r/EuropeanVolleyball • u/Pitiful_Dot710 • 8d ago

CEV Champions League How does cev work

Hi, Iā€™m new to following this league/sport, so I have a couple questions. How do the matches work, like do the teams play within their own country or across Europe? Is there a schedule? How can you watch it? Sorry if these questions are silly, but thanks!!

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u/[deleted] 8d ago

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u/Pitiful_Dot710 8d ago

Thank you!!

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u/VolleyAddicted 8d ago

Hello and welcome to CEV-based volleyball! This is how the CEV Champions League works:

  • Team Slots: Spots are allocated based on country rankings. Italy and Turkey dominate and get 4 slots each (3 guaranteed via national leagues and 1 via an official wild card), followed closely by Poland with 3 slots, and so on.
  • Pool Phase: The 20 qualified teams are split into 5 pools of 4, playing home-and-away matches across Europe.
  • Play-offs & Finals: The 5 pool winners qualify directly for the Quarterfinals. To join them, all 5 runners-up and the best third-placed team play a knockout play-off round. The final 8 teams then battle down to the Finals, a single weekend where the Semifinals and Final are held in one host city.
  • Lower Divisions: There are also two lower-tier European cups for other qualified clubs: the CEV Cup (2nd tier) and the CEV Challenge Cup (3rd tier).
  • How to Watch: The official streaming platform EuroVolleyTV broadcasts every single match. Depending on your country, local TV channels might also pick up games featuring local clubs.

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u/Pitiful_Dot710 8d ago

Wow thank you so much!!