 4 | Cyprus | 6 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 14 | 0.500 | 432 | 497 | 0.869 | |

#### Tournament 1

| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Total | Report |
| 30 Aug | 17:00 | Moldova | 0–3 | Latvia | 10–25 | 21–25 | 20–25 | | 51–75 | Report |
| 30 Aug | 20:00 | Cyprus | 1–3 | Spain | 22–25 | 27–25 | 17–25 | 17–25 | 83–100 | Report |
| 31 Aug | 17:00 | Latvia | 1–3 | Spain | 22–25 | 21–25 | 25–16 | 19–25 | 87–91 | Report |
| 31 Aug | 20:00 | Moldova | 3–0 | Cyprus | 25–22 | 25–22 | 25–22 | | 75–66 | Report |
| 1 Sep | 17:00 | Spain | 1–3 | Moldova | 25–23 | 20–25 | 21–25 | 19–25 | 85–98 | Report |
| 1 Sep | 20:00 | Latvia | 3–0 | Cyprus | 25–17 | 25–16 | 25–11 | | 75–44 | Report |

#### Tournament 2

| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 4 Sep | 17:00 | Moldova | 0–3 | Latvia | 22–25 | 17–25 | 22–25 | | | 61–75 | Report |
| 4 Sep | 20:00 | Cyprus | 3–0 | Spain | 27–25 | 25–22 | 25–23 | | | 77–70 | Report |
| 5 Sep | 17:00 | Latvia | 1–3 | Spain | 25–27 | 25–18 | 26–28 | 22–25 | | 98–98 | Report |
| 5 Sep | 20:00 | Moldova | 2–3 | Cyprus | 20–25 | 25–19 | 25–19 | 22–25 | 10–15 | 102–103 | Report |
| 6 Sep | 17:00 | Spain | 3–0 | Moldova | 25–19 | 25–22 | 25–23 | | | 75–64 | Report |
| 6 Sep | 20:00 | Latvia | 3–0 | Cyprus | 25–15 | 25–21 | 25–23 | | | 75–59 | Report |

### Pool E

* Dates: 6–16 May 2021
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | SW | SL | SR | SPW | SPL | SPR | Qualification |
| 1 | Slovakia | 6 | 5 | 1 | 15 | 16 | 7 | 2.286 | 535 | 492 | 1.087 | 2021 European Championship |
| 2 | Switzerland | 6 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 1.300 | 534 | 498 | 1.072 | |
| 3 | Romania | 6 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 1.182 | 536 | 507 | 1.057 | |
| 4 | Albania | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 0.222 | 438 | 546 | 0.802 | |

#### Tournament 1

* Venue: Nitra City Hall, Nitra, Slovakia
* All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+02:00).
| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Total | Report |
| 6 May | 16:00 | Slovakia | 3–0 | Switzerland | 25–22 | 25–21 | 25–23 | | 75–66 | Report |
| 6 May | 19:00 | Romania | 3–0 | Albania | 25–15 | 25–19 | 25–18 | | 75–52 | Report |
| 7 May | 17:00 | Slovakia | 3–1 | Romania | 25–21 | 25–21 | 14–25 | 25–22 | 89–89 | Report |
| 7 May | 20:00 | Switzerland | 3–0 | Albania | 25–18 | 25–21 | 26–24 | | 76–63 | Report |
| 8 May | 17:30 | Switzerland | 3–1 | Romania | 21–25 | 25–18 | 25–19 | 25–20 | 96–82 | Report |
| 8 May | 20:30 | Albania | 1–3 | Slovakia | 20–25 | 13–25 | 25–21 | 19–25 | 77–96 | Report |

#### Tournament 2

* Venue: Olimpia Sports Hall, Ploiești, Romania
* All times are Eastern European Summer Time (UTC+03:00).
| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 14 May | 17:00 | Albania | 1–3 | Romania | 26–24 | 22–25 | 13–25 | 21–25 | | 82–99 | Report |
| 14 May | 20:00 | Slovakia | 3–1 | Switzerland | 19–25 | 25–21 | 25–22 | 25–21 | | 94–89 | Report |
| 15 May | 17:00 | Romania | 2–3 | Switzerland | 25–21 | 21–25 | 25–21 | 22–25 | 7–15 | 100–107 | Report |
| 15 May | 20:00 | Albania | 1–3 | Slovakia | 16–25 | 19–25 | 27–25 | 18–25 | | 80–100 | Report |
| 16 May | 17:00 | Romania | 3–1 | Slovakia | 25–19 | 16–25 | 25–22 | 25–15 | | 91–81 | Report |
| 16 May | 20:00 | Switzerland | 3–1 | Albania | 25–27 | 25–15 | 25–19 | 25–23 | | 100–84 | Report |

### Pool F

* Dates: 7–16 May 2021
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | SW | SL | SR | SPW | SPL | SPR | Qualification |
| 1 | Montenegro | 6 | 5 | 1 | 16 | 17 | 5 | 3.400 | 520 | 407 | 1.278 | 2021 European Championship |
| 2 | Greece | 6 | 5 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 5 | 3.000 | 465 | 356 | 1.306 | 2021 European Championship |
| 3 | Azerbaijan | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 0.667 | 415 | 446 | 0.930 | |
| 4 | Georgia | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0.000 | 259 | 450 | 0.576 | |

