SuperLega 2026-27: Verona and Lube open the season as Italy’s volleyball elite returns

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The wait is almost over.
Italy’s SuperLega Credem Banca returns on Saturday, October 17, when Rana Verona host Cucine Lube Civitanova at 18:00 local time in the opening match of the 2026/27 season.
Two teams with ambitions of challenging for the biggest domestic honours will have the privilege of getting the 82nd edition of the Italian men’s championship underway, setting the stage for another season of elite volleyball.

Widely regarded as one of the strongest national leagues in the world, the SuperLega once again brings together leading international players, established champions and some of the most promising young talents in the game.
The regular season will feature 12 teams competing in a double round-robin format, with each side facing every opponent both at home and away across 22 rounds. The top eight teams at the halfway point, after 11 rounds, will qualify for the quarterfinals of the Del Monte Coppa Italia, while the eight best sides at the end of the regular season will advance to the championship playoffs.
The title will be decided through best-of-five series in the quarterfinals, semifinals and final. The higher-ranked team will enjoy home advantage in the first and third matches, as well as the decisive fifth game if necessary. Depending on the length of the final series, the new Italian champions will be crowned on May 5, 8 or 11.
One of the biggest changes this season concerns the fight to avoid relegation.
A new playout phase will involve either the bottom three or four teams, depending on the points gap between ninth and 12th place.
The teams involved will compete in a home-and-away double round-robin format, starting with bonus points determined by their regular-season positions. At the end of the playouts, the team finishing last will be relegated to the second division, Serie A2.
European qualification will provide another incentive throughout the campaign.
Alongside the places available in the CEV Champions League and CEV Cup, a dedicated playoff route will determine Italy’s representative in the CEV Challenge Cup.
The format will depend on whether the regular-season winners, who qualify automatically for the Champions League, progress beyond the quarterfinals of the championship playoffs.

Defending champions Sir Susa Scai Perugia begin the campaign among the leading favourites after an extraordinary previous season. Having won the Italian championship, the European title and the Club World Championship, they also lifted the Italian Super Cup, establishing themselves as the team everyone will want to beat.
Setter Simone Giannelli remains the central figure in a roster built around Ukrainian outside hitter Oleh Plotnytskyi, Polish outside hitter Kamil Semeniuk and Argentine middle blockers Agustín Loser and Sebastián Solé. Perugia have strengthened their options further with the arrival of Belgian opposite Ferre Reggers from Milano and French outside hitter Mathis Henno, adding even more firepower and potential to an already formidable squad.
Cucine Lube Civitanova, last season’s runners-up, will be determined to go one step further. Bulgarian outside hitter Aleksandar Nikolov, the SuperLega’s leading scorer in 2025/26, remains one of the team’s principal weapons, but the arrival of his younger brother, setter Simeon Nikolov, is one of the most intriguing developments of the new campaign. The highly rated setter will have an immediate opportunity to demonstrate his talent on one of the biggest stages in club volleyball.
Lube can also count on outside hitters Mattia Bottolo and Canadian Eric Loeppky, middle blockers Giovanni Gargiulo and Canadian Jackson Howe, and experienced libero Fabio Balaso. With Aleksandar’s attacking power complemented by Simeon’s creativity, the Civitanova side have every reason to believe they can challenge Perugia for the title.
Saturday’s opponents, Rana Verona, will have similar ambitions after finishing third last season and winning the Coppa Italia for the first time in their history. Their most spectacular addition is Norwegian beach volleyball star Anders Mol, the Olympic champion embarking on a rare transition from the sand to the indoor court.
He is expected to compete for the opposite position alongside Austrian newcomer Paul Buchegger, who finished last season as the SuperLega’s best server. Verona have also retained several important members of their squad, including American setter Micah Christenson, Slovenian outside hitter Rok Možič, Malian outside hitter Noumory Keita and middle blocker Lorenzo Cortesia. The arrival of experienced middle Simone Anzani adds further depth to a team eager to turn last season’s progress into an even bigger achievement.
Itas Trentino Trento will also be looking to return to the title race. They spent much of last season living up to their status as one of the leading contenders, only for injuries to undermine their ambitions at crucial moments. Their returning core includes setter Riccardo Sbertoli, outside hitters Alessandro Michieletto and Daniele Lavia, libero Gabriele Laurenzano, Brazilian middle blocker Flávio Gualberto and French opposite Théo Faure. Serbian middle blocker Aleksandar Nedeljković and Brazilian outside hitter Adriano Xavier Cavalcante are among the notable arrivals expected to strengthen the team.
Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza have retained the setter-opposite partnership of Paolo Porro and Alessandro Bovolenta, alongside middle blocker Gianluca Galassi and Cuban outside hitter José Gutierrez. American attacker Cooper Robinson and Canadian middle blocker Merrick McHenry join the roster as Piacenza look to establish themselves among the leading challengers.
Valsa Group Modena have also made significant changes, bringing in middle blocker Roberto Russo, American outside hitter Thomas Jaeschke, Brazilian outside hitter Arthur Bento and Slovenian opposite Nik Mujanović. They will join a squad that still features outside hitter Luca Porro, French setter Amir Tizi-Oualou and Australian libero Luke Perry, who finished last season as the league’s best digger and receiver.
At Allianz Milano, the arrival of Cuban middle blocker Robertlandy Simon and setter Santiago Orduna brings considerable experience and international pedigree. Vero Volley Monza have added Bulgarian middle blocker Iliya Petkov, who will join Thomas Beretta, the SuperLega’s best blocker last season, in the middle of the net.
Elsewhere, Padova have strengthened their attacking options with Iranian opposite Amir Mohammad Golzadeh, while Cisterna will be looking to give French teenage outside hitter Noa Duflos-Rossi an opportunity to continue his development. Iranian outside hitter Poriya Khanzadeh is expected to play a leading role for Cuneo, who will compete under the new name Acqua Sant’Anna Cuneo. Padova will likewise use their updated competition name, Pallavolo Padova, after previously playing as Sonepar Padova.
The league will also welcome a newcomer: Tinet Prata di Pordenone earned promotion from the second division, replacing relegated Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina among Italy’s 12 top-flight clubs. The promoted side have made their ambitions clear with the signings of Russian opposite Kirill Klets, Belgian middle blocker Wout D’Heer, Brazilian outside hitter Lukas Bergmann and Finnish outside hitter Nooa Marttila.
The complete lineup also includes Cisterna Volley, Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza, Itas Trentino Trento, Rana Verona, Sir Susa Scai Perugia, Cucine Lube Civitanova, Allianz Milano, Vero Volley Monza, Valsa Group Modena, Pallavolo Padova Padua, Acqua Sant’Anna Cuneo and Tinet Prata di Pordenone.
With Perugia aiming to maintain their dominance, Lube determined to return to the summit, Verona building on their first Coppa Italia triumph and Trentino hoping to put last season’s injury problems behind them, the championship promises an intense battle at the top. The new arrivals across the league add further intrigue, from the emergence of young talents such as Simeon Nikolov to the unusual indoor adventure awaiting Anders Mol.

The first answer will come on Saturday in Verona, where the new SuperLega season begins with a clash between two ambitious teams and a long campaign of challenges, rivalries and title aspirations ahead.

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