The new season in the Bulgarian men's volleyball elite begins today, October 22, with the Burgas derby between Dea Sport and Neftochimic 2010. Eleven clubs, 22 rounds, and 110 matches in the regular season are scheduled until March 13, 2027. The rosters reveal curious contrasts – from the extremely young Slavia to Dea Sport, which relies on the most experienced group of players.
Volleyweek.bgcollected and processed data from official club registrations before the first referee's whistle. Initially, 164 volleyball players were listed. After Neftochimic 2010's announced separation from Czech receiver Adam Bartoš on October 20, the number of players in our updated database decreases to 163, provided there are no other unrecorded changes.
The register is not yet final. The first transfer window closes on October 29 – the day before the start of the second round. This means that clubs still have time to complete their rosters.

From Slavia to Dea Sport: over seven years difference in average age

The youngest team in the championship is Slavia. The team from the capital has 16 players whose average age, calculated by year of birth, is only 19.19 years. At the opposite pole is Dea Sport with 26.75 years.
The difference between the two teams reaches 7.56 years. Between them are nine teams with a different balance between experienced volleyball players and young talents.
Levski Sofia is second with an average age of 20.37 years, and Montana takes third place with 21.87. Beroe 2016 completes the group of clubs under 23 years old.
After Adam Bartoš's departure, Neftochimic's average age decreases from 25.00 to 24.40 years, without changing the Burgas team's seventh place in the ranking.

Ranking of the 11 clubs by average age

Four teams have an average age under 23, while three exceed 26. The values are calculated as the arithmetic mean of the difference between 2026 and the birth year of each registered player, not according to their exact birth date.

Slavia and Levski rely on youth

Slavia has 14 volleyball players born in 2005 or later. Nine are from the 2008–2010 cohorts, and the oldest player on the team is setter Aleksandar Borisov, born in 1998. Severin Dimitrov will rely on a squad where young players are not just an addition, but the main part of the team.
The situation is similar for Levski. Out of 19 registered players, 12 were born in 2008 or 2009. The presence of Todor Skrimov, Gordan Lyutskanov, and Svetoslav Ivanov provides experience to Nikolay Zhelyazkov's team.
The example of Montana is particularly interesting, where nine of the 15 players were born in 2005 or later. Two of them – Ivan Antonov and Denislav Ivanov – are from the 2010 cohort.
Beroe 2016 also has nine volleyball players born in 2005 or later. Miroslav Zhivkov's squad also includes six players from the 2009 cohort.
At the other extreme is Deya Sport, which includes Georgi and Valentin Bratoevi (1987), Tsvetan Sokolov (1989), and several other volleyball players with long careers. Interestingly, the Burgas team has only 12 players in the provided register – the smallest number after Pirin and Dunav.

From 15-year-old talents to a 42-year-old veteran

The oldest volleyball player in the championship by birth year is Stoyko Nenchev from CSKA (1984). The middle blocker turns 42 in 2026.
Following him are Kostadin Gadzhanov from Pirin (1986), brothers Georgi and Valentin Bratoevi from Deya Sport, and Atanas Mitev from Dunav, who were born in 1987.
At the other end of the age scale are three players from Neftochimic 2010, born in 2011 – setter Yavor Nedelchev and outside hitters Milko Bagdasarov and Veli Sali. This year they turn just 15 years old.
Among the players from the 2010 cohort, the names of Ivan Antonov and Denislav Ivanov from Montana, Atila Osmanoglu from Beroe 2016, as well as Mariyan Georgiev and Pavel Dimitrov from Slavia stand out.
The presence of so many young volleyball players in club registrations is an interesting indicator, but it does not necessarily mean that all will receive playing time in the men's championship.

Who is the tallest volleyball player?

According to the provided club data, the tallest player is Levski's middle blocker Dimitar Peychinov – 213 cm.
Following him is Tomislav Rusev from Metalurg (210 cm), and the third position is occupied by Teodor Todorov from CSKA (208 cm). Kiril Kolev (Lokomotiv Avia), Nikolay Kotevski (Beroe 2016), Konstantin Dinov (Deya Sport), Nikolay Mihovski (Metalurg), Nikolay Zahariyev and Timofey Benkovich (Montana), Stefan Chavdarov (Neftochimic 2010) and Jędrzej Ziółkowski (Beroe 2016) are all 205 cm.
The shortest player in the submitted registrations is Deya Sport's Japanese libero Hiroki Koto – 170 cm. He is followed by Simeon Dobrev from Dunav (175 cm) and Ivan Kisov from Lokomotiv Avia (176 cm).

