There will be a significant Bulgarian presence in the Greek Novibet Volley League in the 2026/27 season, and the draw has already determined the path of the teams in the new championship.
The championship will start on October 24 with the participation of 12 teams, which will play 22 rounds in the regular season. The top four in the standings will continue to the playoffs for the title, teams from 5th to 8th place will compete for European quotas, and those finishing between 9th and 12th position will play in the playouts. The last two teams will be relegated to the men's Pre League.
The Bulgarian presence in the Greek elite in the new season will be significant. Martin Atanasov will wear the Olympiacos jersey, Nikolay Kolev is with Panathinaikos, Dimitar Dimitrov and Todor Valchev are part of Aris, Svetoslav Stankov is with Kifisia, and Samuil Valchinov and Lyuboslav Telkiyski will play for Foinikas Syros.
The very first round offers interesting matches with Bulgarian participation. Aris, with Dimitar Dimitrov and Todor Valchev, hosts Floisvos; Foinikas Syros, with Samuil Valchinov and Lyuboslav Telkiyski, hosts Milon; and Panathinaikos, with Nikolay Kolev, visits Kalamata.
The clash between Kifisia and Panionios will also be intriguing. Svetoslav Stankov will face one of the biggest transfers in the Greek championship this summer – Serbian star Aleksandar Atanasijevic. The husband of former Bulgarian national player Elitsa Vasileva-Atanasijevic moved to Panionios for the 2026/27 season, after defending the colors of Olympiacos last season. Panionios officially announced the signing of the renowned opposite hitter at the end of May.
For Martin Atanasov, the championship begins with an away game against newcomer NOPER Rethymno. After that, Olympiacos visits Milon, and in the third round, they host Floisvos. The Bulgarian national player is already officially listed in the Greek grand's squad for the 2026/27 season with number 1.
The big derby comes very early. As early as the 4th round, on November 14, Panathinaikos will host Olympiacos in "Mets". Thus, two Bulgarian national players will face each other – Nikolay Kolev and Martin Atanasov. The return match Olympiacos – Panathinaikos is scheduled for the 15th round.
It is interesting that Atanasov will have the opportunity to test his skills against serious international competition even before the start of the Greek championship.
Olympiacos will participate in the strong four-team international tournament Jesi Volley Cup, which will take place on October 10 and 11 in Jesi, Italy. The other three participants are Cucine Lube Civitanova, Allianz Milano, and the Japanese Suntory Sunbirds Osaka.
The tournament in Jesi will be particularly interesting for Bulgarian fans as well. Besides Martin Atanasov with Olympiacos, Aleksandar and Simeon Nikolov with Lube and Georgi Tatarov with Allianz Milano are expected to participate. Thus, three of the four teams in the competition have Bulgarian national players in their squads.
Just two weeks after the tournament in Italy, Atanasov and Olympiacos will begin their battle for the title in Greece. The new season in the Novibet Volley League promises to be particularly interesting from a Bulgarian perspective – with our volleyball players in some of the leading clubs and with a number of direct clashes between them from the very first rounds.

photo:volleyleague.gr