It became clear where Aleksandar and Simeon Nikolov will get their first opportunity to attack an official trophy together with the Cucine Lube Civitanova team.
The 31st edition of the Del Monte Supercoppa will take place on November 14 and 15 at PalaRaschi in Parma, Lega Pallavolo Serie A announced. The dates were known since the presentation of the SuperLega calendar in July, and now the host of the tournament has been determined.
Perugia, Verona, Civitanova, and Trento will participate in the battle for the Super Cup, and the semifinal pairs are Perugia – Trento and Verona – Civitanova.
For Bulgarian volleyball, the tournament has an additional charge. After Simeon Nikolov's transfer to Civitanova this summer, he and his older brother Aleksandar are starting their first club season as teammates. The Super Cup will be their first opportunity to win an official trophy together under the auspices of Lega Pallavolo Serie A.
Before that, the brothers will have the opportunity to compete for a trophy in the preseason tournament in Jesi. The competition is particularly interesting from a Bulgarian perspective, because four national players will gather there – Aleksandar and Simeon Nikolov, Georgi Tatarov, and Martin Atanasov. The tournament in Jesi, however, is part of the preparation, while in Parma the stakes will already be an official trophy from the Italian League calendar.
Verona once again on Civitanova's path
For the Nikolov brothers, the path to the final will go through an opponent well-known to Lube. In the semifinal, Civitanova will meet Rana Verona, which will be a repeat of the clash from the previous edition of the Super Cup.
On February 28, 2026, in Trieste, Verona defeated Civitanova 3:1 (27:25, 30:28, 17:25, 25:21) and qualified for the final. At that time, Alex Nikolov was part of the Lube squad, and in November, Simeon will already be by his side.
It is curious that the other semifinal in Parma also repeats the pair from Trieste. Then Perugia eliminated Trento 3:0 (25:19, 25:20, 25:20). Thus, the four teams will again be the same, as will the two semifinal pairs.
Civitanova and Verona will not wait for the Super Cup to measure their strength in the new season. Already on October 18, in the first round of SuperLega, Verona hosts Lube. Thus, less than a month before the semifinal in Parma, the two teams will already have one official clash between them in the 2026/27 season.
Alex already has a trophy with Lube, now he will attack a new one, together with Moni
For Aleksandar Nikolov, such a battle with the Civitanova team is nothing new. The Bulgarian outside hitter already has a trophy with the club – the Italian Cup in 2025.
Now the situation is different. For the first time, Alex will attack an official Italian trophy with his brother as his teammate. Simeon arrived in Civitanova in the summer and the two will be part of Lube's new squad for the 2026/27 season.
Civitanova also has a serious tradition in the Super Cup. The club has won the award four times – in 2006, 2008, 2012, and 2014.
Big volleyball returns to Parma
The choice of PalaRaschi as host carries strong historical symbolism. Parma is one of the cities that have left a deep mark in the history of Italian and European club volleyball.
It was there that the teams of Santal and Maxicono Parma experienced some of the most glorious periods in the club's history. Parma has eight Italian championship titles, five Italian Cups, and 11 international trophies, and at various times has been home to some of the big names in world volleyball.
Now big volleyball returns to PalaRaschi.
The two semifinals of the Del Monte Supercoppa will be played on November 14, and on the next day – November 15 – the winners will determine the trophy holder.
It is there that Aleksandar and Simeon Nikolov will get their first opportunity to win an official trophy together in Italy.
photos: Nikolay Varadinov
