Favorites and a new game mode: The most important things to know about the start of the volleyball national league season

The women's and men's volleyball season is just around the corner. Favorites, the new game mode and Olympic returnees – all the important questions before the start of the season are answered here.

When does the season in the Volleyball Bundesliga start?

The men's 1st Bundesliga starts the 2024/25 season on September 20th. To kick things off, runner-up VfB Friedrichshafen will host ASV Dachau. A week later, on September 28th, the women's team will also start the new Bundesliga season. Among others, champions and DVV Cup winners MTV Stuttgart will host Bundesliga returnees Schwarz-Weiß Erfurt.

Where can I watch the volleyball games?

All games in the women's and men's 1st Bundesliga are shown live on the streaming provider “Dyn”. There is also one match from the men's Bundesliga per week on the “Spontent” Twitch channel and on the “Dyn Volleyball” YouTube channel. “Sport1” broadcasts at least 30 games from the women's Bundesliga on free TV. All results and the current table are available on sportschau.de.

Who are the favorites?

The Berlin Recycling Volleys are the clear favorites for the men going into the coming season. The 2024 German champions prevailed in a dramatic final series in the fifth game against VfB Friedrichshafen and thus became the sole record holder – the capital city team was able to celebrate the championship for the 14th time.

The Helios Grizzlys Giesen should also be kept in mind after their surprisingly strong 2023/24 season. In the championship playoffs and the DVV Cup, they only had to admit defeat in the semifinals, and even finished the main round of the league in second place. For the first time in the club's history, the Grizzleys will now take part in the CEV Champions League – it will be a test of endurance for the team from Lower Saxony.

In the women's volleyball competition, the MTV Stuttgart women's volleyball team are the favorites after winning their third German championship title in a row. Vice champions SSC Palmberg Schwerin also want to have a say in the battle for the title, but will have a hard time after many departures. A total of twelve players left the club, including German national players Pia Kästner and Anna Pogany.

Which Olympic players are there?

Encouraged by the Olympic atmosphere in Paris, four national players will be back in the Bundesliga next season: outside attackers Moritz Reichert and Ruben Schott, setter Johannes Tille and middle blocker Tobias Krick. All four are under contract in Berlin.

The other Olympic players are spread across European teams, volleyball giant Georg Grozer is playing for Arkas Spor in Turkey. At the Olympic tournament, the DVV men were eliminated in the quarterfinals after a thrilling five-set match against eventual Olympic champions France.

How does the new game mode of the Women’s Bundesliga work?

The Women's Bundesliga is starting the next season with a new game format. The reason for this is the smaller division with only nine teams instead of ten. In addition to the main round, in which each team plays a home and away match against each other, there is now an additional third round. This consists exclusively of first matches, with each team having four home and four away games. The main round and the third round will take place from September 28, 2024 to March 15, 2025.

The best eight teams qualify for the playoffs, where the quarter-finals and semi-finals are played in best-of-three mode (two wins necessary to advance). The two finalists will compete for the championship title in a maximum of five games in best-of-five mode by May 4, 2025 at the latest.

What mode do the men play in?

In the men's division, twelve teams are fighting for the championship this season. VC Olympia Berlin is the thirteenth team to play in the league, but has special rights. The volleyball club can take part in the main round, but cannot qualify for the playoffs.

In the main round, each team will play a home and away match against each other in the “everyone against everyone” mode (September 20, 2024 to March 15, 2025). Here, too, the best eight teams will qualify for the subsequent playoffs, which will be played between March 22, 2025 and May 18, 2025.

It will be played in best-of-three or best-of-five mode. A decision on the exact number of games will be made at the end of February 2025. The German champion will be determined in a maximum of five games in the “best of five”.

In the 2024/25 season, there will be no relegation in either Bundesliga so that they can continue to expand and, above all, survive.