Venislav Antov is a Bulgarian opposite whose rise from the village of Gorna Lom and Levski Sofia’s academy to senior international volleyball has been built around high-volume attacking and a powerful service game. Standing 195 cm in current CEV and club listings, he won consecutive Bulgarian championships with Levski, helped the club complete a domestic treble in 2024–25 and joined Tourcoing Lille Métropole in France in 2025. During his first season there, he set a French men’s top-flight record by scoring 45 points in a single match against Chaumont.
Antov made his senior Bulgaria debut in 2024 and was part of the team that reached the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championship final, where Bulgaria took silver behind Italy. His international résumé had already included a U19 World Championship silver medal and a U21 World Championship bronze, making him part of a Bulgarian generation that moved from age-group success into the senior national-team cycle.
Player Information
| Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Venislav Antov |
| Native name | Венислав Антов |
| Date of birth | 6 April 2004 |
| Place of birth | Gorna Lom, Bulgaria |
| Nationality | Bulgarian |
| Position | Opposite |
| Height | 195 cm; Volleyball World lists 196 cm |
| Weight | 86 kg in Tourcoing’s current CEV European roster |
| Spike reach | 356 cm in Tourcoing’s current CEV roster; earlier CEV profiles list 354 cm |
| Block reach | 323 cm in CEV player-profile data |
| Dominant hand | Right |
| Previous senior club | Levski Sofia |
| Current club | Tourcoing Lille Métropole |
| Club number | 4 |
| National team | Bulgaria Men’s National Volleyball Team |
| National-team number | 18 |
The physical data needs a little context because official listings are not perfectly uniform. Tourcoing and CEV currently use 195 cm, while Volleyball World lists Antov at 196 cm. The current CEV European roster gives him a 356 cm spike reach, close to the 354 cm figure in earlier CEV profiles. CEV’s player database lists a 323 cm block reach; a newer team-roster entry contains a substantially lower block figure that conflicts with Antov’s earlier CEV measurements, so the established 323 cm listing is the more useful career reference.
Early Life & Volleyball Beginnings
Antov was born in Gorna Lom in northwestern Bulgaria. His first contact with organized volleyball came in nearby Belogradchik, where he began playing after being inspired by his father. His family later moved to Sofia to give him better conditions for developing as an athlete, and he entered the Levski Sofia youth system.
That move became central to his career. Levski later described Antov as one of the players who grew through its academy and developed into a senior professional inside the same club structure. Secondary career records also connect his earliest volleyball years with VK Grad Belogradchik before the move to Sofia.
Antov’s development was not limited to club volleyball. By his teenage years, he was regularly appearing for Bulgarian age-group national teams. CEV records place him at the 2020 U18 European Championship and later in U20 and U22 competitions, while Volleyball World lists him in Bulgaria’s squad at the 2021 U19 World Championship.
The 2021 tournament became an early international landmark. Bulgaria defeated Italy in five sets in the quarterfinal and Russia in the semifinal before losing to Poland in the final, earning the U19 World Championship silver medal. Two years later, Antov was part of the Bulgarian U21 team that defeated Argentina 3–0 in the bronze-medal match at the 2023 World Championship.
Club Career
Development and Breakthrough at Levski Sofia
Antov entered Levski Sofia’s senior pathway while still a teenager. Bulgarian federation records show him attached to the club from the 2020–21 season onward, and CEV competition records document his European appearances with Levski beginning in the early 2020s.
His role grew quickly from prospect to one of the club’s main scorers. The first major senior trophy of that period came at the 2023 Bulgarian Super Cup. Levski defeated Hebar Pazardzhik in five sets, with Antov producing 32 points — including six aces and four blocks — and earning the final’s MVP award. The performance was particularly significant because Levski had not previously won the competition.
The same season ended with the 2023–24 Bulgarian championship. Antov remained with Levski for 2024–25, when the team produced an even stronger domestic campaign.
The 2024–25 Treble and Antov’s Breakout Season
Levski won the 2024 Bulgarian Super Cup, the 2025 Bulgarian Cup and the 2024–25 league championship, completing a domestic treble. In the Bulgarian Cup final, Antov led all scorers with 19 points as Levski defeated Montana 3–1.
His league production was even more substantial. Bulgarian federation statistics credit Antov with 597 points during the 2024–25 Super Volley campaign, the highest total in the competition. He averaged 5.19 points per set across 115 sets.
The championship final showed how heavily Levski could lean on him offensively. Antov scored 37 points in the second match of the final series, adding five aces and attacking at 57%. Levski ultimately swept Lokomotiv Avia 3–0 in the series to retain the national title. The club later identified Antov as the Finals MVP, noted that he had collected the most match-MVP awards during the season and recognized him as the supporters’ player.
European competition added another dimension to that season. During the Champions League group stage, Antov finished first in total aces with 17, giving Levski a point-producing threat from the service line as well as the right-side attack.
In a February 2025 interview with Sportal, Antov discussed his ambition to play abroad while emphasizing that his immediate objective was to keep winning with Levski. Only a few months later, that foreign move was confirmed.
