Romania, Ukraine, Sweden, and Hungary have successfully secured their places in the Final Four of the CEV Volleyball European Golden League 2025 Women. This follows the conclusion of the league round last Sunday, where all four teams finished with an impressive record of five wins and just one loss.
Romania finished at the top of the league standings. They demonstrated resilience by recovering from a home defeat against Hungary in Blaj, subsequently achieving two decisive straight-set victories: against Azerbaijan (25:14, 25:10, 25:17) and Croatia (25:18, 25:10, 25:17).
Despite never having medaled in the CEV European Golden League (they lost the bronze medal match last season), Romania secured the strongest record among the top teams, ending with five wins and one loss. Crucially, they dropped only four sets throughout the league phase, with three of those coming in their single loss to Hungary.
Ukraine secured the second position. Their previously perfect record was broken by a 0:3 defeat against Sweden in Radom, Poland. Ukraine struggled against the Swedish side, who will host the Final Four, particularly due to the performance of Isabelle Haak. The reigning MVP of the CEV Champions League Women and the Golden League`s top scorer dominated with 28 points in that match.
Ukraine quickly bounced back with a 3:0 victory over Slovakia (25:12, 25:21, 25:16), confirming their second-place finish. They ended the league round having won 15 sets and lost six, matching Sweden`s set record but accumulating more points (15 vs. 14).
Sweden also recorded a 3:0 win against Slovakia (25:21, 25:13, 25:15) in their final match. Both Isabelle Haak and her sister Anna contributed significantly, each scoring 17 points. This result placed Sweden third overall, just ahead of Hungary.
Hungary secured their Final Four spot by winning both their home matches this weekend in Kaposvár. They defeated Montenegro 3:1 (25:20, 23:25, 25:23, 25:20) and Portugal 3:1 (25:20, 25:18, 23:25, 25:23).
The final standings for the remaining teams were: Slovenia (4-2), Slovakia (3-3), Greece (2-4), Croatia (2-4), Spain (2-4), Portugal (2-4), Montenegro (1-5), and Azerbaijan (0-6). Azerbaijan finished last, the only team without a win and having secured only two sets across 16 matches, resulting in their relegation to the Silver League.
The Final Four tournament will be held in Ängelholm, Sweden, on June 28th and 29th, following a one-week break. The semi-final pairings are set: Romania will face Hungary in a rematch of their June 6th encounter, which Hungary won 3:2, while hosts Sweden will play against Ukraine.
Notably, Sweden and Ukraine are the last two champions of the CEV European Golden League Women. They met in the 2023 final, where Ukraine won with two 3:0 victories. Last season, Sweden claimed the title by defeating Czechia 3:2.
Hungary has also won the competition once, in 2015, and were runners-up in 2018. Romania remains the only team among the Final Four participants yet to secure a medal in this tournament.
Jasper Thornfield 
Finley Blackwood