The EHF Champions League is the most important club handball competition for men's teams in Europe and involves the leading teams from the top European nations. The competition is organised every year by EHF. The official name for the men's competition is the EHF Champions League Men.

EHF Champions League
Upcoming season or competition:
Current sports event 2024–25 EHF Champions League
SportHandball
Founded1956; 68 years ago (1956)
No. of teams16 (Group phase)
CountryEHF members
ConfederationEHF (Europe)
Most recent
champion(s)
Spain FC Barcelona
(12th title)
Most titlesSpain FC Barcelona
(12 titles)
Level on pyramid1
Official websiteehfcl.eurohandball.com

The EHF coefficient rank decides which teams have access and in which stage they enter.

Eligibility and qualifying

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Each year, the EHF publishes a ranking list of its member federations. The first 9 nations are automatically permitted to participate in the tournament with their national champion.[1] The national federation ranked first place in the EHF European League, currently Germany,[2] is awarded a second qualification berth for the domestic runner-up.[3] The remaining six positions are designated through wildcards, with each national federation without two teams already qualified able to submit a single applicant.[3] The wildcards are judged on five criteria: venue, TV, spectators, results in past EHF competitions and product management and digital.[3]

Tournament format

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Each year, the EHF publishes a ranking list of its member federations. The first nine nations are allowed to participate in the tournament with their national champion. In addition, the tenth spot is reserved for the best ranked national federation of the EHF European League Men. The national federations are allowed to request upgrades for their teams eligible to play in the EHF European League and based on the criteria list the EHF Executive Committee approves six upgrades.

The EHF Champions League is divided into four stages. All participating teams enter the competition in the group phase.

The current playing system has been introduced before the 2020/21 season.

Group phase

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Since the 2020/21 season, the format sees two groups formed, with eight teams each in Group A and B. All the teams in each group play each other twice, in home and away matches (14 rounds in total). The first two teams in Groups A and B advance directly to the quarter-finals, while teams from positions three to six in each of these groups proceed to the playoff. The season is over for the last two teams in each group after the completion of the group phase.

Play off

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The pairings for the playoff are decided by the placement of the teams at the end of the group phase (A6 vs B3, B6 vs A3, A5 vs B4 and B5 vs A4). Each pairing is decided via a home and away format, with the aggregate winners over the two legs advancing to the quarter-finals. The higher ranked teams in the group phase have the home right advantage in the second leg.

Quarter-finals

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The pairings for the quarter-finals are also decided by the placement in the group phase (Winner of A5/B4 vs A1, Winner B5/A4 vs B1, Winner A6/B3 vs A2, Winner B6/A3 vs B2). The ties are decided through a home and away format, with the four winners over the two legs played in each pairing advancing to the EHF FINAL4. The higher ranked teams in the group phase have the home right advantage in the second leg.

EHF FINAL4

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The official name for the men's EHF FINAL4 is the EHF FINAL4 Men. The participating EHF FINAL4 teams are paired for the semifinals through a draw and play the last two matches of the season over a single weekend at one venue. The two semi-finals are played on a Saturday, with the third-place game and final on a Sunday.

Brand Sound

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Much like the visual brand identity, the brand sound identity will acoustically connect the various leagues and tournaments which fit under the EHF umbrella. For the EHF Brand Sound, the authors got to the core of "The Sound of Handball" and created a handball sound DNA as the recurring element across all audio-visual applications. The jump shot was identified as the most iconic and defining handball movement.

Through video analysis and motion tracking, the jump shot was extracted into a rhythmic design pattern. There are numerous application opportunities of the brand sound, which will be developed over time. First implementations of the new EHF Brand Sound will be heard in the EHF Champions League. The premium character of this tournament was translated into a modern sound design through a new EHF Champions League sound logo and anthem. Both will come to life in the arena and will consistently complement all audio-visual communications.

