2025–26 EHF Champions League

This article is about the men's competition. For the women's competition, see 2025–26 Women's EHF Champions League.
EHF Champions League
2025–26
Tournament information
SportHandball
Dates10 September 2025–14 June 2026
Teams16
Websiteehfcl.com

The 2025–26 EHF Champions League will be the 66th edition of Europe's premier club handball tournament, running from 10 September 2025 to 14 June 2026.

SC Magdeburg are the defending champions.

Format

The tournament will run using the same format as the previous three seasons. The competition begins with a group stage featuring sixteen teams divided into two groups. Matches are played in a double round-robin system with home-and-away fixtures, fourteen in total for each team. In Groups A and B, the top two teams automatically qualify for the quarter-finals, with teams ranked third to sixth entering the playoff round.

The knockout stage includes four rounds: the playoffs, quarter-finals, and a final-four tournament comprising two semifinals and the final. In the playoffs, eight teams are paired against each other in two-legged home-and-away matches (third-placed in group A plays sixth-placed group B; fourth-placed group A plays fifth-placed group B, etc.). The four aggregate winners of the playoffs advance to the quarterfinals, joining the top-two teams of Groups A and B. The eight quarterfinalist teams are paired against each other in two-legged home-and-away matches, with the four aggregate winners qualifying to the final-four tournament.

In the final four tournament, the semifinals and the final are played as single matches at a pre-selected host venue.

Association ranking

Ten of the sixteen teams competing in the group stage will be determined through the EHF association ranking for the 2024–25 season, based on the results of the three previous seasons.[1] The remaining six places will be awarded as wildcards.

  • Associations ranked 1–9 have their league champion qualify for the group stage and can apply their league runner-up for a wildcard.
  • The best-ranked association in the EHF European League can have its league champion and runner-up qualify for the group stage, but cannot apply for a wildcard.
  • Associations ranked outside the top nine can only have their league champion apply for a wildcard.

Participating teams

The first ten teams were revealed on 18 June 2025.[3] The full list was announced on 24 June 2025.[4]

Croatia RK Zagreb (1st) Denmark Aalborg Håndbold (1st) Spain Barcelona (1st) France Paris Saint-Germain (1st)
Germany Füchse Berlin (1st) Germany SC Magdeburg (2nd) Hungary One Veszprém (1st) Poland Orlen Wisła Płock (1st)
Portugal Sporting CP (1st) Romania CS Dinamo București (1st) Denmark GOG Håndbold (2nd) WC France HBC Nantes (2nd) WC
Hungary SC Pick Szeged (2nd) WC North Macedonia RK Eurofarm Pelister (1st) WC Norway Kolstad Håndball (1st) WC Poland Industria Kielce (2nd) WC
  • WC Accepted wildcards

Rejected wildcards

Portugal FC Porto (2nd) Slovenia RD LL Grosist Slovan (1st) Switzerland Kadetten Schaffhausen (1st)

Group stage

Location of teams of the 2025–26 EHF Champions League group stage.
Red: Group A; Blue: Group B.
Main article: 2025–26 EHF Champions League group stage

The 16 teams were drawn into two groups of eight. Teams from the same national association could not be drawn into the same group. The draw took place on 27 June 2025.[4][5]

In the group stage, teams were ranked according to points (2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). After completion of the group stage, if two or more teams have scored the same number of points, the ranking will be determined as follows:

  1. Highest number of points in matches between the teams directly involved;
  2. Superior goal difference in matches between the teams directly involved;
  3. Highest number of goals scored in matches between the teams directly involved;
  4. Superior goal difference in all matches of the group;
  5. Highest number of plus goals in all matches of the group;
  6. Drawing of Lots

A total of 11 national associations were represented in the group stage. GOG Håndbold came back after a year absence.

