NEVZA U20 2026, Rovaniemi, 23–25 October 2026

Two golds stay home, and a weekend that leaves a mark

Medals were handed out at Santasport on Sunday, and both golds stayed in Rovaniemi. Finland’s girls beat Norway 3–0 (25–18, 25–16, 25–11) in the final and the boys beat Sweden 3–0 (25–11, 25-15, 25-18). Both teams played their finals the same way they played Friday and Saturday: calmly, their own game, never giving the opponent a moment where the match looked like turning.

For the girls that meant five wins out of five, for the boys five wins with a single set dropped all weekend. Norway took silver in the girls’ tournament, Sweden in the boys’.

The best fight of the day, though, was for the boys’ bronze. Norway and Denmark went five sets: Norway took the opener 25–23, Denmark won the next two to lead 2–1, Norway levelled 25–20, and the decider ended 15–12. Norway won 3–2 despite Denmark scoring one point more over the match. By then the players from both finals were in the stands, and you could hear which bench was cheering for whom. The girls’ bronze went to Denmark, 3–0 (25–19, 25–18, 25–18) over Sweden.

Tournament awards

Women’s Dream Team: setter Laura Alapuranen (FIN), opposite Neea Hautakangas (FIN), outside hitters Mille Bassøe (DEN) and Marina Kerman (FIN), middle blockers Nora Langnes (NOR) and Helmi Laustola (FIN), libero Susan Söderlund (FIN).

Men’s Dream Team: setter Eeli Kuukasjärvi (FIN), opposite Jelani Conteh (ENG), outside hitters Kaapo Vanhatupa (FIN) and Hannes Holmberg (SWE), middle blockers Felix Björkholtz (SWE) and Maxim Sadovnikov (FIN), libero Alfred Fransson (SWE).

Most Valuable Player of the women’s tournament is Mille Bassøe (DEN), of the men’s tournament Alfred Fransson (SWE).

Closing words

Tournament director Jukka Mäkihannu closed the tournament at the end of the ceremony:

”Congratulations to all awarded teams and players. Ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys. All good things come to an end. As organisers, we want to thank you all for coming to Rovaniemi. It has truly been an honour to host this event once again. Thank you to the referees for your excellent work. Thank you to the players for giving our volleyball audience so many great moments. A special thank you for the way you have connected with our local young players. It has meant a lot to them. Thank you to all our volunteers. Without you, tournaments like this would not be possible. And thank you to our partners for being part of this event. We hope you have had a memorable weekend. Thank you all. The NEVZA tournament 2026 is now closed. Have a safe and pleasant trip back home!”

Rovaniemi says thank you. It was a pleasure to host this tournament.

Final standings

Girls: 1. Finland, 2. Norway, 3. Denmark, 4. Sweden, 5. England Boys: 1. Finland, 2. Sweden, 3. Norway, 4. Denmark, 5. England

Sunday’s matches Girls, bronze: Denmark–Sweden 3–0 (25–19, 25–18, 25–18) Boys, bronze: Norway–Denmark 3–2 (25–23, 19–25, 20–25, 25–20, 15–12) Girls, final: Finland–Norway 3–0 (25–18, 25–16, 25–11) Boys, final: Finland–Sweden 3–0 (25–11, 25-15 , 25-18)

Two golds stay home, and a weekend that leaves a mark

Medals were handed out at Santasport on Sunday, and both golds stayed in Rovaniemi. Finland’s girls beat Norway 3–0 (25–18, 25–16, 25–11) in the final and the boys beat Sweden 3–0 (25–11, [ ], [ ]). Both teams played their finals the same way they played Friday and Saturday: calmly, their own game, never giving the opponent a moment where the match looked like turning.

For the girls that meant five wins out of five, for the boys five wins with a single set dropped all weekend. Norway took silver in the girls’ tournament, Sweden in the boys’.

The best fight of the day, though, was for the boys’ bronze. Norway and Denmark went five sets: Norway took the opener 25–23, Denmark won the next two to lead 2–1, Norway levelled 25–20, and the decider ended 15–12. Norway won 3–2 despite Denmark scoring one point more over the match. By then the players from both finals were in the stands, and you could hear which bench was cheering for whom. The girls’ bronze went to Denmark, 3–0 (25–19, 25–18, 25–18) over Sweden.

