Fino KAPOSVAR poised to make fourth appearance in #CLVolleyM early rounds

Hungary’s Fino KAPOSVAR are just about to make their fourth appearance in the early rounds of the elite CEV Champions League. They do so this coming Wednesday with a home match versus the reigning national champions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, OK Napredak ODŽAK. 

The club made its debut in the 2020/2021 season, but its campaign was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first qualifying round, a tournament was held in Zagreb, where Fino defeated Albania’s Erzeni SHIJAKUT in both matches. However, they were unable to face hosts Mladost ZAGREB, as the Croatian side withdrew due to COVID-19 cases within the team. In the second qualifying round, Fino were drawn alongside Poland’s JASTRZEBSKI Węgiel and Romania’s C.S.M. Arcada GALATI. This time, however, the Hungarian side were forced to withdraw due to a COVID-19 case within the team.

Fino made their second Champions League appearance in the 2023/2024 season. The qualifying rounds were once again played in a tournament format. In the first round, Fino were drawn alongside Montenegro’s Budva, North Macedonia’s Strumica and Bulgaria’s Neftochimic BURGAS, with the Bulgarian side hosting the tournament. Fino opened the tournament with a 3-1 victory over Budva before suffering a 0-3 defeat against group favourites BURGAS. They then beat OK Strumica 3-0, keeping their hopes of progressing to the next round alive. However, in the final match of the tournament, BURGAS surprisingly lost 0-3 to Budva. As a result, the Montenegrin side advanced alongside the Bulgarian team, while Fino were eliminated in the first qualifying round.

One year later, in the 2024/2025 season, the Champions League qualifiers were played in a traditional home-and-away format. Fino were drawn against Austrian champions Hypo Tirol INNSBRUCK, who eliminated the Hungarian side with two 3-0 victories.

There were no major changes to Fino KAPOSVAR’s roster during the summer, with most of the team that won the Hungarian championship in the 2025/2026 season staying together. Four players left the club though: Venezuelan international Amilcar Herrera, Russia’s Stepan Novoselov, who departed after three seasons with the team, Romania’s Alin Ion, and one of the team’s key players, Czech opposite Matej Smidl. Four new players arrived to replace them – three Americans and one Hungarian. The 22-year-old Bryce Wetjen joined Fino after playing college Volleyball in the United States last season with McKendree University. Connor Campbell is entering his third season in Europe, having previously played in Switzerland and Sweden. Before moving to Europe, he played college Volleyball at the University of California, Irvine alongside Fino’s other American player, Maxim Grigoriev. Jacob Steele was the top scorer in the French second division last season and had previously played for clubs in Denmark, Serbia and Japan. The fourth newcomer is 17-year-old Hungarian youth international Benjámin Király, who joined Fino from Kecskemét following their relegation from the Hungarian top division.

Zoran Kedačič, head coach of Fino KAPOSVAR: “I am thrilled that we are back in the world’s most prestigious club competition. A crucial period lies ahead of us, and motivation is incredibly high as we enter the qualification stage to compete against fellow national champions. Having been part of this great competition with my two previous clubs – both in the group stage and through the qualification rounds – I know firsthand how special it is. It consistently demands the highest level of Volleyball your team can produce and represents the pinnacle for players to compete in. We simply cannot wait to get started.”