Today at the CEV headquarters in Luxembourg, the draws for the 2026/27 edition of the CEV Champions League were staged: Antonio Carraro Prosecco DOC Imoco Volley, was in the first pot and “drew” from the Luxembourg urn in Group B two teams already met last year in the pool, the Polish Resovia, the German Dresden and an Italian team for a derby with Igor Gorgonzola Novara.
Formula: there will always be five groups as in the last editions, with direct promotion to the quarterfinals for the first classified and a barrage between the second and the best third to decree the other three qualified for the quarterfinals with a two-legged match and a possible golden set at the end of the second match. The epilogue with the Final Four that will decree the 2024 European champion club.
Dates: it starts 24/25/26 November at home with Igor Novara, then two games away 1/2/3 December in Germany in Dresden and 15/16/17 December in Resovia (Pol); the second round begins at home on 12/13/14 January 2027 at Palaverde with Dresden, then away on 26/27/28 January at PalaIgor in Novara, and the third and last match on 3 February at home with Resovia. Barrage round of 16/17/18 February and second leg 23/24/25 February, Quarterfinals 9/10/11 March and 16/17/18 March.1 and 2 May the Final Four in Istanbul.
The opponents: the Polish Resovia are the most recurring opponents of recent years, 8 previous matches with all yellow-blue victories. Dresden, on the other hand, was an opponent last year in the group, with two victories for coach Santarelli’s team. With Novara, historical rival of the Panthers, there is an illustrious precedent in the SuperFinal of Berlin 2019 with victory of the Piedmontese, a Champions League semifinal in 2021 with a double victory of the A. Carraro Prosecco DOC and two matches in the 2017/18 group stage with one win on each side.
COMMENT BY COACH DANIELE SANTARELLI – “Destiny is strange, facing Resovia so many times in a few years is quite incredible, however the rosters have changed and we will have to study the new set-up of the Poles and the other teams competing in the group. We know the value of a team like Novara that we know and with the changes in the roster it will still be a very strong team. It’s nice that there are strong teams that raise the level of competition, I see the two Italian favorites with the other two teams in the role of loose cannons that can be a nuisance in the group. I think the Germans and Poles will set up interesting rosters, perhaps not of the highest level, but by now they are clubs used to the Champions League and able to bother anyone. A very interesting Champions League awaits us, we want to go a long way and I am convinced that we can do well, starting from this initial round.”