Tournament awards

Women’s Dream Team: setter Laura Alapuranen (FIN), opposite Neea Hautakangas (FIN), outside hitters Mille Bassøe (DEN) and Marina Kerman (FIN), middle blockers Nora Langnes (NOR) and Helmi Laustola (FIN), libero Susan Söderlund (FIN).

Men’s Dream Team: setter Eeli Kuukasjärvi (FIN), opposite Jelani Conteh (ENG), outside hitters Kaapo Vanhatupa (FIN) and Hannes Holmberg (SWE), middle blockers Felix Björkholtz (SWE) and Maxim Sadovnikov (FIN), libero Alfred Fransson (SWE).

Most Valuable Player of the women’s tournament is Mille Bassøe (DEN), of the men’s tournament Alfred Fransson (SWE).

Closing words

Tournament director Jukka Mäkihannu closed the tournament at the end of the ceremony:

”Congratulations to all awarded teams and players. Ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys. All good things come to an end. As organisers, we want to thank you all for coming to Rovaniemi. It has truly been an honour to host this event once again. Thank you to the referees for your excellent work. Thank you to the players for giving our volleyball audience so many great moments. A special thank you for the way you have connected with our local young players. It has meant a lot to them. Thank you to all our volunteers. Without you, tournaments like this would not be possible. And thank you to our partners for being part of this event. We hope you have had a memorable weekend. Thank you all. The NEVZA tournament 2026 is now closed. Have a safe and pleasant trip back home!”

Rovaniemi says thank you. It was a pleasure to host this tournament.

Final standings

Girls: 1. Finland, 2. Norway, 3. Denmark, 4. Sweden, 5. England Boys: 1. Finland, 2. Sweden, 3. Norway, 4. Denmark, 5. England

Sunday’s matches Girls, bronze: Denmark–Sweden 3–0 (25–19, 25–18, 25–18) Boys, bronze: Norway–Denmark 3–2 (25–23, 19–25, 20–25, 25–20, 15–12) Girls, final: Finland–Norway 3–0 (25–18, 25–16, 25–11) Boys, final: Finland–Sweden 3–0 (25–11, 25-15 , 25-18)

The finals are set, and Finland is in both

Saturday carried on where Friday left off: people in the stands, loud benches and five countries that have not given away a single ball cheaply all weekend.

Finland took care of its own business the way the home crowd hoped. The boys beat Norway 3–0 before noon and Denmark 3–1 in the afternoon, the first set Finland’s boys have dropped in the tournament. The girls beat Norway 3–0 and then Sweden 3–0 in the evening. Four matches in two days for each team, all of them won, and the girls are still yet to lose a set.

The drama of the day came in the last match of the evening, when Sweden and Norway’s boys settled who faces Finland in the final. Both came in with one loss, and the match was in effect a semi-final. Sweden took it 3–1 and plays for gold on Sunday. Norway meets Denmark for bronze; Denmark picked up its first win of the tournament in the morning by beating England 3–2, the only five-set match of the weekend.

The girls’ final was decided already in the morning when Norway beat Denmark 3–1. Norway’s only loss of the tournament is to Finland, and the same two meet again on Sunday for gold. Denmark and Sweden play for bronze, Sweden having taken its first win on Saturday, 3–0 over England.

For England’s teams the weekend has been hard on the scoreboard, but the boys’ morning match against Denmark shows how they have played: two sets won and the decision only in the fifth.

Sunday is medal day at Santasport. The girls’ bronze match Denmark–Sweden starts at 9:00 and the boys’ bronze match Norway–Denmark at 11:00. The girls’ final Finland–Norway is at 13:00 and the boys’ final Finland–Sweden at 15:00. This is worth seeing in person: Finland is in both finals, and two days have shown that the crowd matters in these matches. If you cannot make it to the hall, every match is streamed live on the EuroVolley TV YouTube channel.

Thank you already now to the volunteers, referees, players and spectators, and to our partners Santasport and the City of Rovaniemi. On Sunday we finish this.

