The European Volleyball Confederation hosts the most prestigious club competition for men and women.

Countries & Cities · Published 10 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The CEV Champions League stands as the pinnacle of European club volleyball. Each year, the continent's elite teams compete for the title, navigating a rigorous structure that begins with qualification and culminates in a final match. It is a high-stakes tournament that defines the hierarchy of professional volleyball in Europe.

The competition is organised annually by the European Volleyball Confederation, serving as the premier official tournament for men's and women's volleyball clubs across Europe. While the men's competition has evolved over decades, its current iteration as the CEV Champions League began in the 2000–01 season. Prior to this, the tournament was known as the CEV European Champions Cup, which ran from the 1959–60 season through 1999–2000.

The structure of the main competition is designed to test the consistency of the 20 participating teams. Eighteen of these clubs secure their spots directly through a ranking list based on European Cup performance, while two additional teams earn their place through qualification rounds. Once the field is set, the teams are divided into five groups for the League round. Each pool follows a six-leg, double round-robin format, where teams play both home and away matches against their opponents.

Advancement to the knockout stages is highly competitive. In each gender, only the five pool winners and the three highest-ranked runners-up progress to the quarterfinals. From there, the tournament narrows through a series of pairings where teams face off in two-match series. This process continues until two winners emerge to qualify for the final, which is traditionally held in May. This rigorous path ensures that only the most resilient and skilled clubs reach the final stage of the competition.

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