Israel men’s volleyball team beats North Macedonia, one win from Euro qualification

Israel’s men’s volleyball team took a major step toward EuroBasket-style qualification on Saturday night, sweeping North Macedonia 3-0 in the Kosovo group stage. The set scores were 25-19, 25-19 and 25-14, and Israel controlled the match from the opening whistle.

Mark Roura led the Israeli attack with 20 points, while Shai Liberman added 16 in a dominant team performance. Israel also benefited from Sweden’s win over Estonia earlier in the evening, a result that improved its position in the race for one of the top four spots in the European League and toward the 2028 European Championship.

Setter Omri Reutman said, “I am very happy about this European victory. We are happy about Sweden’s win over Estonia, but we have not finished the job. We have a game tomorrow where we come in as clear favorites, but we need to take three points and the main thing is to win. We feel the support from home, and we are happy about this game.”

Coach Itamar Stein also highlighted the pressure of the occasion, saying, “It is unbelievable, it feels amazing. It was a great game under pressure. Well done to the players and thank you to Sweden for beating Estonia. Tomorrow we come in strong to secure the place in the Final Four and the next European Championship. First we need to beat Kosovo, and then we can celebrate another historic achievement for Israeli volleyball.” Israel faces host Kosovo on Sunday at 21:00, and a win will officially seal the semifinal place and qualification.

In the women’s competition, Israel lost 3-0 to Azerbaijan in its fifth European League match on Saturday. Under coach Anna Veliki, the team fought hard in all three sets, but will finish the tournament on Sunday against Switzerland.