Saturday results

Boys Denmark–England 3–2 Norway–Finland 0–3 England–Sweden 1–3 Finland–Denmark 3–1 Sweden–Norway 3–1

Girls Denmark–Norway 1–3 Sweden–England 3–0 Norway–Finland 0–3 England–Denmark 0–3 Finland–Sweden 3–0

Standings after two days

Boys: 1. Finland 4–0, 2. Sweden 3–1, 3. Norway 2–2, 4. Denmark 1–3, 5. England 0–4 Girls: 1. Finland 4–0, 2. Norway 3–1, 3. Denmark 2–2, 4. Sweden 1–3, 5. England 0–4

Sunday schedule, Santasport

9:00 Girls, bronze: Denmark–Sweden 11:00 Boys, bronze: Norway–Denmark 13:00 Girls, final: Finland–Norway 15:00 Boys, final: Finland–Sweden

Ten matches, two halls, one good day

When the last ball hit the floor at Santasport on Friday, we had behind us exactly what we hoped for from the opening day of NEVZA U20: people in the stands, benches on their feet and five countries that gave nothing away for free.

For Finland the day went great. Both teams played two matches and did not drop a single set. The boys opened against England 3–0 and closed the evening against Sweden with the same scoreline. The girls beat England 3–0 and Denmark 3–0. Going into Saturday both Finnish teams lead the standings, and a place in Sunday’s final is in their own hands.

The most interesting match of the boys’ day was played at nine in the morning: Norway beat Denmark 3–1, and it stayed the only match of the day that went beyond three sets. Sweden took care of Denmark 3–0 in the afternoon, and Norway kept its pace by beating England 3–0. Denmark and England go into Saturday without a win, but neither of them played like a team that has given up.

On the girls’ side Denmark beat Sweden 3–0 and Norway handled England 3–0. The day’s closing match, Norway vs Sweden, was still going when this was written: final result was 3-1 to Norway.

Behind the results is the part that matters most to us. The players have been happy. Every team cheers for its own so loudly you hear it on the other side of the hall, and the stands have been filled with parents, club people and passers-by who came to watch one set and stayed to the end. This weekend Rovaniemi looks like the sports city we believe it is.

On Saturday the round robin continues with the second round, every team plays two more matches. Sunday is medal day: third and fourth in the standings play for bronze, first and second for gold.

Thank you already now to everyone making this event happen. To the volunteers who have been at the halls before the first serve and after the last point. To the referees, the players and the spectators. And to our partners Santasport and the City of Rovaniemi, who give this celebration of volleyball a setting we are proud of.

See you on Saturday.

Day 1 results

Boys Norway–Denmark 3–1 Finland–England 3–0 Denmark–Sweden 0–3 England–Norway 0–3 Sweden–Finland 0–3

Girls Finland–England 3–0 Sweden–Denmark 0–3 England–Norway 0–3 Denmark–Finland 0–3 Norway–Sweden 3-1

Rovaniemi hosts NEVZA U20 Championships and European qualifiers

Rovaniemi, Finland, hosts the NEVZA U20 Championships on 23-25 October 2026. The tournament doubles as the zonal 1st Round of the CEV U20 European Championship 2027 qualifiers.

Women’s and men’s teams from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and England compete, with the winner of each competition qualifying directly for the 2027 Final Phase.

Finland’s women’s head coach Tomi Lemminkäinen is clear about the goal.

”Our clear goal is to win the tournament and earn a place at the European Championship. We don’t know much about the level of our opponents, but we’ll find out during the tournament. A couple of years ago in this age group, Finland lost to Norway in the preliminary round and beat them in the final, so at least back then Norway was clearly the toughest opponent. One match and one ball at a time, first to Sunday’s final and from there, with a win, to the Championship.”

Men’s head coach Matti Alatalo says the team arrives well prepared.

”We’re heading to Rovaniemi hungry and in a good mood. Two intensive camps have allowed us to come together quickly and prepare carefully for what lies ahead. Ahead of us is a tough three-day, five-match push. We can’t underestimate any of our opponents. Sweden and Denmark have raised their level in recent years, at senior level but also at youth level. Norway is always ready to surprise, so we have to be ready in every match and give our best.”

”Our goal is clear: to clear the way to the 2027 European Championship next summer. That requires our trademarks on the mental side too: hard work, courage and unity.”

This is the second time in three years that Rovaniemi hosts the championships, organised locally by Arctic Volley. ”We organise volleyball tournaments because we want to develop the sport, and hosting top-level events is an important part of that,” says local organiser Jukka Mäkihannu.

Santasport is the heart of the event: teams play, eat and stay under one roof. ”Everything is close by, and accessibility has improved with the growth of tourism. Rovaniemi is a small big sports city.” According to Mäkihannu, the City of Rovaniemi is one of the key factors that make hosting the tournament possible.

Matches start on Friday at 9:00, with the bronze medal matches and finals for both women and men on Sunday.