The previous anthem for the EHF Champions League is "Hymn of the Champions", used until the end of the 2019/20 season and exclusively written by Austrian film composer Roman Kariolou in 2007. The recording played during the entry ceremony before every game was performed by the Bratislava Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Hernando.[4]

Winners

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European Champions Cup (organised by IHF)

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Year Final Semi-final losers
Champion Score Second place
1956–57
Details
 
Dukla Prague
21–13  
Örebro SK
 
HG Kopenhagen
 
Paris UC
1958–59
Details
 
Redbergslids IK
18–13  
Frisch Auf Göppingen
 
Helsingør IF
 
Dinamo București
1959–60
Details
 
Frisch Auf Göppingen
18–13  
Aarhus GF
 
Dinamo București
 
Paris UC
1961–62
Details
 
Frisch Auf Göppingen
13–11  
Partizan Bjelovar
 
Dukla Prague
 
IK Skovbakken
1962–63
Details
 
Dukla Prague
15–13  
Dinamo București
 
Frisch Auf Göppingen
 
Ajax København
1964–65
Details
 
Dinamo București
13–11  
Medveščak Zagreb
 
Grasshopper
 
Ajax København
1965–66
Details
 
SC DHfK Leipzig
16–14  
Budapest Honvéd
 
Dukla Prague
 
Aarhus GF
1966–67
Details
 
VfL Gummersbach
17–13  
Dukla Prague
 
SK Cuncevo
 
Dinamo București
1967–68
Details
 
Steaua București
13–11  
Dukla Prague
 
Dynamo Berlin
 
Partizan Bjelovar
1969–70
Details
 
VfL Gummersbach
14–11  
Dynamo Berlin
 
Steaua București
 
RK Crvenka
1970–71
Details
 
VfL Gummersbach
17–16  
Steaua București
 
Sporting CP
 
Partizan Bjelovar
1971–72
Details
 
Partizan Bjelovar
19–14  
VfL Gummersbach
 
MAI Moskva
 
Tatran Prešov
1972–73
Details
 
MAI Moskva
26–23  
Partizan Bjelovar
 
SC Leipzig
 
SoIK Hellas
1973–74
Details
 
VfL Gummersbach
19–17  
MAI Moskva
 
Oppsal IF Oslo
 
Červená Hviezda Bratislava
1974–75
Details
 
ASK Frankfurt/Oder
19–17  
Borac Banja Luka
 
VfL Gummersbach
 
Steaua București
1975–76
Details
 
Borac Banja Luka
17–15  
Fredericia KFUM
 
VfL Gummersbach
 
Fredensborg/Ski
1976–77
Details
 
Steaua București
21–20  
CSKA Moscow
 
Fredericia KFUM
 
VfL Gummersbach
1977–78
Details
 
Magdeburg
28–22  
Śląsk Wrocław
 
Honvéd
 
Calpisa
1978–79
Details
 
TV Großwallstadt
30–28
(14–10 / 18–16)
 
Empor Rostock
 
Budapest Honvéd
 
Dinamo București
1979–80
Details
 
TV Großwallstadt
21–12  
Valur
 
Dukla Prague
 
Atlético de Madrid
1980–81
Details
 
Magdeburg
52–43
(25–23 / 29–18)
 
Slovan Ljubljana
 
LUGI HF
 
CSKA Moscow
1981–82
Details
 
Budapest Honvéd
49–34
(25–16 / 18–24)
 
TSV St. Otmar St. Gallen
 
Helsingør IF
 
TV Großwallstadt
1982–83
Details
 
VfL Gummersbach
32–29
(15–19 / 13–14)
 
CSKA Moscow
 
Barcelona
 
Metaloplastika
1983–84
Details
 
Dukla Prague
38–38
(21–17 / 21–17)
 
Metaloplastika
 
VfL Gummersbach
 
Budapest Honvéd
1984–85
Details
 
Metaloplastika
49–32
(19–12 / 20–30)
 
Atlético de Madrid
 
FH
 
Dukla Prague
1985–86
Details
 
Metaloplastika
54–52
(29–24 / 30–23)
 
Wybrzeże Gdańsk
 
Steaua București
 
Atlético de Madrid
1986–87
Details
 
SKA Minsk
62–49
(32–24 / 25–30)
 
