The CEV Champions League represents the pinnacle of men’s club volleyball in Europe, and the 2024/25 campaign has been an absolute thriller. The finals will be hosted in Łódź, Poland, and there is guaranteed to be a Polish team in the final for the fourth straight season.
The reason we know that is because two Polish powerhouses will meet in the semifinals, with Jastrzębski Węgiel and Warta Zawiercie squaring off. The former of those duo has reached the final in each of the last two seasons, but on both occasions, they ultimately came up empty-handed.
They will be hoping the saying of “the third time’s the charm” rings true in 2025, and online betting sports sites certainly feel it could be. The latest odds from Bovada’s sports website make the back-to-back finalists a 1.60 betting favorite to make it three straight finals with a victory over their compatriots, and one would expect them to be favorites again for a clash with Perugia in the final. The Italian side secured their second-ever appearance in the final with a 3-0 victory against Halkbank Ankara in their respective semifinal. They will be hoping that this year’s showpiece has a different result from their maiden one in 2017, however, as they were soundly beaten 3-0 by Zenit Kazan – a team that has enjoyed its own run of successes.
While Perugia and indeed their Polish opponents have shone in 2025, which teams have dominated the competition throughout history? Let’s find out.
CSKA Moscow
Russian giants CSKA Moscow seem to dominate in whatever sport their respective teams are competing in. The Armeitsy are the record 37-time champions of the KHL ice hockey league, while they have also won EuroLeague basketball eight times, the second most of all time behind Real Madrid. Indeed, even in football, they have plenty of pedigree, winning the UEFA Cup back in 2005 in addition to their 13 league titles.
Their dominance also translates to the volleyball court, and specifically the CEV Champions League. CSKA is a whopping 13-time champion in this competition as well, and their haul of titles is more than three times that of the next most successful team. Their era of dominance came some time ago, however, and their most recent crown came way back in 1991.
The 1980s were particularly fruitful, with the team winning six titles in eight years. They combined precision and power, often steamrolling opponents in the final stages, with captains like Vyacheslav Zaytsev ensuring the team remained in contention in testing clashes. Since then, though, the giant has stumbled, losing numerous semifinals throughout the mid-2000s.
Trentino Volley
Trentino Volley’s meteoric rise throughout the late 2000s took the volleyball world by storm. Despite never even reaching a semifinal prior to that point, the Italian side romped to glory in 2009 with a deserved 3-1 victory against Iraklis Thessaloniki. That triumph would trigger a run of dominance not seen in the tournament in decades, exciting fans everywhere.
Trentino didn’t rest on their laurels following that maiden triumph, and they went on to secure another two titles on the spin, completing the first three-peat since CSKA’s exploits in the 1980s. With names like Matey Kaziyski and Tsvetan Sokolov driving their campaign, the Italians offered the full package of attack, serve precision, and robust blocking. The back-to-back-to-back titles brought a fresh perspective to the game and raised the competition’s bar.
Following the third of three championships, Trentino were forced to wait for further success. Their bid for a fourth straight title was ended in the semifinals by Zenit Kazan, before back-to-back finals losses to ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle in 2021 and 2022 had supporters wondering whether silverware would ever return.
After years of steady play but no major breakthroughs, they once again reigned supreme in 2024 and declared to the world that Trentino was finally back. While they haven’t managed to successfully defend their crown this season, they will certainly be contenders for the years to come, and many people will be supporting them enthusiastically.
Volley Treviso
Volley Treviso, another four-time champion, has lifted the trophy in 1995, 1999, 2000, and 2006. Star figures like Samuele Papi and Andrea Sartoretti served as the backbone of their successes. Their leadership and technical prowess provided a competitive edge that few could match during their peak years.
Volley Treviso’s knack for daring comeback wins became legendary. Finals often saw them fight off early deficits, showcasing remarkable mental toughness. However, their inability to keep a sustained period of dominance leaves them slightly behind CSKA in legacy discussions.
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