Exciting starts and close matches kick off the #CLVolleyW Season

The CEV ZEREN Group Champions League Volley 2026 Women has kicked off its first round of qualification, bringing together clubs from across Europe in a high-stakes, two-legged format where every point counts.

In Athens, AEK Athens opened their campaign at home against GŽOK Srem Sremska Mitrovica of Serbia. The visitors found it difficult to settle, with AEK controlling play throughout to take a straight-sets win. The Greek side will now aim to finish the job when they meet again in the return leg.

Meanwhile, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, ŽOK Gacko RD Swisslion hosted North Macedonia’s Janta Volej Kisela Voda in a fiercely contested battle. After a grueling five-set match, Janta Volej Kisela Voda emerged with a narrow 3–2 win, giving them a slight edge ahead of the second encounter.

Portuguese champions Sport Lisboa e Benfica started their campaign strongly with a win over CD Heidelberg Las Palmas of Spain. Veronika Dokic was named MVP of the Match after an impressive all-around display that helped Benfica stay in control at key moments.

In another match played in Greece, Olympiacos Piraeus met Asterix Avo Beveren of Belgium at the Melina Merkouri Rentis Hall. Backed by their home crowd, Olympiacos delivered a clear 3–0 victory and will now travel to Belgium looking to complete their qualification.

The second legs will decide which teams progress to the next round of the #CLVolleyW 2026, where the top clubs in Europe await.