CEV Cup (EU) 2025/26

The CEV Cup is the second-tier official men's volleyball club competition in Europe, organized by the European Volleyball Confederation (CEV). It sits below the CEV Champions League (Tier 1) and above the CEV Challenge Cup (Tier 3). The competition was founded in 1980, with the first season being 1980–81. It is important to note a significant historical rebranding: the original CEV Cup (1980–2007) was renamed the CEV Challenge Cup starting in the 2007–08 season. The name "CEV Cup" was subsequently reassigned to the second-tier competition, which previously operated under the names CEV Cup Winners' Cup (1972–2000) and CEV Top Teams Cup (2000–2007). The current iteration of the CEV Cup (post-2007) is the direct successor to the Top Teams Cup in the hierarchy.

The format for the current season involves 32 teams in the main phase. There are no group stages; the competition proceeds directly into a knockout bracket starting with the Round of 32, followed by the Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and the Final. All rounds, including the Final, are played as two-legged ties (home and away). In the event of a 1-1 split in legs, the winner is determined by a "Golden Set" (a single decisive set to 15 points), a rule introduced in 2026 to replace the previous aggregate point system.

Qualification is primarily based on national league performance. Teams that fail to qualify for the CEV Champions League often "drop down" into the CEV Cup from the Champions League qualification rounds or early stages. Specific entry criteria vary by season and country ranking, but the competition serves as a crucial pathway for strong European clubs not in the top tier.

The most successful clubs in the history of the competition (counting all iterations: Winners' Cup, Top Teams Cup, and current CEV Cup) are Modena Volley (Italy) and Dynamo Moscow (Russia), each with 4 titles. Other notable winners include Piemonte Volley (3 titles), Elektrotechnika Riga (3 titles), and Pallavolo Parma (3 titles). The current holder (2025–26) is Gas Sales Piacenza (Italy). Recent winners include Ziraat Bank Ankara (2024–25), Asseco Resovia (2023–24), and Valsa Group Modena (2022–23).