The European Volleyball Confederation (CEV) has officially confirmed that, until further notice, no matches from its tournaments will be held on the territory of Israel. This was made clear in a written response from the CEV press office to our editorial team, sent after an inquiry regarding the situation surrounding the upcoming match between Neftochimic Burgas and Maccabi Tel Aviv in the CEV Challenge Cup.
The European headquarters clarify that the decision was made after a meeting of the CEV Executive Committee, held earlier this month. The main motive for the measure is to guarantee the safety of all participants – players, coaching staff, and officials. CEV emphasizes that the decision is temporary and will remain in effect until conditions for the safe return of international volleyball to Israel are secured.
In the same decision, the Executive Committee provided a framework for CEV to act as a go-between and mediator in organizing matches involving Israeli teams. In full compliance with CEV regulations and with the aim of preserving the integrity and fairness of the competition, it was decided that the clash would take place as a single decisive "winner-takes-all" match in Burgas.
According to CEV's position, this option aligns with the established international calendar and the competition windows for playing the away matches of the CEV Challenge Cup 1/16-finals, as well as the calendar of European club tournaments for 2026. This avoids further program disruption and ensures equality between the teams.
The European headquarters also remind that this is not the first time such a decision has been made. A precedent also exists in the playoffs of the CEV Champions League Volley 2023, when the winner between BERLIN Recycling Volleys and Ziraat Bank ANKARA was determined in a single match, which decided which of the two teams would qualify for the tournament's quarter-finals.
In this way, CEV once again emphasizes that in extraordinary circumstances, the safety of participants and strict adherence to regulations remain a priority, with each situation being considered individually within the framework of the international volleyball calendar.
In the previous round of the CEV Challenge Cup, VC Neftochimic achieved a convincing success, eliminating the Swiss Chenois Geneva after two victories with 3:0 and 3:1, thus securing its place in the 1/16-finals of the tournament. The Burgas team thus kept its chances of advancing in the European competition and will have the opportunity to decide everything in front of its home crowd. On January 7, at 20:00 in "Boycho Brynzov" hall, Neftochimic will play a decisive match against Maccabi, in which the winner will qualify for the 1/8-finals. In the next phase, the winner of the match will face the better team from the pair between Greek Foinikas Syros and French Chaumont, led by Silvano Prandi.