First Move Abroad: Tourcoing Lille Métropole
In April 2025, Levski announced Antov’s transfer to Tourcoing Lille Métropole. The move was notable inside the Bulgarian club because Levski described him as the first academy player it had transferred directly into a major foreign professional league. Antov left Sofia as a two-time Bulgarian champion, Bulgarian Cup winner and multiple Super Cup winner.
His adaptation to France was immediate enough that Tourcoing quickly built a large share of its offense around him. In November 2025, Antov produced one of the defining individual performances of the French league season against Chaumont. He scored 45 points in Tourcoing’s five-set victory, surpassing the previous single-match league record of 42 set by Nimir Abdel-Aziz in 2017.
The breakdown shows how extraordinary the workload was: Antov attacked 66 balls and put 44 of them on the floor, a 67% success rate, while adding one block. The performance was not simply a hot serving run or a short-match efficiency spike; Tourcoing repeatedly gave him the ball over five sets and he continued terminating at a high percentage.
His first French season remained productive beyond that one night. By January 2026 he had already passed 300 league points and continued collecting match-MVP recognition. He eventually completed the 2025–26 campaign with 551 points in 28 league matches and 33 aces. Tourcoing finished third in the regular-season standings before its playoff run ended against Sète in the quarterfinals.
Tourcoing retained Antov for 2026–27. CEV’s European competition records continue to list him with the French club as No. 4, confirming that his first foreign season developed into a multi-season relationship rather than a one-year stop.
Club Career Timeline
| Seasons | Team | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 to 2024–25 | Levski Sofia | Bulgaria |
| 2025–26 to 2026–27 | Tourcoing Lille Métropole | France |
Levski was the club that developed Antov from its academy into a senior starter, while Tourcoing became his first professional club outside Bulgaria.
National Team Career
Youth International Success
Antov belonged to a Bulgarian age-group generation that collected medals at multiple world championships. His CEV history includes U18, U20 and U22 European competitions, while his global youth résumé includes the 2021 U19 World Championship and the 2023 U21 World Championship.
Bulgaria took silver at the 2021 U19 World Championship in Tehran after reaching the final with knockout victories over Italy and Russia. Antov was part of that team as an opposite. In 2023, Bulgaria earned bronze at the U21 World Championship in Bahrain, defeating Argentina in straight sets in the third-place match. Antov contributed 114 points across the U21 tournament, including 92 attack points, 16 blocks and six aces.
Those tournaments gave him meaningful international experience before his senior breakthrough and placed him alongside several players who would later become central to Bulgaria’s new senior generation.
Senior Bulgaria Debut
Antov made his senior national-team debut on 20 June 2024 during the Volleyball Nations League against reigning world champion Italy in Ljubljana. He entered from the bench and finished with eight attack points, tying captain Aleks Grozdanov for Bulgaria’s highest total in the match.
He added another 25 points over Bulgaria’s following matches against Cuba and Argentina, completing his first VNL appearances with 33 points across four matches. Volleyball World recorded 31 attack points and two aces from that 2024 tournament sample.
2025 World Championship Silver
Antov was selected as one of Bulgaria’s opposites for the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championship in the Philippines. Bulgaria advanced through the knockout rounds and defeated Czechia in the semifinal to reach the World Championship gold-medal match for the first time since 1970.
Italy won the final 3–1, leaving Bulgaria with silver — only the country’s second silver medal in the history of the men’s World Championship. Antov entered the final and scored four points. The medal became the most important senior national-team achievement of his career to date.
The result also completed an unusual progression for Antov: U19 World Championship silver in 2021, U21 World Championship bronze in 2023 and senior World Championship silver in 2025.
2026 International Season
Antov remained part of Bulgaria’s senior group during the 2026 VNL. His role was smaller than in his first VNL appearances, with Volleyball World recording eight points — seven attacks and one block — across the preliminary phase.
He was then selected for EuroVolley 2026 as No. 18. CEV identified Antov as one of nine Bulgarian players making their senior European Championship debut at the home tournament in Sofia. Bulgaria advanced from the pool phase before its campaign ended in the round of 16.
Playing Style & Strengths
Antov is a right-side scorer whose clearest strength is his capacity to handle attacking volume. The 45-point performance against Chaumont is the strongest example: 66 attack attempts in one match would be a major workload for any opposite, and Antov converted 44 of them. Tourcoing was able to keep returning to him without the efficiency collapsing under the volume.
His physical profile is also interesting for the position. At around 195–196 cm, Antov is not exceptionally tall by elite international opposite standards. His official reach figures, however, have been listed in the mid-350s for spike touch, allowing him to play above what his standing height alone would suggest. That combination makes elevation, timing and contact height more relevant to his attacking identity than simple size.
The serve is another established weapon. Antov led the 2024–25 Champions League group stage with 17 aces and later produced 33 aces during his first French league season. His six-ace performance in the 2023 Bulgarian Super Cup final was already an early example of how his serving can change a match independently of his attacking totals.
Blocking is a secondary but useful part of his scoring profile. He produced four kill blocks in the 2023 Super Cup final, and his earlier U21 World Championship statistics included 16 blocks across eight matches. For an opposite, that front-row responsibility matters because he regularly closes against the opposing left-side attacker.
