Best Volleyball Leagues in 2024. Men’s and Women’s Volleyball Competitions, Histories, and Teams
The volleyball roots date back to 1895 when Holyoke city in Massachusetts was the first city to organize a game of this sport. Nevertheless, the first nation outside the United States to embrace volleyball was the country of Canada in 1900. An international volleyball federation, the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), was established in 1947, and the first World Championships took place in 1949 and 1952.
• Men Volleyball World Championship – 1949
• Women Volleyball World Championship – 1952
The sport is popular in South and North America, Asia, and Europe. For instance, since the late 1980s, Italy, the Netherlands, and Eastern Europe have been the most badass volleyball countries.
Best Volleyball Leagues in 2024 – Men
Here, we will glance at the best men’s volleyball leagues in 2024.
Best Volleyball Leagues in 2024 – Brazilian Men’s Volleyball Superliga
The Brazilian Superliga is one of the best men’s volleyball leagues. The establishment date of the Brazilian Superliga is 1976. The league consists of 12 teams, and squads like these participate in the Brazilian Superliga:
• Sada Cruzeiro
• Farma Conde São José
• Sesi-SP
• Vôlei Guarulhos
• Joinville Volei
• Minas
• Araguari Volei
• Suzano Esporte Clube
• Vôlei Renata
• Blumenau Vôlei
• Monte Carmelo/Gabarito
• Montes Claros
The current champion of the league is Sada Cruzeiro, and it was their and Brazil’s record title – eight. The number of partaking clubs changes every year. The winner qualifies for the South American Championship.
Best Volleyball Leagues in 2024 – Italian Men’s Volleyball SuperLega
It is one of the oldest competitions in the world – the date of the establishment of the first volleyball tournament in Italy is 1946. Since the early 1980s, many high-level volleyballers played in the Italian SuperLega. The level of competition is indeed high, and this league is widely considered the best league in the world. The league has the same number of teams as the Brazilian Superliga – 12.
• Trentino
• Perugia
• Piacenza
• Lube
• Verona
• Milano
• Monza
• Modena
• Cisterna
• Padova
• Taranto
• Catania
The current winner of the SuperLega is Itas Trentino. During the decades, the Italian tournament had a few names – Serie A between 1946 and 1977, Serie A1 until 2014, and now we call it the Italian SuperLega. As we said, it is still one of the most challenging and competitive leagues.
However, Italian volleyball’s geographical distribution is high because many other sports disciplines are more prevalent – such as football. The biggest megapolises occupy the area and venues, and it is challenging for volleyball to get as much recognition as their sports rivals.
Best Volleyball Leagues in 2024 – Russian Men’s Volleyball Superliga
The Russian Volleyball Super League (RVSL) is the top-flight professional Russian volleyball competition. The new era of the Russian volleyball tournament commenced in 1992. The current champion of the league is Zenit Kazan. In the final, they won against last year’s gold medallists, Dynamo Moscow. The most dominant side ever is the already mentioned team from Kazan – they won 11 titles. The league consists of 16 squads.
• Zenit Kazan
• Lokomotiv
• Dynamo Moscow
• Belogorie
• Kemerovo
• Dynamo-Lo
• Zenit
• Enisey Krasnoyarsk
• Shakhter
• Fakel
• Ugra
• Ural
• Nova
• Orenburg
• ASK NO
• Ugra-Samotlor
Russian dominance around the world is possible because of their oil money. The league and organizations have big budgets, and players in this league can make a lot of bucks. There are individuals whose earnings exceed £1 million.
Best Volleyball Leagues in 2024 – Polish Men’s Volleyball PlusLiga
PlusLiga is the professional Polish volleyball league competition that was established 23 years ago, in 2000. There are also 16 teams in this tournament, and PlusLiga is considered the one which promotes future volleyball stars. However, young athletes usually leave their clubs and join other elite European squads. Earnings are much lower than in the other top leagues, but it does not lack high-level quality.
• Jastrzębski Węgiel
• Aluron Warta
• Projekt Warszawa
• Resovia
• Trefl
• Lublin
• AZS Olsztyn
• Skra
• Stal Nysa
• ZAKSA
• Barkom Każany Lwów
• Ślepsk Suwałki
• GKS Katowice
• Exact Częstochowa
• Cuprum Lubin
• Czarni Radom
The current champion of the league is Jastrzębski Węgiel. It was their third title, but the most decorated team is Skra Bełchatów – they have nine titles, but their last golden accomplishment was only in 2018.
