#CLVolleyM tips off with 12 teams at the start of the 1st round

The journey to the 2026 CEV Champions League Men 4th round begins this week as 12 contenders from across Europe enter the 1st round, aiming to seal their spot in the pools of the world’s most prestigious club competition. 

The opening fixtures promise intense international clashes, full of anticipation and ambition as teams from Austria, Finland, Azerbaijan, Serbia, North Macedonia, Romania, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Hungary, and Spain seek to move closer to volleyball’s elite level.

Austrian champions TSV Raiffeisen Hartberg will make their debut appearance on the biggest European stage when they meet Akaa Volley of Finland. Akaa will hope to take something from Finland’s inspiring performance in the CEV Golden League Men fantastic path, when they won the title this summer for the first time in history.

In another exciting pairing, Azerbaijani powerhouse Azerrail Baku will host Radnički Kragujevac from Serbia. Azerrail boast a tradition of strong home performances, while Radnički are back in the competition for the first time since the 2010/11 season, when they featured in the 4th round.

The tie between OK Strumica of North Macedonia and Romania’s Dinamo București looks to have a certain favourite, the Romanian side, which is also coming back after a long time in the European premium competition, ending a 30-year wait. Dinamo, a 19-time champion of Romania, also secured their maiden title in 30 years last season.

Dutch champions Orion Stars Doetinchem face Slovenia’s perennial contender ACH Volley Ljubljana, one of the strongest clubs entering from the qualification phase. ACH Volley have played in the 4th round of the CEV Champions League Men in the last three editions, but never made it to the play-offs, finishing third in their pool in the previous season.

Olympiacos Piraeus, a team which made the quarter-finals last season and even won the first match of the doubleheader against Jastrzębski Węgiel, will start once again from the 1st round, as their path towards the top eight teams last season also required a lot of heavy lifting in the first rounds. The Greek side has kept their core intact and will be overhwleming favourites against Bosnian side Napredak Ozdak, with Aleksandar Atanasijević, Mitar Tsourits or John Gordon Perrin still in the squad.

Rounding off the round, Hungary’s MÁV Foxconn Székesfehérvár take on Spain’s Guaguas Las Palmas, with both clubs representing countries steadily rising on the European stage. Guaguas’ experience in CEV competitions may prove decisive, but Székesfehérvár’s ambition and home-court advantage could spark a surprise.

The first legs of the doubleheaders will take place on 21, 22 and 23 October, with the return legs one week later. The winners of the six ties will head for the 2nd round, where Croatian side Mursa Osijek and Bulgarian side Levski Sofia await.