Antov’s club career also shows that he can function as a primary offensive option rather than only a rotation scorer. He led the Bulgarian league in total points in 2024–25, then moved directly into a similarly demanding role in France. The progression from 597 points in Bulgaria to 551 in his first French league season gives a stronger picture of his playing identity than any single highlight performance: both teams trusted him with a large share of their terminal attacking responsibility.
Major Achievements
Antov’s senior honors are concentrated around Levski Sofia and Bulgaria’s 2025 World Championship run, while his age-group career adds two world medals.
Selected National Team Honors
| Year | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | FIVB Boys’ U19 World Championship | Silver medal |
| 2023 | FIVB Men’s U21 World Championship | Bronze medal |
| 2025 | FIVB Men’s World Championship | Silver medal |
Selected Club Honors
| Season / Year | Competition | Result | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Bulgarian Super Cup | Winner | Levski Sofia |
| 2023–24 | Bulgarian Championship | Champion | Levski Sofia |
| 2024 | Bulgarian Super Cup | Winner | Levski Sofia |
| 2024–25 | Bulgarian Cup | Winner | Levski Sofia |
| 2024–25 | Bulgarian Championship | Champion | Levski Sofia |
Winning the 2024 Super Cup, 2025 Bulgarian Cup and 2024–25 championship gave Levski a domestic treble in Antov’s final season before his move to France.
Selected Individual Achievements
| Year / Season | Competition | Achievement |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Bulgarian Super Cup | Final MVP after 32-point performance |
| 2024–25 | Bulgarian Championship | Finals MVP |
| 2024–25 | Bulgarian Super Volley | League-leading 597 total points |
| 2025–26 | French top flight | Single-match scoring record — 45 points vs. Chaumont |
Levski also reported that Antov accumulated the most match-MVP selections on the team during the 2024–25 championship season and received the supporters’ player recognition at the end of the campaign.
Where Is Venislav Antov Playing Now?
Tourcoing Lille Métropole retained Venislav Antov for the 2026–27 season after his 551-point debut campaign in France. CEV lists him as No. 4 and an opposite on Tourcoing’s European roster, while the club’s professional-team page also identifies him as one of its right-side attackers.
The continuation gives Antov a second season in the French top flight rather than another immediate transfer. His first year produced a league scoring record, several match-MVP performances and a central role in Tourcoing’s offense, so the renewal represents continuity after his first successful step outside Bulgarian club volleyball.
Internationally, he remains part of Bulgaria’s senior setup. He wore No. 18 during the 2026 VNL and EuroVolley and had already represented the country in VNL competition, a World Championship final and the European Championship by age 22.
Recent Performance Snapshot
| Competition / Season | Matches | Points | Additional Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025–26 French top flight | 28 | 551 | 33 aces; 45-point single-match league record |
| 2026 Volleyball Nations League | 12 match listings | 8 | 7 attack points, 1 block |
The two lines describe very different roles. Tourcoing used Antov as a primary terminal scorer throughout his first French season, while Bulgaria had other high-volume attacking options during the 2026 VNL and used him much more selectively. The competition context is therefore essential when comparing the raw point totals.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall is Venislav Antov?
Antov is listed at 195 cm by Tourcoing and CEV. Volleyball World uses 196 cm in its current Bulgaria profile.
What position does Venislav Antov play?
He plays opposite, operating primarily from the right side as a high-volume attacker and serving option.
Which club does Venislav Antov play for?
Antov plays for Tourcoing Lille Métropole in France. He joined the club from Levski Sofia in 2025 and remained with Tourcoing for the 2026–27 season.
What numbers does Venislav Antov wear?
He is No. 4 for Tourcoing Lille Métropole and has worn No. 18 for Bulgaria’s senior national team.
What scoring record does Venislav Antov hold in France?
Antov set the French men’s top-flight single-match scoring record with 45 points against Chaumont in November 2025. He recorded 44 attack kills from 66 attempts and one block in Tourcoing’s five-set victory.
Did Venislav Antov win a medal at the 2025 World Championship?
Yes. Antov was part of the Bulgaria squad that won silver at the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championship in the Philippines. He came off the bench and scored four points in the final against Italy.
References
- Tourcoing Lille Métropole — Professional team roster
- CEV — Venislav Antov current player and club history
- CEV — Venislav Antov player profile and physical data
- Volleyball World — Venislav Antov VNL 2026 player profile
- Volleyball World — Venislav Antov 2025 World Championship player profile
- Volleyball World — Italy vs. Bulgaria 2025 World Championship final report
- Levski Sofia — Venislav Antov transfer to Tourcoing and career development
- FIVB — Levski Sofia wins the 2023 Bulgarian Super Cup
- FIVB — Levski Sofia wins the 2025 Bulgarian Cup
- Bulgarian Volleyball Federation Data Project — 2024–25 Super Volley statistics
- Ligue Nationale de Volley — Antov’s 45-point French league record
- FIVB — Bulgaria U21 World Championship bronze recognition
