Perugia Head to Poland to Defend, but the 2026 Club World Championship Opens the Door for Newcomers

I remember that late December night last year, sitting in front of the screen with a long-empty glass of beer, the roar of Italian fans pouring through my computer speakers like a wave. Perugia stood on the podium, the players embraced, and I suddenly recalled the feeling at Lach Tray — the feeling when a collective turns itself into legend in just a few short minutes. That night I wrote one line in my notebook: world club volleyball is turning a new page.

Now, as FIVB announces the eight-team field for the 2026 Men's Club World Championship in Poland, I open that notebook and see the new page has arrived. I went to Moscow to record a press conference and came back with a new friends list — and this time, though I am not flying to Poland, I can still smell a tournament in transformation.

Context

Perugia return as reigning champions, having just won the CEV Champions League. Sada Cruzeiro — the Brazilian club with five world titles — remain, like an old tree that refuses to fall. Beside them are names that made me sit up straight: Ziraat of Turkey, Jakarta Bhayangkara Presisi of Indonesia, Foolad Sirjan Iranian of Iran, Vôlei Renata of Brazil, Al Ahly of Egypt. Eight teams, four continents, one host nation: Poland.

The name Jakarta Bhayangkara Presisi made me pause longest. This is the first time an Indonesian men's club has won the Asian continental title, and also the first time they step onto the world stage. With more than five thousand viewers watching three former national players on livestream, I am no longer alone — and I understand the feeling of a growing volleyball nation: they are not here to make up the numbers, they are here to be seen. A 60-year-old fan can still run 100 metres after a goal, and that is me; I see myself in those Indonesian fans preparing for a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

Analysis

Looking at the list, I see three clear tiers. The top tier is Perugia, with a squad packed with international stars — Oleh Plotnytskyi, Simone Giannelli — players who have proven they know how to hit the ball at the decisive moment. The middle tier is Sada Cruzeiro, Vôlei Renata, Al Ahly, Foolad Sirjan: experienced enough to cause trouble but not consistent enough to be guaranteed a final. The bottom tier is the two debutants Ziraat and Jakarta, who will learn through their own sweat.

The format matters. With eight teams split into two groups then semifinals, the reward goes to consistency, not luck. A team that wins on one brilliant night can go far, but to be champions they must hold rhythm across three consecutive matches. That is why the experience of Perugia and Sada Cruzeiro is worth more than any record printed on paper.

There is something the list does not say, and I think it is the real story: geography. Poland sits at the centre of Europe. Perugia flies a few hours. Ziraat flies a few hours. But Jakarta, Foolad Sirjan, Sada Cruzeiro, Al Ahly must cross half the globe, shift time zones, shift their body clocks. In volleyball, where every step and every jump relies on bodily feel, jet lag is not a small detail. It is part of the match, only no one records it in the scoresheet.

I also noticed something else. There is no Polish team on the list. A host nation with no representative on court is rare, and from my experience following tournaments, the chance of a wild card being added later is entirely possible. FIVB made clear that ticketing and schedule information will follow. With a tournament running two consecutive years in the same country, I believe the organisers are holding a few cards close to their chest.

Contrarian Angle

This is where I want to be blunt. People praise the Club World Championship as the stage of champions, a gathering of the elite. But look closely, and it is also a carefully staged commercial theatre. FIVB signed a multi-year deal with Poland — 2026 then 2027 — meaning they chose a stable destination, a market with volleyball tradition, an arena guaranteed to sell out. That is good for the tournament, good for the sport's image. But it also means: non-European teams are playing away in the truest sense, every year, without fail.

And here is the trap I have seen at many tournaments. Big European clubs, with packed Serie A schedules, rotate constantly. They can rest key players in the group stage to save energy for the knockout phase. Meanwhile a team like Jakarta or Ziraat, arriving with a once-in-a-lifetime mindset, will throw everything into the first match. That imbalance of motivation never shows on the scoreboard, but it decides a great deal. Sometimes the one who comes with everything beats the one who comes with half. Sometimes the reverse.

One more thing. I have followed big clubs long enough to know that load management is not science, it is the art of concealment. When a star like Giannelli misses a meaningless league match, the press release says mild muscle strain. But insiders understand: that is how you protect a piece for a bigger tournament. World Cup, Olympics, now the Club World Championship. Coaches calculate like chess players, only they do not say so. Beer with Brazilian colleagues, asking a junior colleague for the recording the next morning — I learned this from nights exactly like that.

Takeaway

That late December night, I watched Perugia win and did not know that a year later I would write about them at a more expanded tournament. At 60 I still think I am the girl jumping on the Lach Tray stands, and every new tournament is another chance to relearn that volleyball does not only live on continents with tradition. It is growing in Indonesia, in Iran, in Egypt. Poland this December will be where that becomes clearest. I have already marked the calendar, even if only to sit at home and shout alone, because I believe a wild card for the host will still appear. When global volleyball chooses to open its doors, the ultimate winner is always the viewer — and at this age, I still prefer being the viewer over any other role.