IT’S all systems go for the PVL’s long-awaited return to action with the 2026 All-Filipino Conference set to tip off at the end of the month.
The season-opening tournament will run from January 31 to April 28, with the single round-robin preliminary phase stretching until March 21.
READ PVL TRACKER: All offseason moves ahead of 2026 season
Coming off one of the most chaotic offseasons in league history, the PVL itself enters 2026 with a noticeably different landscape.
The field has been trimmed to 10 teams from 12 following the exits of defending champion Petro Gazz and Chery Tiggo, marking a rare moment of contraction in the league’s pro era.
For the teams that remain, the nearly two-month break since the close of the 2025 season has been anything but quiet.
Massive roster facelifts, headline-grabbing free-agent moves, surprise retirements and full-blown rebuilds have reshaped several contenders and hopefuls alike, setting the stage for a wide-open conference.
As the countdown to opening day continues, here are seven must-watch preliminary round duels that could go a long way in shaping this conference's championship picture.
NXLED vs. Farm Fresh
February 3 | Tuesday | 4 p.m. | Playtime Filoil Centre
The second day of PVL action in 2026 will give the league and its fans a first real look at Nxled following its transformative offseason overhaul.
Still under the guidance of Italian tactician Ettore Guidetti, the once cellar-dwelling Chameleons will debut a radically revamped roster bolstered by an influx of championship pedigree from Petro Gazz.
READ: Nxled officially lays foundation for future with BVS in tow
Headlining that group are three-time PVL MVP Brooke Van Sickle, two-time Finals MVP MJ Phillips and former league MVP Myla Pablo, forming the core of what is now viewed as an instant title-contending squad.
Standing in their way on opening week is a similarly retooled Farm Fresh side, now steered by Van Sickle & Co.'s former Petro Gazz champion coach Koji Tsuzurabara.
The matchup carries added intrigue as Tsuzurabara makes his PVL comeback by calling the shots against several of his former Angels in his first game back.
Farm Fresh, part of the Strong Group Athletics stable, has also undergone a major facelift with 10 new acquisitions including the likes of Ara Galang, Mylene Paat and Royse Tubino set to be distributed between the Foxies and sister team ZUS Coffee.
Creamline vs. Choco Mucho
February 10 | Tuesday | 6:30 p.m. | Mall of Asia Arena
The league’s most talked-about sister showdown is set to write a fresh chapter just weeks into the new conference.
On February 10, the 19th staging of the Rebisco Clasico will light up the Mall of Asia Arena, with Creamline entering the clash on a five-game winning streak in the rivalry.
READ BY THE NUMBERS: Creamline's one-sided 'rivalry' with Choco Mucho
Creamline has dominated the all-time series, winning 17 of 18 meetings against Choco Mucho, turning what is marketed as a rivalry into a largely one-sided affair over the years.
But 2026 could finally offer a different script.
Choco Mucho arrives with renewed belief and a revamped core, headlined by the return of Eya Laure, who will again share the court with fellow University of Santo Tomas product Sisi Rondina.
As such, facing its sister team will offer an early litmus test of how far the team has come and give a chance to tilt the balance, even if only slightly.
Will the Flying Titans seize their first chance this year to notch a second franchise win over the 10-time champions?
Capital1 vs. Creamline
February 21 | Saturday | 4 p.m. | Playtime Filoil Centre
On paper, it may not immediately register as a must-watch showdown when a proven champion takes on a rebuilding young side. But scratch beneath the surface and this matchup suddenly carries far more intrigue.
Capital1’s prized top draft pick Bella Belen will get a rare early-career measuring stick as she lines up opposite none other than Alyssa Valdez and the rest of Creamline.
READ: Alyssa Valdez says Bella Belen a 'perfect, one of a kind' player
Touted as the present and future faces of Philippine volleyball, the parallels between Belen and Valdez are striking as two dominant forces in the UAAP who colllected multiple championships and MVP honors during their collegiate runs.
Both are also psychology graduates who were subsequently molded under the guidance of champion tactician Sherwin Meneses. And in a quirky coincidence that only adds to the narrative, they even share the same birthday: June 29.
Carrying a symbolic passing-of-the-torch undertone, this meeting will mark the first time the two superstars cross paths as professional opponents, giving Belen her maiden taste of facing Creamline since being drafted last year and an opportunity to measure herself against the benchmark she is so often compared to.
Choco Mucho vs. NXLED
March 3 | Tuesday | 4 p.m. | Playtime Filoil Centre
As far as marquee clashes go, few can match the intrigue of two of the sport’s most explosive and decorated two-way stars crossing paths once more.
Roughly a year since their last meeting, former MVPs Brooke Van Sickle and Sisi Rondina will again trade swings and digs but with new-look squads this time.
