2026 CEV Champions League October pool stage overview

The 2026 CEV Champions League early rounds begin on 20/10/2026. This stage lasts until 26/11/2026. I see the competition moves to the 4th round between 08/12/2026 and 17/02/2027. Then the playoffs occur from 02/03/2027 to 11/03/2027. The quarterfinals follow from 23/03/2027 to 01/04/2027. The season concludes with the Final Four between 15/05/2027 and 16/05/2027. This competition brings together top clubs from across Europe. The early rounds allow teams to establish their footing before the higher-ranked teams enter the tournament later in the year.

Zehra Gunes and VakifBank

VakifBank Istanbul relies on Zehra Gunes as captain. She is 27 years old, stands 198 cm tall, and has played for VakifBank since she was 12. During her career, she played for Istanbul BBSK from 2014 to 2015 and Besiktas J.K. from 2016 to 2017. She won the Best Middle Blocker title at the 2023 FIVB Nations League and the 2023 FIVB Club World Championship. She also represented Turkey in the 2026 FIVB Nations League and the 2026 European Championships. She manages heavy social media criticism and mental health pressure. She tells people she ignores negativity to succeed on the court. She also focuses on her recovery from an injury to give her teammates her full energy. In her home city of Istanbul, she discusses her journey and the value of loyalty with Bruno in her favorite neighborhood, Cukurcuma. She enjoys cooking and adventure away from the court. Her sisters, Irem Nur Gunes and Mina Gunes, also pursue volleyball careers. She expressed her admiration for former players Melis Gurkaynak and Gozde Kirdar, who both played major roles in the history of VakifBank, and she hopes to follow their legacy one day. This middle blocker has a spike of 320 cm and a block of 310 cm.

Competition and results

The competitive nature of the pool stage becomes clear when looking at past results. In a 2022/23 match, Cucine Lube Civitanova defeated Sport Lisboa e Benfica 3-2 with sets of 23:25, 21:25, 25:19, 25:22, and 15:13. Another match that year saw Tours VB beat Knack Roeselare 3-0 with scores of 25:20, 20:25, 22:25, 13:25, and 25:17. Cucine Lube Civitanova took first place in the 2022/23 Pool C standings with 16 points. Tours VB finished second with 10 points. Knack Roeselare took third with 8 points, leaving Sport Lisboa e Benfica in fourth with 2 points. In the 2025/26 men’s pool stage, Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie finished first with 15 points. Asseco Resovia Rzeszow finished second with 9 points. SVG Luneburg and Sporting CP Lisboa both earned 6 points. In the 2025/26 men’s Pool D, Asseco Resovia Rzeszow defeated SVG Luneburg 3-0 with sets of 25:14, 25:15, and 25:19.

You should watch how the current teams manage their points to avoid elimination. I find the intense pressure on players like Gunes quite difficult to monitor. Will the women’s teams replicate the point totals seen in these men’s pools? Watch the upcoming pool matches to see which teams advance to the next stages of the European season.