After the success of the inaugural edition of the AVC Women’s Champions League, held in the Philippines in April, now it is the men’s turn to engage in an exciting race for continental honors. The inaugural AVC Men’s Champions League is set to serve off on Sunday in Japan and it will also be streamed live on VBTV.
AVC Men’s Champions League 2025
AVC Men’s Champions League serves off on Sunday, live on VBTV!
12 teams are about to engage in an eight-day race for continental honors
Published 08:15, 10 May 2025
Osaka Bluteon’s libero Tomohiro Yamamoto will be among the stars of the inaugural AVC Men’s Champions League (source: @OSAKA__BLUTEON)
- Watch the AVC Men’s Champions League on VBTV
The rebranded tournament, previously known as the Asian Men's Club Volleyball Championship, is set to distribute the annual continental club honors, including two tickets to the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship for the champions and the runners-up.
Split into four round-robin pools of three, 12 men’s club teams representing 11 different countries will take to the court at the iconic 3,000-seat Panasonic Arena in Osaka, where the pool stage of the AVC Men’s Champions League will be held on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, with four matches a day, starting at 10:05 local time (01:05 UTC), at 12:35 (03:35), at 15:35 (06:35) and at 19:05 (10:05) on each competition day.
Stage set for inaugural AVC Men's Champions League in Osaka and Kyoto
— Asian Volleyball Confederation (@AsianVolleyball) May 9, 2025
Read more: https://t.co/dBSIfKTXgu#FIVB #VolleyballWorld #SVLeague #JVA #mikasasports_official #AVC #AVCVolley #AsianVolleyball #AVCChampionsLeague #StayActive #StayStrong #StayHealthy pic.twitter.com/Ys9OVomfbp
The playoff stage of the tournament will then be held in Kyoto, at the 8,635-seater Shimadzu Arena, from May 15 to May 18. The top two teams in the final standings of each pool will qualify for the crossed quarterfinals to be played on Thursday and Friday, with the teams from Pool A taking on those from Pool D and the teams from Pool B facing those from Pool C. The semifinals will be played on Saturday and the inaugural set of medals will be handed to the awardees on Sunday, with the gold medal showdown scheduled at 16:05 (07:05).
In Pool A, one of the host teams, Suntory Sunbirds Osaka, fresh from winning the inaugural men’s Daido Life SV.League in Japan and having claimed Japan’s first-ever Asian Club Championship title in 2023, will face Queensland Pirates, champions of the Australian Super League, and Aqtobe, winners of the 2024-2025 Kazakhstan Cup.
Pool B features the other Japanese representative Osaka Bluteon, qualified as 2023-2024 Japanese league runners-up. The 2019 Asian Club Championship runners-up will take on four-time continental medalists Shanghai Bright of China, and Cignal HD Spikers Manila, represented by the Philippines national team in this event as part of their preparation for the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship, which they will host in September.
🔵ブルテオン情報🔵
— 大阪ブルテオン【OSAKA BLUTEON】 (@OSAKA__BLUTEON) May 9, 2025
🇫🇷アツい🔥🔥#大阪ブルテオン#OSAKABLUTEON pic.twitter.com/Y7mdGzZ7N7
Pool C includes two reigning or former continental champions – Iran’s Foolad Sirjan Iranian, who won the Asian Club Championship last year and in 2021, and 2015 Asian club champions Taichung Bank Taipei of Chinese Taipei – as well as 10-time Thai champions Nakhon Ratchasima QminC.
In Pool D, Qatar’s Al-Rayyan, 2013 and 2014 Asian Club Championship runners-up, will face the Vietnamese national team competing as Sports Training Center III Da Nang, and Bahrain’s Al-Muharraq.
AVC Men’s Champions League 2025 pool stage:
May 11, 10:05 local (01:05 UTC): Foolad Sirjan Iranian (IRI) v Nakhon Ratchasima QminC (THA)
May 11, 12:35 local (03:35 UTC): Al-Rayyan (QAT) v Al-Muharraq (BRN)
May 11, 15:35 local (06:35 UTC): Osaka Bluteon (JPN) v Cignal HD Spikers Manila (PHI)
May 11, 19:05 local (10:05 UTC): Suntory Sunbirds Osaka (JPN) v Queensland Pirates (AUS)
May 12, 10:05 local (01:05 UTC): Taichung Bank Taipei (TPE) v Nakhon Ratchasima QminC (THA)
May 12, 12:35 local (03:35 UTC): Sports Training Center III Da Nang (VIE) v Al-Muharraq (BRN)
May 12, 15:35 local (06:35 UTC): Aqtobe (KAZ) v Queensland Pirates (AUS)
May 12, 19:05 local (10:05 UTC): Osaka Bluteon (JPN) v Shanghai Bright (CHN)
May 13, 10:05 local (01:05 UTC): Foolad Sirjan Iranian (IRI) v Taichung Bank Taipei (TPE)
May 13, 12:35 local (03:35 UTC): Al-Rayyan (QAT) v Sports Training Center III Da Nang (VIE)
May 13, 15:35 local (06:35 UTC): Cignal HD Spikers Manila (PHI) v Shanghai Bright (CHN)
May 13, 19:05 local (10:05 UTC): Suntory Sunbirds Osaka (JPN) v Aqtobe (KAZ)
