Women's European Volleyball Championship

The Women's European Volleyball Championship is the official competition for senior women's national volleyball teams of Europe, organized by the European Volleyball Confederation (CEV). The initial gap between championships was variable, but since 1975 they have been awarded every two years. The current champion is Turkey, which won its first back-to-back titles at the 2023 and 2026 tournaments. The history of the women's European Volleyball Championship dates back to 1949, when the inaugural tournament was held in Prague. Seven national teams took part in the competition, with the Soviet Union becoming the first European champions. Beginning with the 1950 edition, the women's championship was held alongside the men's European Championship until 1989. That year, the men's tournament was staged in Sweden, while the women's competition was hosted by West Germany. The format of the championship has expanded considerably over the decades. The 2019 edition marked the first occasion on which the women's European Championship included 24 teams. A total of 14 national teams have won at least one medal in the competition. Russia has the highest overall medal total.