CEV CL W: Champions League Draw Sets Up Blockbuster Clashes

WoV

3 hours ago

Europe’s top women’s volleyball clubs have learned their path to continental glory after the draw for the 2026/27 CEV Champions League Volley was held in Luxembourg.

Defending champions VakifBank Istanbul begin their title defence in Pool A, where they will face Poland’s UNI Opole, French champions Volley Mulhouse Alsace and one team emerging from the qualification rounds.

One of the standout storylines from the draw comes in Pool B, where last season’s runners-up Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul have been paired with Italy’s Savino Del Bene Scandicci. The two Final Four teams are set to renew their rivalry in what promises to be one of the toughest groups of the competition.

Pool C also features a mouth-watering clash, with Turkish giants Fenerbahçe Medicana Istanbul taking on Italian powerhouse Numia Vero Volley Milano in a group expected to deliver some of the tournament’s most entertaining matches.

Three-time European champions A. Carraro Prosecco DOC Conegliano headline Pool D alongside KS Developres Rzeszów, Dresdner SC and fellow Italian side Igor Gorgonzola Novara, who enter the competition as wildcard recipients.

Meanwhile, Pool E looks wide open, bringing together Polish champions PGE Budowlani Łódź, Germany’s VfB Suhl Thüringen, Romania’s C.S.O. Voluntari 2005 and CEV Cup winners Galatasaray Daikin Istanbul.

The Champions League season gets underway with qualification rounds in late October before the 20-team group stage begins. The five group winners will qualify directly for the quarterfinals, while the five runners-up and the best third-placed team will battle it out in the playoffs for the remaining places in the last eight.