Bulgarian star Nikolov set to join Foolad ahead of AVC Champions League
Bulgarian volleyball star Aleksandar Nikolov has reached an agreement with Foolad Sirjan to join the Iranian club as a supporting player for the upcoming AVC Men’s Champions League – starting May 13 in Pontianak, Indonesia.
The 26th edition of the elite clubs’ competition also serves as the continental qualification path for the FIVB Men’s Club World Championship, with the two finalists booking their place in the global showpiece.
Under the Asian tournament regulations, participating teams are required to field at least two international stars. In compliance with that rule, Foolad Sirjan has brought in Nikolov, a world-class outside hitter playing for Volley Lube in the Italian top flight, who won the silver medal with his country at last year’s World Championship in the Philippines.
In addition to Nikolov, Iranian international outside hitter Pouria Hosseinkhanzadeh, who finished the club season with Al Arabi in the Qatari Volleyball League, is also set for a reunion with his former club as a supplementary player for the Asian event.
Foolad is a two-time champion in the continental event, lifting the trophy in 2021 and 2024, but missed out on the podium at the 2025 showpiece in Japan after a straight-set defeat against the hosts, Suntory Sunbirds, in the third-place match.
A bronze winner at the 2024 World Club Championship, Foolad led the Iranian Premier League table with 16 wins from 18 games in the regular season before the domestic top flight is on the verge of being declared null and void by the Iranian federation amid the country’s military conflict with the United States and Israel.