Russia: Dynamo Moscow lift the Legends Cup as Lokomotiv search for rhythm ahead of the new season

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Dynamo Moscow were crowned champions of the 2026 Legends Cup after overcoming Belogorie Belgorod in a dramatic five-set final, winning 25:23, 25:20, 23:25, 22:25, 15:9.
The tournament, held in Moscow on 10 and 11 October, provided an important test for several of Russia’s leading men’s volleyball teams as they continue preparing for the new season.

Dynamo appeared to have the final under control after taking the first two sets, but Belogorie fought back to level the match and force a deciding tie-break. With the trophy on the line, the Moscow side regained its composure and took command in the fifth set. Captain Pavel Pankov’s serving run proved decisive in helping Dynamo pull away and secure the title.
Maxim Sapozhkov led Dynamo’s scoring with 22 points, while Dmitry Volkov contributed 19. For Belogorie, opposite hitter Mohamed Al Hachdadi finished with 20 points, but his efforts were not enough to prevent Dynamo from completing the comeback within the match and lifting the trophy.
The victory added the Legends Cup to Dynamo’s earlier triumph in the Spartakiad, giving the Moscow club another positive result during its preparations.
Belogorie, meanwhile, had earned its place in the final by defeating Lokomotiv Novosibirsk 3–1 in the semi-finals.
For Lokomotiv, the weekend ended on a more difficult note. Konstantinov’s team lost the semi-final to Belogorie before suffering a 3–0 defeat against Zenit-Kazan in the match for third place. The set scores — 19:25, 28:30, 20:25 — show that Lokomotiv were particularly close to extending the contest in the second set, only to lose it in the closing exchanges.
The result left Lokomotiv fourth, but Konstantinov was clear that the outcome reflected the balance of the matches.
Both Belogorie and Zenit-Kazan, he acknowledged, had deserved their victories. His assessment, however, also revealed why his team had struggled to reproduce its best volleyball.
According to the Bulgarian coach, problems began after the second stage of the group phase. Outside hitter Omar Kurbanov had been unable to train with normal jumping loads before the final four, undergoing treatment instead. As a result, he had lost some of his physical condition and match rhythm. Middle blocker Dmitry Lyzik had also been dealing with an elbow problem for around two weeks, preventing him from training normally and affecting his serve.
These difficulties were compounded by the arrival of Argentine setter Luciano De Cecco, who had completed only one training session with his new teammates before the tournament. A setter’s influence extends far beyond delivering the ball: timing, tempo and an understanding of each attacker’s preferences are central to an effective offence. Even an experienced playmaker needs time to establish those connections with a new team.
Konstantinov offered a memorable description of the adjustment process.
When De Cecco concealed the ball from the opposition, he joked, he sometimes concealed it from his own teammates as well. The remark captured both the Argentine’s ability to disguise his intentions and the challenge facing Lokomotiv’s attackers as they learn to read their new setter.
There is an important distinction between a team struggling because it lacks quality and one that has not yet had the opportunity to bring its players together consistently. Lokomotiv’s coach pointed to the latter: injuries had disrupted training, while De Cecco’s arrival introduced another element that requires repetition and mutual understanding. The task now is to restore the combinations and level of play the team had shown earlier in the competition.
Konstantinov described the Legends Cup as a useful test, even though the final standings were not what Lokomotiv had hoped for. The club’s main objectives remain the Russian Championship, the Russian Cup and the Russian Super Cup. With those competitions ahead, the priority is to get players back to full fitness and give the team enough time to develop a more consistent game.

The match for third place also offered a small but telling detail about the tournament itself. Konstantinov and Zenit-Kazan coach Alexey Verbov had reportedly pushed for the bronze-medal match to be played, although it had not originally been included in the schedule. Both coaches considered such a game valuable at this stage of the season, when teams need competitive minutes to develop their systems and build connections on court.
The Legends Cup therefore delivered more than a final ranking.
Dynamo left Moscow with the trophy and renewed momentum; Belogorie demonstrated its resilience by recovering from two sets down in the final; and Zenit-Kazan secured third place after a straight-sets win over Lokomotiv. For Konstantinov’s side, fourth place was a reminder of the work still to be done rather than a verdict on the season to come.
Pre-season tournaments can reveal weaknesses, but they also provide teams with the time and matches needed to address them. Lokomotiv’s immediate challenge is to regain its injured players’ rhythm and help De Cecco integrate into the team.
As Konstantinov’s comments make clear, the objective is not simply to find form for one weekend, but to build a side capable of competing across the season’s major competitions.

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