#### Tournament 1

* Venue: Tbilisi New Volleyball Arena, Tbilisi, Georgia
* All times are Georgia Time (UTC+04:00).
| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 7 May | 15:30 | Azerbaijan | 1–3 | Montenegro | 23–25 | 21–25 | 25–21 | 15–25 | | 84–96 | Report |
| 7 May | 18:30 | Georgia | 0–3 | Greece | 12–25 | 14–25 | 12–25 | | | 38–75 | Report |
| 8 May | 15:30 | Montenegro | 2–3 | Greece | 25–17 | 20–25 | 19–25 | 25–23 | 14–16 | 103–106 | Report |
| 8 May | 18:30 | Azerbaijan | 3–0 | Georgia | 25–20 | 25–22 | 25–15 | | | 75–57 | Report |
| 9 May | 15:30 | Greece | 3–0 | Azerbaijan | 25–21 | 25–19 | 25–18 | | | 75–58 | Report |
| 9 May | 18:30 | Montenegro | 3–0 | Georgia | 25–8 | 25–12 | 25–11 | | | 75–31 | Report |

#### Tournament 2

* Venue: SC Verde Hall, Podgorica, Montenegro
* All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+02:00).
| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Total | Report |
| 14 May | 17:00 | Georgia | 0–3 | Greece | 10–25 | 10–25 | 16–25 | | 36–75 | Report |
| 14 May | 20:00 | Montenegro | 3–1 | Azerbaijan | 25–16 | 25–12 | 20–25 | 26–24 | 96–77 | Report |
| 15 May | 17:00 | Greece | 3–0 | Azerbaijan | 25–16 | 25–17 | 25–13 | | 75–46 | Report |
| 15 May | 20:00 | Georgia | 0–3 | Montenegro | 14–25 | 20–25 | 16–25 | | 50–75 | Report |
| 16 May | 17:00 | Azerbaijan | 3–0 | Georgia | 25–13 | 25–17 | 25–17 | | 75–47 | Report |
| 16 May | 20:00 | Greece | 0–3 | Montenegro | 15–25 | 21–25 | 23–25 | | 59–75 | Report |

### Pool G

* Dates: 7–16 May 2021
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | SW | SL | SR | SPW | SPL | SPR | Qualification |
| 1 | Portugal | 6 | 6 | 0 | 17 | 18 | 3 | 6.000 | 505 | 423 | 1.194 | 2021 European Championship |
| 2 | Belarus | 6 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 7 | 2.143 | 512 | 440 | 1.164 | 2021 European Championship |
| 3 | Hungary | 6 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 16 | 0.313 | 436 | 507 | 0.860 | |
| 4 | Norway | 6 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 0.250 | 404 | 487 | 0.830 | |

#### Tournament 1

* Venue: Ludovika Aréna, Budapest, Hungary
* All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+02:00).
| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 7 May | 16:00 | Belarus | 2–3 | Portugal | 25–21 | 23–25 | 25–23 | 23–25 | 10–15 | 106–109 | Report |
| 7 May | 19:00 | Hungary | 3–1 | Norway | 23–25 | 25–22 | 25–23 | 25–21 | | 98–91 | Report |
| 8 May | 16:00 | Portugal | 3–0 | Norway | 25–18 | 25–21 | 25–19 | | | 75–58 | Report |
| 8 May | 19:00 | Belarus | 3–0 | Hungary | 25–21 | 25–15 | 25–12 | | | 75–48 | Report |
| 9 May | 16:00 | Norway | 0–3 | Belarus | 21–25 | 14–25 | 22–25 | | | 57–75 | Report |
| 9 May | 19:00 | Portugal | 3–0 | Hungary | 25–21 | 25–16 | 25–21 | | | 75–58 | Report |

#### Tournament 2

* Venue: Centro de Desportos e Congressos de Matosinhos, Matosinhos, Portugal
* All times are Western European Summer Time (UTC+01:00).
| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Total | Report |
| 14 May | 16:00 | Norway | 3–1 | Hungary | 21–25 | 26–24 | 25–18 | 25–22 | 97–89 | Report |
| 14 May | 19:00 | Portugal | 3–1 | Belarus | 25–22 | 25–19 | 21–25 | 25–21 | 96–87 | Report |
| 15 May | 15:00 | Hungary | 1–3 | Belarus | 23–25 | 25–19 | 20–25 | 18–25 | 86–94 | Report |
| 15 May | 18:00 | Norway | 0–3 | Portugal | 17–25 | 18–25 | 22–25 | | 57–75 | Report |
| 16 May | 15:00 | Belarus | 3–0 | Norway | 25–19 | 25–15 | 25–10 | | 75–44 | Report |
| 16 May | 18:00 | Hungary | 0–3 | Portugal | 15–25 | 20–25 | 22–25 | | 57–75 | Report |

### Ranking of the second placed teams

* Matches against the fourth placed team in each pool were not included in this ranking.
* The top five of the second placed teams qualified for the 2021 European Championship.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | SW | SL | SR | SPW | SPL | SPR | Qualification |
| 1 | North Macedonia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 2.000 | 343 | 325 | 1.055 | 2021 European Championship |
| 2 | Spain | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 2.000 | 349 | 347 | 1.006 | 2021 European Championship |
| 3 | Greece | 4 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 1.800 | 315 | 282 | 1.117 | 2021 European Championship |
| 4 | Croatia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 1.250 | 407 | 399 | 1.020 | 2021 European Championship |
| 5 | Belarus | 4 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 1.286 | 362 | 339 | 1.068 | 2021 European Championship |
| 6 | Switzerland | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 0.778 | 358 | 351 | 1.020 | |
| 7 | Austria | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 0.667 | 326 | 345 | 0.945 | |