AVC Women's Volleyball Champions League
Asian women's club volleyball tournament
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The AVC Women's Champions League, previously the AVC Cup Women's Club Tournament (between 1999 and 2002) and Asian Women's Club Volleyball Championship (between 2004 and 2024), is an annual continental club volleyball competition organized by the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC), the sport's continental governing body. The competition was first contested in Thailand in 1999. It was not held in 2003 and 2020 due to 2002–2004 SARS outbreak and COVID-19 pandemic respectively.
- AVC Cup Women's Club Tournament (1999–2002)
- Asian Women's Club Volleyball Championship (2004–2024)
| Most recent season or competition: 2026 AVC Women's Volleyball Champions League | |
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| Formerly |
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|---|---|
| Founded | 1999 |
| First season | 1999 |
| Organizing body | AVC |
| No. of teams | 12 |
| Continents | Asia and Oceania |
Most recent champion |  NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki (2026) |
| Most titles |  Tianjin Bohai Bank(5 titles) |
| Qualification | FIVB Women's Volleyball Club World Championship |
| Streaming partner | Volleyball TV |
| Website | asianvolleyball |
For a long time, the winner of the Asian Women's Club Volleyball Championship qualifies for the FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship. Starting in 2024, the restructured qualification now allows the two finalists to directly qualify in the world tournament.[1]
Starting from the 2025 edition, the tournament is rebranded and will be known as the AVC Women's Volleyball Champions League.[2]
Tianjin Bohai Bank holds the record for most victories, winning the competition five times. China's teams have won the tournament eight times, the most for any nation. The current Asian club champions are Zhetysu VC from Kazakhstan, who defeated VTV Bình Điền Long An from Vietnam (3–1) in the final of the 2025 edition.
History
The competition began in 1999 when the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) announced the establishment of the first official men's and women's club championships, to be held under its supervision.[3][4] The tournament was initially known as the AVC Cup Women's Club Volleyball Tournament for its first four editions, before being renamed the Asian Women's Club Volleyball Championship in 2004.
The first three editions was played in a round-robin format. In 2002, the competition adopted a two-round system: a preliminary round (featuring a pool round, from which the top four teams advanced) followed by a final round (consisting of semi-finals and a final). From 2004 to 2007, the tournament reverted to a round-robin format. From 2008 to 2021, the tournament followed a similar format, with the final stage included quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a final (except in 2016, when the tournament had a three-round system: a preliminary round, a classification round, and a final round). In 2022, a round-robin preliminary round had been adopted, with a final round consisting of just two matches (a third place match and a final). From 2023 up to now, the same format as from 2008 to 2021 has been followed, with little difference in 2023 when there are no quarter-finals in the final stage.
Starting with the 2025 edition, the tournament will be rebranded as the AVC Women's Volleyball Champions League.[5][6]
Competition formula
Qualification
The tournament features a maximum of 12 participating teams, with the host country automatically qualifying. The host nation is permitted to field up to two teams in the competition.[5][7] Other teams will qualify through the designated qualification pathway established for that particular year.
For the 2025 edition, all remaining participating teams were granted entry by invitation only.[8]
Final tournament
The tournament consists of two rounds: a preliminary round (pool phase) and a final round (direct elimination phase). During the preliminary round, the 12 qualified teams are divided into four pools—labeled A through D—each containing three teams. Within each pool, teams compete in a round-robin format, with each team playing against the other two teams once. Following the pool phase, the top two teams from each pool advance to the final round, which includes the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the final match.[8][9]
Prize money
The teams advancing to the semifinals of this competition will be awarded a total prize of US$50,000 by the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC).[8][9] This marks the first time that a prize has been introduced in an AVC event in 2025.
- Champions: US$20,000
- Runners-up: US$15,000
- Third place: US$10,000
- Fourth place: US$5,000
Results
Finals
Performances by club
| Club | Champions | Runners-up | 3rd place | 4th place | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tianjin |
5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
 Chang |
3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| NEC Red Rockets |
3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Hisamitsu Springs |
2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| Supreme |
2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
 Rahat |
2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Shanghai |
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Zhetysu |
1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| Altay |
1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Bangkok Glass |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Kuanysh |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
 GS Caltex |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Guangdong |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Sport Center 1 |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nakhon Ratchasima |
0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
 Chung Shan |
0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Ba'Yi |
0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Toray Arrows |
0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Aero Thai |
0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Diamond Food |
0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| BEC World |
0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ninh Bình |
0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Long An |
0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Zhejiang |
0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Korea Expressway |
0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| JT Marvelous |
0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| PFU BlueCats |
0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Jiangsu |
0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Liaoning |
0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Sobaeksu |
0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Alma Dinamo |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Hyundai |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Astana |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Thông tin |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Bo Tong Gang |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Taipei |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Taiwan Power |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Saipa |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Barij Essence |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| KingWhale |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Performances by association
| Association | Champions | Runners-up | 3rd place | 4th place | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| China |
8 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 21 |
| Thailand |
6 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 23 |
| Japan |
5 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 17 |
| Kazakhstan |
5 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 24 |
| Vietnam |
1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| South Korea |
1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Chinese Taipei |
0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| North Korea |
0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Iran |
0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Performances by zonal association
| Zonal association | Champions | Runners-up | 3rd place | 4th place | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EAVA (East Asia) | 14 | 13 | 14 | 10 | 51 |
| SAVA (Southeast Asia) | 7 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 27 |
| CAVA (Central Asia) | 5 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 26 |
Medal summary
Medal table by club
| Rank | club | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tianjin | 5 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
| 2 | Chang | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| 3 | NEC Red Rockets | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| 4 | Hisamitsu Springs | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| 5 | Supreme | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 6 | Rahat | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Shanghai | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| 8 | Zhetysu | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 9 | Altay | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | Bangkok Glass | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 11 | GS Caltex | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Guangdong | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Kuanysh | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Sport Center 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 15 | Nakhon Ratchasima | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 16 | Chung Shan | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 17 | Ba'Yi | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 18 | Toray Arrows | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 19 | Aero Thai | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Diamond Food | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 21 | BEC World | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Long An | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Ninh Bình | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 24 | Zhejiang | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 25 | JT Marvelous | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Jiangsu | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Korea Expressway | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Liaoning | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| PFU BlueCats | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (29 entries) | 26 | 26 | 26 | 78 | |
Medal table by association
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 8 | 5 | 6 | 19 |
| 2 | Thailand | 6 | 8 | 8 | 22 |
| 3 | Japan | 5 | 6 | 6 | 17 |
| 4 | Kazakhstan | 5 | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| 5 | Vietnam | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | South Korea | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 | Chinese Taipei | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Totals (7 entries) | 26 | 26 | 26 | 78 | |
Awards
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