The 26 clubs who will partake in the Women’s 2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League were released with 12 teams automatically heading to the 4th round and the other 14 whittling themselves down to an eventual four for a 16-team fourth round.
The 12 who will await their opponents are as follow:
- Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL (TUR)
- Galatasaray SK ISTANBUL (TUR)
- Dinamo MOSCOW (RUS)
- Dinamo KAZAN (RUS)
- Chemik POLICE (POL)
- Grot Budowlani LODZ (POL)
- Volero ZÜRICH (SUI)
- Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA (ITA)
- ASPTT MULHOUSE VB (FRA)
- CSM Alba Volei BLAJ (ROU)
- Agel PROSTEJOV (CZE)
- Vizura BEOGRAD (SRB)
Dinamo Moscow had the best 2017 finish of that current 12-team group when they were fourth in the previous Champions League. Although they haven’t won the event since the club was re-established in 2004, they won 11 CEV Volleyball Champions League titles from 1960-1977 before dissolving in 1992.
Looking to challenge the 12 automatically in the 4th round will be the four who can make it out of the 2nd and 3rd rounds. Those rounds will feature 14 different clubs:
- VakifBank ISTANBUL (TUR)
- Yenisei KRASNOYARSK (RUS)*
- Developres SkyRes RZESZOW (POL)*
- Imoco Volley CONEGLIANO (ITA)
- Rocheville LE CANNET (FRA)
- Asterix Avo BEVEREN (BEL)*
- LP SALO (FIN)
- Nova KBM Branik MARIBOR (SLO)*
- Hapoel KFAR SABA (ISR)*
- SLIEDRECHT Sport (NED)*
- Linamar BÉKÉSCSABAI RSE (HUN)
- Minchanka MINSK (BLR)
- ZOK Bimal-Jedinstvo BRCKO (BIH)
- Maritza PLOVDIV (BUL)
The * represents teams making their first appearance in CEV Volleyball Champions League
Six clubs will appear for the first time in their team history. VakifBank Istanbul is the most established as they were the most recent winners of the event. Only Dinamo Moscow and VakifBank Istanbul have won multiple titles. Fenerbahce is the only other club who has been crowned of the 26-team group, when they did so in 2011-2012.
Of the 26 teams, 18 different countries will be represented. Half of them will be from Turkey, Russia, Poland, Italy and France, while the other 13 are made up from 13 separate nations.
| Country | Teams |
| Turkey | 3 |
| Russia | 3 |
| Poland | 3 |
| Italy | 2 |
| France | 2 |
| Switzerland | 1 |
| Romania | 1 |
| Czech Republic | 1 |
| Serbia | 1 |
| Belgium | 1 |
| Finland | 1 |
| Slovakia | 1 |
| Israel | 1 |
| Netherlands | 1 |
| Hungary | 1 |
| Belarus | 1 |
| Bosnia & Herzegovina | 1 |
| Bulgaria | 1 |
Matches for the 2nd round will start in October as the Champions League will work down from 26 to 16. After the 4th round, six playoff teams will battle it out to make the Final Four. That will conclude the tournament in late April.
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