Russia moves closer to a return to European volleyball

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Russian volleyball is moving another step closer to a return to European competition.

During the CEV General Assembly in Milan, the CEV Board of Administration confirmed that the decision taken by the FIVB regarding the return of Russian national teams and officials also applies to competitions for national teams organised under the European confederation.
The decision marks a significant change after more than four years of exclusion from CEV competitions.
However, it does not yet represent a complete return of Russian volleyball to the European club scene. The national teams and the clubs are being treated as two separate matters, and no decision has yet been announced on the participation of Russian clubs in European competitions.

According to the information released following the CEV meeting, the governing body still has to establish the specific procedures and organisational mechanisms required to implement the decision. Those details will subsequently have to be submitted to the CEV Board of Administration for approval.
The practical consequences are nevertheless already becoming clearer. At international level, the FIVB confirmed in August that both the Russian men’s and women’s national teams will participate in the 2027 Volleyball Nations League as the highest-ranked teams not yet qualified for the competition. To accommodate their return, the VNL will temporarily expand from 18 to 19 teams per gender in 2027.
Russia will therefore return to the VNL, although its men’s national team will not participate in the 2027 FIVB World Championship after the Russian Volleyball Federation formally notified the FIVB that it would not enter the tournament. The FIVB has also said that it is continuing to examine the possible participation of the Russian women’s team at the 2027 Women’s World Championship.

The European decision also extends beyond indoor volleyball. The CEV’s national-team framework covers both indoor and beach volleyball, meaning Russian representatives will be able to return to competitions under the European confederation once the necessary implementation procedures are completed.

For the Russian Volleyball Federation, the next objective is therefore clear: turning the principle of readmission into concrete sporting and organisational arrangements. Federation president Stanislav Shevchenko welcomed the CEV decision and said that Russia is waiting for the final procedures governing its return, while also raising the issue of Russian clubs eventually returning to European competition.

That second step, however, remains open.

Russian and Belarusian national teams, clubs, officials and beach and snow volleyball athletes were declared ineligible for CEV competitions in March 2022, following the decision taken by the European confederation after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
That exclusion remained in force until the latest developments.

The FIVB’s decision earlier in 2026 created the broader framework for the return of Russian national teams to world competitions. In July, the international federation announced a roadmap for the reintegration of Russian athletes and technical officials, followed by the confirmation in August that the national teams would enter the 2027 VNL.
The implications also extend into the next Olympic cycle.
The qualification system for Los Angeles 2028 is based on continental championships, the 2027 World Championships and the FIVB World Ranking at the end of the 2028 VNL preliminary phase. Russia’s return to international competition therefore potentially places its national teams back into the sporting pathway towards the next Olympic Games, subject to the applicable qualification rules and eligibility procedures.
For European volleyball, though, the immediate question is much closer to home.

When and under what conditions will Russian clubs return to the CEV Champions League, CEV Cup or Challenge Cup?
That answer has not yet been given.
For now, the picture is therefore clear: the Russian national teams are moving back into the international and European competition structure, with the 2027 VNL already confirmed, while the return of Russian clubs to European competitions remains a separate decision still to be made.
After more than four years away, Russian volleyball is returning to the international court — but the European club chapter has not yet been written.

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