Bulgarian national player Aleksandar Nikolov became the first face of the new Italian Volleyball Serie A campaign, dedicated to foreign players who will compete in the country's championships during the 2026/2027 season. The league specifically chose a photo of the Cucine Lube (Civitanova) outside hitter to kick off the presentation of the championship's international image.
In the publication, Lega Pallavolo Serie A emphasizes that Italian championships continue to attract more and more volleyball players from abroad. In the new season, a total of 101 foreign players from 35 countries and five continents will play in the three professional divisions – SuperLega, Serie A2, and Serie A3. Of these, 66 are in SuperLega, 24 in Serie A2, and 11 in Serie A3.
Bulgaria is among the most strongly represented countries. A total of 12 Bulgarian volleyball players will play in the Italian championships, placing the country second in this unofficial ranking. Only France has more representatives – also 12, but with a greater presence in SuperLega.
In SuperLega, Bulgaria will be represented by Aleksandar Nikolov, Simeon Nikolov (Cucine Lube Civitanova), Iliya Petkov, and Jasmin Velichkov (Vero Volley Monza), as well as Georgi Tatarov (Allianz Milano).
In Serie A2, Hristiyan Dimitrov (Consar Ravenna), Vladimir Garkov and Boris Nachev (JV Gioia del Colle), Denis Karyagin and Stoil Palev (Essence Hotels Fano), as well as Rusi Zhelev (Conad Reggio Emilia) will play.
The only Bulgarian in Serie A3 will be Kaloyan Valchinov (Energytime Campobasso).
Most foreign players by country in the Italian championships during the 2026/2027 season:
France – 12
Bulgaria – 12
Brazil – 8
Belgium – 6
USA – 6
Iran – 5
Canada – 4
Czechia – 4
Hungary – 4
Austria – 3
Germany – 3
Serbia – 3
Slovakia – 3
Slovenia – 3
Ukraine – 3
Argentina – 2
Spain – 2
Poland – 2
The remaining 17 countries are represented by one competitor each.
Thus, in addition to featuring Aleksandar Nikolov at the start of its campaign, Serie A also demonstrated the significant Bulgarian presence in one of the strongest volleyball championships in the world. Bulgarian volleyball players will be among the most numerous foreign group in the 2026/2027 season, which is further proof of the high regard for the national volleyball school.
photo and graphics:Lega Pallavolo Serie A
