These measures follow the abrupt end to the last competitive season due to the outbreak of the pandemic, with the majority of the member Federations unable to finish their respective national leagues, and thus ‘freezing’ the relevant standings as per the last round of actual competition, without any knockout or playoff phase.
In terms of participation in the 2021 edition of the CEV Champions League Volley, the BoA agreed upon the following:
- National Federations will still register their teams as per the relevant Ranking List published earlier this year and available here
- In addition to filling the slots defined by the European Ranking, National Federations will exceptionally be able to register one extra team per gender. This team will start their campaign from the 1st-3rd Rounds, with the eligibility criteria including participation in two of the last three editions of the CEV Champions League and a top-five finish in the respective national league. In the allocation of these extra slots, the order of priority will reflect the relevant European Ranking.
- As usual, the 4th Round will feature 20 teams per gender. If there is a vacancy due to non-registration of one or more teams by the respective National Federation, additional teams will qualify from the early rounds in order to complete the list of 20 clubs due to contest the 4th Round.
The CEV Board of Administration approved a tentative calendar for the 2021 European Cups:
this remains obviously subject to change depending on the evolution of the pandemic across Europe. The Drawing of Lots for all three European Cups is due to take place in the second half of August in Luxembourg, with further information to follow in due course.
In principle, the 1st-3rd Round will consist of home and away matches, however single round-robin tournaments may take place in the 1st and 2nd Round of the competition as well depending on the number of registered teams. The format of the subsequent rounds does not change, with a double round-robin planned for the 4th Round, followed by home and away matches in the quarterfinals and semi-finals before the competition reaches its climax with the Super Finals at one single venue for both men and women.
Moreover, the BoA approved a contingency plan and a series of measures should teams find themselves unable to travel or to host matches. For the 1st-3rd Rounds, these include the possibility of holding home and away matches at the same venue and forfeit by a team, which would subsequently move directly to the CEV Cup. As for the 4th Round, the CEV has devised a number of scenarios, such as forfeit due to force majeure, switching from home and away matches to tournaments as well as the possibility to ‘freeze’ the pool standing according to the results of the matches played until any sort of disruption to the actual schedule.