The new season inthe Women's Champions League(CEV Champions League Volley) promises to bring much excitement and spectacle. Italian teams once again attract attention, as four Serie A teams will directly qualify for the group stage thanks to the "wild card" system, which ensures the same number of participants for Turkey.
🏆 The Draw and Pot Distribution
The draw for the group stage will take place on Tuesday. Here's how the pots look before the draw, which will determine the interesting clashes of the new season:
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| A.Carraro Imoco Conegliano (ITA) | Savino Del Bene Scandicci (ITA) | Dresdner SC (GER) | Ankara Zeren Spor Kulubu (TUR) (WC) |
| Numia Vero Volley Milano (ITA) | Eczacibasi Istanbul (TUR) | Levallois Paris Saint Cloud (FRA) | TBD from qualifications |
| VakifBank Istanbul (TUR) | LKS Commercecon Lodz (POL) | OK Zeleznicar Lajkovac (SRB) | TBD from qualifications |
| Fenerbahce Medicana Istanbul (TUR) | Grot Budowlani Łódź (POL) | CV Voley Alba Blaj (ROU) | TBD from qualifications |
| Developers Resovia (POL) | SSC Palmberg Schwerin (GER) | Igor Gorgonzola Novara (ITA) (WC) | TBD from qualifications |
It is curious that Igor Gorgonzola Novara, who received a wildcard entry, was placed last in the third pot due to the withdrawal of one Ukrainian and one French club, which significantly changed the possible scenarios for the group stage draw.
🚀 Qualifications \u2014 the last chance for a place among the best
According to Official Communication \u21161, Art.7, the qualification rounds for the CEV Champions League Volley 2026 for women will be held as follows:
With 11 registered teams, the early rounds will be played in a traditional Home & Away format.
Participants will start directly from the 2nd or 3rd round, depending on the ranking of their national federations.
The four (4) winners from the 3rd round will complete the lineup for the 4th round, i.e., the Champions League group stage.
📋 Main candidates in the qualificationsTeam Country Note Maritza Plovdiv BUL OK Dinamo Zagreb CRO Olympiacos Piraeus GRE Vasas Óbuda Budapest HUN Asterix Avo Beveren BEL Janta Volej Kisela Voda MKD ŽOK Gacko RD Swisslion BIH CD Heidelberg LAS PALMAS ESP Volero LE CANNET FRA Coach: Ivan Petkov Sport LISBOA e Benfica POR OTP Banka Branik MARIBOR SLO
Match Dates:
2nd Round:21-23.10.2025 & 28-30.10.2025
3rd Round:04-06.11.2025 & 11-13.11.2025
How does the qualification system look from Maritsa's perspective?
The system for the early rounds of the Women's Champions League this year is quite specific and putsMaritsa Plovdivin a very interesting position.
🔹Here's how it will all unfold:
Four teams will be directly placed in the 2nd round of qualifications.
Another three teams - these are the representatives of Greece, North Macedonia, and Portugal (whose national federations have the lowest ranking) - will participate in a draw. This determines which will play as early as the 2nd round.
Meanwhile, one of the four better-ranked teams (Spain, Croatia, Belgium, or Bosnia and Herzegovina) will be lucky and receive a so-called "bye," i.e., will directly qualify for the 3rd round without playing matches in the 2nd.
Where does Maritsa fit in here?
After finishing again as champion of Bulgaria,Maritsa Plovdiv is among the four highest-ranked teams that will await their opponents in the 3rd round.The others are the champions of Hungary and Slovenia, as well as the French Volero LE CANNET, led by the former coach of Maritsa and the Bulgarian national team - Ivan Petkov.
Thus, the four winners from the 2nd round will face exactly these four teams. The winners of these clashes in the 3rd round will qualify for the group stage of the Champions League, where the already seeded 16 teams from the leading volleyball championships await them.
So for Maritsa, the situation is clear: the Plovdiv team will start directly from the 3rd round, where they will have to win an elimination match (in two legs - home and away) to reach the coveted groups and play against the European elite.