Levski begins title defense after fourth consecutive Supercup

The first trophy of the season already has its owner. On October 18, Levski defeated Neftochimic 2010 with a score of 3:1 (25:16, 25:22, 13:25, 25:22) in the Bulgarian Supercup final and won the award for the fourth consecutive time.
In the semi-final, the "Blues" prevailed over Lokomotiv Avia with 3:0, while Neftochimic overcame CSKA with 3:2 after trailing 0:2 sets.
Particularly indicative of the champions' work with young players is the fact that five graduates of the club's academy started as regulars in the Supercup final. Among them were 17-year-olds Adrian Ganev and Ivaylo Donov, and 18-year-old Petko Petkov.
The tournament offered a first indication of the balance of power, but the squads are not yet final. Neftochimic, for example, has already parted ways with Czech receiver Adam Bartoš, who participated in the Supercup matches.
At the same time, CSKA included opposite Dimitar Dimitrov in their squad after his departure from Greek Aris, and Neftochimic signed Todor Valchev.

22 rounds, 110 matches, and one team resting in each round

The regular season will run from October 22, 2026, to March 13, 2027. Each of the 11 clubs will play 20 matches – 10 home and 10 away.
The odd number of participants means that one team will rest in each round. The championship remained with 11 teams after Cherno More (Varna) withdrew from elite participation in the summer.
Dunav (Ruse) will be the first to rest, as they have no match in the opening round.
The start is entrusted to Burgas. Deya Sport and Neftochimic 2010 meet today, October 22, at 7:00 PM in Mladost Hall. Three more matches are scheduled for a day later, and the first round concludes on October 24 with Levski's away game against Pirin in Razlog.

Deya Sport starts without the Bratoev brothers

The opening Burgas derby will take place without brothers Georgi and Valentin Bratoev. The two Deya Sport volleyball players are suspended for two matches each in the national championships after an incident at a beach volleyball tournament. The Appeals Commission of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation confirmed the sanctions, reclassifying Georgi Bratoev's violation as an attempt at physical assault by entering the court and swinging for a hit. In addition to the suspension from competitive rights, Georgi was fined 1500 euros, and Valentin – 1000 euros. The decision is final and not subject to appeal. Thus, the two will miss both the match against Neftochimic 2010 and the away game against Levski Sofia on October 31, as Deya Sport rests in the second round.

First Round Schedule – October 22–24

The program offers two particularly interesting clashes. The Burgas derby opens the championship, and the match Slavia - CSKA pits the youngest squad against a team with some of the most experienced players in the league.

Eight cities will have representatives in the elite

The eleven teams represent eight Bulgarian cities. Sofia has the most participants - Levski, CSKA and Slavia, while Burgas has two - Deya Sport and Neftochimik 2010.
Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Pernik, Montana, Ruse and Razlog each have one representative.
Champion Levski will host in its own hall in Sofia, CSKA - in "Vasil Simov", and Slavia - in "Panayot Pondalov". The two Burgas teams will use "Mladost" hall.
Plovdiv's Lokomotiv Avia will welcome its opponents in "Paisiy Hilendarski" hall, and Metalurg's home matches will be played in "Boris Gyuderov" in Pernik.

When are the big derbies?

Already in the first round, attention will be focused on Burgas. Dea Sport - Neftochimik 2010 is today, October 22, and the second championship clash between the city rivals is on January 9, 2027.
The first derby between CSKA and Levski is scheduled for December 11 in "Vasil Simov" hall. The return match will be on February 28 in "Levski Sofia" hall.
Levski and Lokomotiv Avia are scheduled to meet in the third round in Plovdiv, but the date and time of this match have not yet been specified in the provided program. The second meeting is scheduled for January 30, 2027, in Sofia.
The clashes between CSKA and Lokomotiv Avia are on December 19 in Sofia and March 13 in Plovdiv. The latter falls in the final, 22nd round.
A direct match between the two teams that played in the Supercup final is also coming up. Neftochimik hosts Levski on December 21, and the return leg is on March 13, 2027.

Registration continues until October 29

Although the championship starts on October 22, the first registration window remains open for another week. The deadline is October 29, the day before the first official match of the second round.
Therefore, all data on the number of squads, average age, and playing positions should be considered as a snapshot as of October 22, compiled from the provided club registrations and known subsequent changes.
However, the differences between the clubs already outline one of the interesting themes of the season. At one pole are Slavia and Levski, where young players dominate the registrations. At the other are Dea Sport, Lokomotiv Avia, and Dunav, relying on a higher average age. Whether youth will become an advantage, or experience will have decisive weight, the 110 matches of the regular season remain to show.