As the CEV Volleyball European Golden League 2025 Men heads into its final week of the preliminary round, four teams have maintained their undefeated status: Finland, Greece, Romania, and Israel. Each boasts an impressive four-match winning streak.
Out of these four strong contenders, only three will secure a spot in the Final Four through the group stage. The fourth spot is automatically reserved for the hosts, Czechia, who are currently fifth in the standings with a record of two wins and two losses.
Finland has continued its exceptional performance, leading the pack before the decisive final week. They have dropped just a single set throughout the competition so far, securing two more victories in Podgorica, Montenegro, over the past weekend.
In their match against Czechia, Finland claimed a 3:1 win. Luka Marttila was a key player with 22 points, supported by Joonas Jokela who added 18. After losing the first set 20:25, the Finnish side staged a comeback, winning the subsequent sets 25:14, 25:22, and 25:23.
Finland delivered another dominant display on Sunday, sweeping Montenegro 3:0 with set scores of 25:18, 25:10, and 25:23. This perfect weekend propelled them to the top of the standings, level on points with Greece but holding a superior set point ratio.
Greece also enjoyed a successful weekend, securing two victories: a 3:0 win against North Macedonia (25:22, 25:21, 25:20) and a 3:1 victory over hosts Latvia (23:25, 25:23, 25:17, 25:22). Their four-match winning streak keeps their hopes high for a return to the CEV Volleyball European Golden League Men podium, a feat they haven`t achieved since finishing runners-up to Montenegro in 2014.
Romania extended their winning streak to four matches as well, though they trail Finland and Greece by one point. This is due to conceding two sets against Croatia in Zadar, following a comfortable 3:0 win against Spain earlier.
In the match against Croatia, Romania took a strong start, winning the first two sets 25:21 and 25:22. However, the home side, Croatia, mounted a fierce comeback, taking the next two sets 29:27 and 25:20 to force a decisive fifth set. Romania held their nerve in the tie-break, winning 16:14. Despite a heroic 32-point performance from Petar Dirlic for Croatia, Romania`s victory effectively ended Croatia`s aspirations for a Final Four berth.
Israel secured their third and fourth wins with a 3:1 victory over Slovakia and a 3:2 comeback win against Portugal, after trailing 2:0 in sets. Israel`s remaining matches are against North Macedonia and Montenegro next week, two teams that are already out of contention for the Final Four.
The final week of the league round is set to feature crucial matches. Greece and Finland will face off in Nokia, Finland. Meanwhile, Romania and Israel can guarantee their spots in the Final Four by winning their respective matches in Kutna Hora, Czechia, and Strumica, North Macedonia. Portugal (1-3), Slovakia (1-3), Latvia (1-3), North Macedonia (1-3), and Croatia (0-4) have been eliminated, while Spain (2-2) would require an extraordinary set of results to qualify.
Jasper Thornfield 
Finley Blackwood