After nearly two weeks of anticipation, the European Volleyball Confederation (CEV) officially put an end to all speculation regarding the participants in the Champions League for the 2026/27 season. The Bulgarian men's champion Levski Sofia will not receive a wild card for direct entry into the group stage and will start its participation from the qualification rounds.
As early as June 20VolleyWeek.bgwas the only one to directly contact CEV, after a graphic was published on the social media of Belgian Greenyard Maaseik, in which Levski was listed among the participants in the group stage. The information was widely circulated by a number of European specialized media, but even then, the European Confederation was firm withVolleyWeek.bg, that such publications only fuel speculation and do not constitute official information.
CEV then further clarified that Bulgaria does not have a direct quota for the group stage and, under the current rules, Levski must start its participation from the qualifications, unless it receives one of the three wild cards.
Today, this has been officially confirmed. The European Confederation announced that the three special invitations for direct participation in the men's group stage go to Italian Trentino, Spanish Guaguas Las Palmas, and Romanian Dinamo Bucharest.
Trentino is a three-time European champion (2009, 2010, and 2011), and its last triumph in the tournament was in 2024. Guaguas Las Palmas impressed by reaching the quarterfinals in 2024 and 2026, starting its participation from the qualifications in both cases. Dinamo Bucharest is a three-time winner of the European Champions Cup with titles from 1966, 1967, and 1981.
Thus, Levski will not be among the teams starting directly in the group stage, but will have to go through the qualification rounds to secure a place among the best clubs in Europe.
CEV President Rocco Sikiric stated that the selection of wild card clubs was made with the aim for the Champions League to bring together established volleyball powers and ambitious clubs from different European markets, thus preserving the highest sporting and commercial level of the tournament.
The full list of participants in all European club tournaments will be published additionally, and the draw for the Champions League, CEV Cup, and Challenge Cup will be held onJuly 15, when Levski will learn its first opponent on the path to the group stage of the most prestigious European club tournament.