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification AAL BER VES KIE NAN SPO BUC KOL
1 Denmark Aalborg Håndbold 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Quarterfinals — 4–5 Mar 10 Sep 19 Nov 26 Nov 24 Sep 15 Oct 18–19 Feb
2 Germany Füchse Berlin 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 Sep — 27 Nov 25–26 Feb 11–12 Mar 20 Nov 9 Oct 16 Oct
3 Hungary Telekom Veszprém 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Playoffs 11–12 Mar 23 Oct — 9 Oct 18 Sep 4 Dec 25–26 Feb 19 Nov
4 Poland Industria Kielce 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 Nov 25 Sep 18–19 Feb — 15 Oct 4–5 Mar 26 Nov 11 Sep
5 France HBC Nantes 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 22 Oct 11 Sep 4–5 Mar 4 Dec — 18–19 Feb 13 Nov 24 Sep
6 Portugal Sporting CP 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 25–26 Feb 13 Nov 16 Oct 18 Sep 8 Oct — 11–12 Mar 27 Nov
7 Romania CS Dinamo București 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 Dec 18–19 Feb 24 Sep 23 Oct 20 Nov 10 Sep — 4–5 Mar
8 Norway Kolstad Håndball 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 Oct 4 Dec 12 Nov 11–12 Mar 25–26 Feb 22 Oct 17 Sep —
First match(es) will be played: 10 September 2025. Source: EHF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification PLO BAR PAR GOG MAG SZE ZAG PEL
1 Poland Orlen Wisła Płock 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Quarterfinals — 23 Oct 15 Oct 8 Dec 25–26 Feb 11–12 Mar 17 Sep 8 Oct
2 Spain Barça 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 Nov — 7 Dec 11 Sep 18 Sep 9 Oct 25–26 Feb 11–12 Mar
3 France Paris Saint-Germain 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Playoffs 27 Nov 19 Nov — 23 Oct 11–12 Mar 25–26 Feb 9 Oct 18 Sep
4 Denmark GOG Håndbold 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 Nov 27 Nov 12 Nov — 8 Oct 17 Sep 11–12 Mar 25–26 Feb
5 Germany SC Magdeburg 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 25 Sep 4–5 Mar 10 Sep 18–19 Feb — 12 Nov 8 Dec 23 Oct
6 Hungary SC Pick Szeged 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 Sep 18–19 Feb 25 Sep 4–5 Mar 15 Oct — 27 Nov 20 Nov
7 Croatia RK Zagreb 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4–5 Mar 25 Sep 18–19 Feb 16 Oct 19 Nov 22 Oct — 7 Dec
8 North Macedonia RK Eurofarm Pelister 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18–19 Feb 15 Oct 4–5 Mar 24 Sep 26 Nov 12 Nov 10 Sep —
First match(es) will be played: 10 September 2025. Source: EHF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Knockout stage

Playoffs

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
B6 M1 A3 1–2 Apr 8–9 Apr
A6 M2 B3 1–2 Apr 8–9 Apr
B5 M3 A4 1–2 Apr 8–9 Apr
A5 M4 B4 1–2 Apr 8–9 Apr

Quarterfinals

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
M4 – A1 29–30 Apr 6–7 May
M3 – B1 29–30 Apr 6–7 May
M2 – A2 29–30 Apr 6–7 May
M1 – B2 29–30 Apr 6–7 May

Final four

The final four will held at the Lanxess Arena, Cologne, Germany on 13 and 14 June 2026.

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
13 June
 
 
 
 
14 June
 
 
 
 
 
13 June
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Third place
 
 
14 June
 
 
 
 
 
 

See also

References

  1. ^ https://www.eurohandball.com/en/news/en/place-distribution-released-for-202526-season/
  2. ^ "EHF Club Competitions 2025/26" (PDF). eurohandball.com. 2 August 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  3. ^ "19 clubs registered for Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2025/26". eurohandball.com. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  4. ^ a b "EHF confirms upgrades to EHF Champions League". eurohandball.com. 24 June 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  5. ^ "EHF Champions League 2025/26 takes shape after group phase draws". EHF. 27 June 2025.
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