Bulgarian specialist Plamen Konstantinov could be one of the central figures in one of Russia's most interesting volleyball events next season. According to information from the authoritative publication "BO Sport", the coach of Lokomotiv (Novosibirsk) is the main candidate to take charge of the "legionnaires" team for the First Channel Cup.
The tournament is scheduled for January 4 and 5, 2027, and will pit the Russian national team against a selection of the best foreign volleyball players competing in the Russian Super League. The format resembles the legendary All-Star Games, which for many years were among the most anticipated events in Russian volleyball.
The choice of Konstantinov seems entirely logical. The Bulgarian is among the most respected coaches in the Russian championship, and over the last decade, he has transformed Lokomotiv (Novosibirsk) into one of the country's leading clubs. Under his leadership, the team won the championship title in 2020, the Russian Cup, and regularly competes for honors in all tournaments.
Preliminary forecasts indicate that the "legionnaires" team will boast serious class. Argentine veteran Luciano De Cecco is rumored for setter, Belarusian national Vladislav Babkevich will be the opposite, and Marlon Yant and Vladislav Davyskiba are expected to play as outside hitters. Petar Krsmanovic and Konstantin Panasenko will likely be in the middle, while Argentine Santiago Danani will be the libero.
The topic of the setter for such an All-Star team is also intriguing. If the match between Russia and the "legionnaires" had been organized after the end of last season, Bulgarian fans would hardly have doubted who deserved to direct the international selection's play. That would undoubtedly be Simeon Nikolov. The young Bulgarian national player had an impressive season with Lokomotiv (Novosibirsk) precisely under the guidance of Plamen Konstantinov and established himself as one of the brightest young stars in the Russian Super League. This summer, however, the talented setter took on a new challenge and from the 2026/27 season will play for Italian powerhouse Lube (Civitanova), where he will be a teammate with his older brother Aleksandar Nikolov. Thus, his potential participation in the "legionnaires" team now remains only an interesting hypothesis.
On the other side will be the Russian national team, and according to Russian media, the core of the squad will likely be formed by players from champion Dynamo (Moscow).
Russia has already successfully experimented with similar formats. In 2025, the First Channel Cup pitted the national teams of Russia and Serbia against each other, and a year earlier, the tournament was held as a match between two squads selected through a draft by Konstantin Bryanskiy and Vladimir Alekno.
Now the organizers are planning a return to the concept of a true All-Star spectacle. The last such match in Russia took place in 2014, when "Stars of Russia" faced "Stars of the World," and players like Wilfredo León, Georg Grozer, Teodor Salparov, and Oreol Camejo took to the court.
If the plans are realized, Plamen Konstantinov will have the opportunity to lead one of the strongest international selections ever assembled in the Russian Super League against the best Russian national players. And for Bulgarian fans, this will be another reason to follow with interest the events in the championship, where in recent years Konstantinov and his proteges have left an increasingly significant mark.
photos: Nikolay Varadinov and lokovolley.com
