Lisbon, Portugal — Benfica secured its maiden victory in the Women’s Champions League volleyball group stage on Wednesday, overcoming Poland’s Budowlani Łódź in a thrilling five-set encounter.
The Lisbon-based club, making its debut in Europe’s premier club volleyball competition this season, battled to a decisive 15-9 win in the final set.
The victory, achieved on their home court, marks a significant milestone after the team previously fell to Turkey’s Fenerbahçe in their opening group stage match.
Set scores for the match were 15-25, 25-19, 26-28, 25-20, and 15-9, highlighting a hard-fought contest.
Benfica now holds third place in Group B with two points and is scheduled to face Italy’s Novara in the next round.
This season marks Benfica’s first appearance in the Champions League group stage, a competition format established in 2000/01.
They are only the third Portuguese club to reach this stage, following CA Trofa in 2005/06 and FC Porto in 2024/25.
Historically, Benfica achieved its best result in the tournament’s previous incarnation, the European Champions Clubs’ Cup, reaching the quarter-finals in its debut 1967/68 season.
Under the current structure, the five group winners automatically advance to the quarter-finals. Three additional spots are filled via two-legged playoffs involving second-placed teams and the best third-placed side.
Other Portuguese teams in European competitions saw mixed results. Sporting was eliminated from the CEV Women’s Cup despite winning its second-leg match 3-2 against Vandoeuvre Nancy, having lost the first leg 1-3 in France.
FC Porto also exited the CEV Women’s Cup after a 0-3 loss to Galatasaray in Turkey, following an initial 1-3 defeat at home.
In the Challenge Cup for women, Sp. Braga advanced to the round of 16, securing a 3-0 home victory against Spain’s Rioja after a 3-1 win in Spain.