After the issue of the return of Russian national teams to international volleyball has already progressed at a European level, attention is now turning to the far more interesting topic of club volleyball – when will Russian teams be able to participate again in the Champions League, CEV Cup, and Challenge Cup.
The Russian Volleyball Federation (RVF) announced that the CEV Board of Administration has reviewed the FIVB's decision regarding the return of Russian national teams and confirmed that it will also apply to national team competitions under the auspices of the European confederation. The specific conditions and organizational mechanisms are yet to be developed and subsequently presented to the Board of Administration for approval.
However, the news does not significantly change what is already known about Russia's return to the international stage. As early as August 4, the FIVB officially announced that the Russian men's and women's national teams would participate in the Volleyball Nations League in 2027. Due to their inclusion, next year's tournament will be expanded from 18 to 19 teams for both men and women.
Russia voluntarily withdrew from participating in the Men's World Championship in Poland in 2027. For women, the FIVB continues discussions with the organizing committee, the federations of the USA and Canada, and other interested parties regarding the possible participation of the Russian national team in the 2027 World Championship.
The next European Championship, however, is not until 2028. The international calendar foresees continental championships taking place after the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Therefore, far more interesting in the RVF's announcement are the words of the federation's president, Stanislav Shevchenko, regarding club volleyball.
"The next item on the agenda is the return of our clubs to European competitions. We expect that in the near future, our colleagues from CEV will clarify when and how our teams will be able to return to the continental stage," Shevchenko stated.
The topic is particularly interesting in light of the information that emerged immediately after the meetings in Milan, suggesting that Russian clubs could return to European tournaments from the 2027/28 season.
Volleyweek.bgcontacted CEV for confirmation as early as September 26. The European confederation told our media that at this stage they could not comment on the information and that the relevant details would be announced in due course.
CEV also clarified another important point – the issue of the return of Russian clubs was not discussed at the General Assembly in Milan on September 24, as it was not part of its agenda. Such a decision, in any case, is not within the powers of the General Assembly, but of the CEV Board of Administration.
This distinction is significant. The Board of Administration also held its meeting in Milan in September – a fact confirmed by CEV toVolleyweek.bgin correspondence on another topic. It was this body that, in 2022, decided to exclude Russian and Belarusian national teams and clubs from European competitions "until further notice."
As of October 1, CEV has not published a decision officially announcing the return of Russian clubs for the 2027/28 season. This does not mean that the Board of Administration has not discussed the topic or has not made a principled decision – such information has simply not been publicly announced by the European confederation.
The public documents section of CEV also lacks the minutes from the meetings of the Board of Administration for the current 2024–2028 mandate. The published archive of the Board of Administration still only covers the 2020–2024 mandate.
Therefore, at present, the two topics must be clearly distinguished: the return of Russian national teams has already been confirmed, while for clubs, there is still no officially announced decision from CEV.
Shevchenko's words, however, indicate that club volleyball is precisely the next issue on which clarity is expected. And the 2027/28 season remains the key one, after the current 2026/27 has already begun without Russian participation.