2025–26 Women's EHF Champions League

This article is about the men's competition. For the men's competition, see 2025–26 EHF Champions League.

The 2025–26 Women's EHF Champions League will be the 33rd edition of Europe's premier club handball tournament, running from September 2025 to June 2026.

Women's EHF Champions League

2025–26
Tournament information
Sport	Handball
Dates	September 2025–June 2026
Teams	16
Website	ehfcl.com
← 2024–25 2026–27 →

Győri Audi ETO KC are the defending champions

Format

The tournament will use the same format as the previous seasons. The competition begins with a group stage featuring sixteen teams divided into two groups. Matches will be 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 3rd to 6th enter the playoff round.

The knockout stage include four rounds: the playoffs, quarter-finals, and a final-four tournament comprising two semifinals and the final. In the playoffs, eight teams will be 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 will be 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 will be played as single matches at a pre-selected host venue.

Rankings

The rankings are based on the performances from the three most recent seasons.^[1]

• Associations 1–9 have their league champion qualify for the group stage and apply up to two wildcards.
• The best-ranked association in the Women's EHF European League can have its league champion and runner-up qualified for the group stage and can apply for one wildcard.
• Associations below the top 9 have their league champion apply for a wildcard.

Rank[2] Association Average points Teams 1 Hungary 210.33 3 2 Norway 198.33 2 3 Denmark 154.67 3 4 France 143.33 2 5 Romania 113.00 6 Russia 113.00 0 7 Germany 99.33 1 8 Slovenia 86.33 9 Montenegro 46.67

Rank Association Average points Teams 10 Sweden 29.00 0 11 Turkey 27.50 12 Croatia 27.50 1 13 Poland 26.00 0 14 Czech Republic 26.00 15 All other associations 0.00

Ranking facts

Biggest rise
Pos	Team	Ori	New	Move
1	Denmark	5	3	+2
	Germany	9	7
2	Hungary	2	1	+1
	Romania	6	5
	Sweden	11	10

Biggest fall
Pos	Team	Ori	New	Move
1	Russia	4	6	–2
	Croatia	10	12
2	Norway	2	1	–1
	France	5	4
	Slovenia	7	8
	Montenegro	8	9
	Czech Republic	13	14

New entries
Poland

Entries leaving
None

Teams

19 teams applied for a place, with nine having a fixed place.^[3] The final list was announced on 24 June 2025.^[4]

The fixed place for Russia was vacant since the country and its clubs were not admitted to participate in the EHF competitions due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[5]

On 5 August 2025, after previously monitoring HB Ludwigsburg's financial situation,^[6] the EHF decided to disqualify them after they failed to raise enough funds to play in the Champions League. They would be replaced by Sola HK.^[7][8]

Participating teams

Entry round		Teams
Fixed spots		Győri Audi ETO KC (1st)	Storhamar HE (1st)	Team Esbjerg (2nd)	Odense Håndbold (1st)
		Metz Handball (1st)	CSM București (1st)	RK Krim Mercator (1st)	OTP Group Budućnost (1st)
Wildcards		FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria (2nd)	DVSC Schaeffler (4th)	Sola HK (2nd)	Ikast Håndbold (3rd)
		Brest Bretagne Handball (2nd)	CS Gloria Bistrița (3rd)	Borussia Dortmund (2nd)	HC Podravka Vegeta (1st)

Rejected upgrades

Tertnes HE (5th)

CS Minaur Baia Mare (4th)

Withdrawn

HB Ludwigsburg (1st)

Group stage

Podravka

Esbjerg

Odense

Ikast

Brest

Metz

Dortmund

Győr

FTC

DVSC

Budućnost

Storhamar

Sola

București

Gloria

Krim

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

Main article: 2025–26 Women's EHF Champions League group stage

The 16 teams were drawn into two groups of eight. The draw took place on 27 June 2025.^[4][9]

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 was 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

This season, nine national associations are present. Sola HK will make their debut this season. Borussia Dortmund made their return to the Champions League for the first time since 2021–22. Ikast Håndbold and DVSC Schaeffler return after a one edition absence.

Group A

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		STO	MET	GYO	LUD	ESB	BIS	BUD	DEB
1	Storhamar HE	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Quarterfinals		—
2	Metz Handball	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0				—
3	Győri Audi ETO KC	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Playoffs				—
4	Borussia Dortmund	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0						—
5	Team Esbjerg	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0							—
6	CS Gloria Bistrița	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0								—
7	OTP Group Budućnost	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0									—
8	DVSC Schaeffler	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0										—

First match(es) will be played: 6 September 2025. Source: EHF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group B

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		SOL	ODE	BUC	BRE	FER	KOP	KRI	IKA
1	Sola HK	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Quarterfinals		—
2	Odense Håndbold	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0				—
3	CSM București	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Playoffs				—
4	Brest Bretagne Handball	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0						—
5	FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0							—
6	HC Podravka Vegeta	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0								—
7	RK Krim Mercator	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0									—
8	Ikast Håndbold	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0										—

First match(es) will be played: 6 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	21–22 Mar	28–29 Mar
A6	M2	B3	21–22 Mar	28–29 Mar
B5	M3	A4	21–22 Mar	28–29 Mar
A5	M4	B4	21–22 Mar	28–29 Mar

Quarterfinals

Team 1	Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
M4	–	A1	18–19 Apr	25–26 Apr
M3	–	B1	18–19 Apr	25–26 Apr
M2	–	A2	18–19 Apr	25–26 Apr
M1	–	B2	18–19 Apr	25–26 Apr

Final four

The final four will held at the MVM Dome, Budapest, Hungary on 6 and 7 June 2026.

	Semi-finals				Final
	6 June
					7 June
	6 June
					Third place
					7 June

See also

• 2025–26 EHF Champions League
• 2025–26 EHF European League
• 2025–26 EHF European Cup
• 2025–26 Women's EHF European League
• 2025–26 Women's EHF European Cup