Best Volleyball Leagues in 2024 – Turkish Men’s Volleyball Efeler Ligi
The league found its way to reality in the early 1970s. The championship consists of 14 teams, and the Efeler Ligi, known as Efe League, is the men’s most powerful volleyball tournament in Turkey.
• Halkbank
• Fenerbahçe
• Ziraat Bankası
• Galatasaray
• Alanya Belediye
• Bursa BBSK
• Arkas
• Spor Toto
• Develi Bld
• Cizre Bld
• Tursad
• Akkus Bld
• Bigadic Bld
• Hatay BŞ
The champion of the last edition is Ziraat Bankası, and the most stunning part is their achievements in the past few seasons. They won the previous three Turkish championships, but it is far from the record. The Turkish league annals inform that the team Eczacıbaşı defended its title eight times in a row and has raised the cup twelve times, which is also the league’s record.
However, the current and still undefeated leader of the league (19/0), Halkbank, has won nine titles and can reduce the gap from the leading Eczacıbaşı to two cups. Their last victory in the Turkish volleyball league came only in the 2017-18 season, but they seek to lift the trophy again.
Best Volleyball Leagues – Women
Here, we will glance at the best women’s volleyball leagues in 2024.
Best Volleyball Leagues in 2024 – Turkish Women’s Volleyball Sultanlar Ligi
The Turkish feminine volleyball competition was founded in 1984, fourteen years later than the masculine one. The volleyball contest has the same number of challengers – 14, and the Sultanlar Ligi, known as the Sultans League, is the strongest women’s volleyball tournament in Turkey. Also, the Sultans League is often called the best professional women’s volleyball league on Earth.
• Fenerbahçe
• Eczacıbaşı
• VakıfBank
• Türk Hava Yolları
• Kuzeyboru
• Galatasaray
• Muratpasa Bld
• Nilüfer Bld.
• Beşiktaş
• Çukurova Belediye Adana Demirspor
• Aydın B.Şehir Bld.
• Sarıyer Bld
• PTT
• Karayolları
The current champion of the women’s Sultanlar Ligi tournament is the number one team in the league – Fener. Nevertheless, the most dominant side in this league, with 16 titles, is Eczacıbaşı, but the team VakıfBank, which is in third spot this year and won the trophy two years ago – has 13 first places.
Best Volleyball Leagues in 2024 – Russian Women’s Volleyball Superliga
The amusing part about Russian volleyball super leagues is that they are both called RVSL. The feminine RVSL is also the most prominent Russian volleyball competition. The new epoch of women’s volleyball began in 1991, and the league consists of 16 squads now.
• Dynamo Moscow
• Dinamo Kazan
• Leningradka
• Lokomotiv
• Proton
• Dynamo-Metar
• Tulitsa
• Dinamo Krasnodar
• Enisey
• Uralochka-NTMK
• Sparta
• Odintsovo
• Minchanka
• Atom-Kursk
The current champion of the league is Dynamo Moscow. In the final, they won against the title-defending squad, the champ of the last two seasons, VK Lokomotiv Kaliningrad. Regardless, the most dominant side ever is the team from Yekaterinburg, Uralochka NTMK – they won 14 titles. The only thing you can take from this is they did that in the first fourteen years of the competition. They dominated the league from 1991 until 2005.
Best Volleyball Leagues in 2024 – Italian Women’s Volleyball Serie A1
As you can probably notice, these two Italian volleyball competitions are the oldest on this list. The foundation of the first women’s volleyball tournament in Italy was in 1946, too. Compared to the men’s volleyball tournament, the women’s contest is not far away, as both leagues belong to the list of the toughest competitions. The only difference is that the Serie A1, instead of 12 teams – has 14.
• Conegliano
• Milano
• Novara
• Scandicci
• Chieri
• Pinerolo
• Vallefoglia
• Roma
• Firenze
• Casalmaggiore
• Busto Arsizio
• Bergamo
• Cuneo
• Trentino
The current titleholder of the women’s volleyball Seria A1 is Imoco Volley Conegliano. They have won the contest five times in a row, and in 2024, they strive for the same thing. They are the leaders, and the first place is still not secure, but they do not give Milano a chance to climb back into this. After Milano lost two-in-a-row matches, they are not the favourites to go for the first spot.