From one MVP to another, both players also share beach volleyball pedigrees that have sharpened their all-around games, making their head-to-head battles as physical as they are tactical.
READ: Brooke Van Sickle always in awe of fellow MVP Sisi Rondina
In previous encounters over the past couple of seasons, Van Sickle and Rondina have long carried the offensive load for their respective teams.
Van Sickle herself once described Rondina as a 'phenomenal and amazing player,' a sentiment reflected in how tightly contested their duels have been.
This meeting, however, comes with a key difference: neither star will be fighting alone.
Van Sickle will once again have trusted scoring partners in Phillips and Pablo, echoing their productive days together in red. But she will also be backed by Nxled’s emerging core, highlighted by the likes of Chiara Permentilla, EJ Laure-Cariño and Lyann de Guzman, giving the Chameleons far more depth than in past seasons.
On the other side, Rondina’s long-awaited reunion with Laure could be the catalyst Choco Mucho has been searching for, offering the Flying Titans a legitimate chance to shed their bridesmaid label and push toward true title contention.
NXLED vs. Creamline
March 7 | Saturday | 4 p.m. | Playtime Filoil Centre
While Petro Gazz may have stepped away from the league, its defining rivalry with Creamline appears far from over.
Nxled’s first meeting with the Cool Smashers this season could offer fans a glimpse of a 'second coming' of the long-running Creamline–Petro Gazz rivalry that has shaped multiple championships and eras in the PVL.
It may not be the Angels in name, but the spirit of that rivalry lives on through Nxled’s new-look core as no fewer than 11 former Petro Gazz champions, bannered by Van Sickle, now suit up for the Chameleons, effectively carrying over much of the identity that fueled Petro Gazz’ rise.
READ: Petro Gazz ends Creamline streak of 19 straight semis appearances
That same core authored Creamline’s toughest chapter in recent memory in 2025 when they won a first All-Filipino title by dethroning the 10-time champions, then followed it up in the year-ending Reinforced Conference by snapping Creamline’s 19-tournament streak of reaching the semifinals and standing on the podium dating back to 2017.
Those results redefined the balance of power in the league, with Nxled now standing as the new vessel for that proven formula.
The looming question is whether this 'Petro Gazz 2.0' core blended with Nxled’s holdover unit can replicate that dominance against a Creamline side eager to reassert itself after a rare title-less year in what is less like a new matchup and more like a rivalry reborn.
PLDT vs. Choco Mucho
March 14 | Saturday | 4 p.m. | TBA
The stars of what many consider one of the PVL’s greatest playoff series are set to take center stage once more.
Now both league MVPs, Rondina and Savi Davison will reignite their rivalry when Choco Mucho squares off against PLDT in the home stretch of the preliminary round.
Their last meeting remains fresh in memory as the two headlined the unforgettable 2024–25 All-Filipino Conference quarterfinals.
READ: Sisi, Savi left it all out on the floor in thrilling QF encounter
In the two wins that sent the Flying Titans through, Rondina erupted for 26 points with 15 receptions while Davison answered with 29.5 points and 16 receptions of her own.
That duel left a lasting impression on Davison, who later praised Rondina’s in-game craftsmanship as one that embodies “Philippine volleyball to a tee.”
Nearly a year later, the stakes are different but the intrigue remains the same as Rondina now leads a retooled Choco Mucho side while Davison, on the other hand, commands a PLDT squad out for payback in one of their last heartaches before their championship double in 2025.
Will it be a winning encore for Rondina and the Flying Titans, or will Davison and the High Speed Hitters get their long-awaited redemption?
NXLED vs. PLDT
March 19 | Thursday | 4 p.m. | Playtime Filoil Centre
The standard-bearers of last year’s changing of the guard in the PVL now stand at the forefront of this season’s battle for power and sustained dominance.
Leading that charge were Van Sickle and Davison, the twin forces who helped repaint the league red in 2025 after years of Creamline pink ruling the landscape.
Both Fil-foreign aces enjoyed banner years, winning two championships apiece while also claiming league MVP honors.
READ: PVL turns from pink to red in 2025 thanks to BVS, Savi
More than just individual standouts, Van Sickle and Davison proved they could anchor championship-winning systems, elevating everyone around them en route to title runs.
This season, however, their collision course comes under sharply contrasting circumstances as Van Sickle now leads a dramatically retooled Nxled side, one infused with championship experience but still in the process of forging chemistry after a massive offseason overhaul.
Across the net stands Davison and an PLDT squad that largely kept its core intact, banking on continuity and cohesion to remain in the title hunt.
When they meet on the penultimate day of preliminary play, that matchup will determine whether a newly-assembled powerhouse will be able to outpace a well-oiled contender.
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