Wybrzeże Gdańsk
 
TUSEM Essen
 
Metaloplastika
1987–88
Details
 
CSKA Moscow
36–36
(18–15 / 21–18)
 
TUSEM Essen
 
Metaloplastika
 
Elgorriaga Bidasoa
1988–89
Details
 
SKA Minsk
61–53
(30–24 / 37–23)
 
Steaua București
 
SC Magdeburg
 
HK Drott
1989–90
Details
 
SKA Minsk
53–50
(26–21 / 29–27)
 
Barcelona
 
TUSEM Essen
 
US Créteil Handball
1990–91
Details
 
Barcelona
41–40
(23–21 / 20–17)
 
Proleter Zrenjanin
 
ETİ Bisküvi
 
Dinamo Astrakhan
1991–92
Details
 
Zagreb
50–38
(22–20 / 18–28)
 
TEKA Santander
 
Kolding IF
 
Barcelona
1992–93
Details
 
Zagreb
40–39
(22–17 / 22–18)
 
SG Wallau-Massenheim
 
Vénissieux Handball
 
Barcelona

EHF Champions League

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Year Final Semi-final losers
Champion Score Second place Third place
1993–94
Details
 
TEKA Santander
45–43
(22–22 / 23–21)
 
ABC Braga
 
UHK West Wien
 
USAM Nîmes
1994–95
Details
 
Elgorriaga Bidasoa
56–47
(30–20 / 27–26)
 
Zagreb
 
THW Kiel
 
Cantabria Santander
1995–96
Details
 
Barcelona
46–38
(23–15 / 23–23)
 
Elgorriaga Bidasoa
 
Pfadi Winterthur
 
THW Kiel
1996–97
Details
 
Barcelona
61–45
(31–22 / 23–30)
 
Zagreb
 
RK Celje
 
THW Kiel
1997–98
Details
 
Barcelona
56–40
(28–18 / 22–28)
 
Zagreb
 
TBV Lemgo
 
RK Celje
1998–99
Details
 
Barcelona
51–40
(22–22 / 29–18)
 
Zagreb
 
RK Celje
 
Portland San Antonio
1999–00
Details
 
Barcelona
54–52
(28–25 / 29–24)
 
THW Kiel
 
RK Celje
 
Zagreb
2000–01
Details
 
Portland San Antonio
52–49
(30–24 / 25–22)
 
Barcelona
 
RK Celje
 
THW Kiel
2001–02
Details
 
SC Magdeburg
51–48
(23–21 / 30–25)
 
Veszprém
 
Kolding IF
 
Portland San Antonio
2002–03
Details
 
Montpellier
50–46
(27–19 / 31–19)
 
Portland San Antonio
 
RD Prule 67
 
Veszprém
2003–04
Details
 
RK Celje
62–58
(34–28 / 30–28)
 
Flensburg-Handewitt
 
Ciudad Real
 
SC Magdeburg
2004–05
Details
 
Barcelona
56–55
(28–27 / 29–27)
 
Ciudad Real
 
RK Celje
 
Montpellier
2005–06
Details
 
Ciudad Real
62–47
(19–25 / 37–28)
 
Portland San Antonio
 
Flensburg-Handewitt
 
Veszprém
2006–07
Details
 
THW Kiel
57–55
(28–28 / 29–27)
 
Flensburg-Handewitt
 
Portland San Antonio
 
Valladolid
2007–08
Details
 
Ciudad Real
58–54
(27–29 / 25–31)
 
THW Kiel
 
HSV Hamburg
 
Barcelona
2008–09
Details
 
Ciudad Real
67–66
(39–34 / 33–27)
 
THW Kiel
 
HSV Hamburg
 
Rhein-Neckar Löwen
New Qualifying Format + Third Place Match
2009–10
Details
 
THW Kiel
36–34  
Barcelona
 
Ciudad Real
 
Chekhovskiye Medvedi
2010–11
Details
 
Barcelona
27–24  
Ciudad Real
 
Rhein-Neckar Löwen
 
HSV Hamburg
2011–12
Details
 
THW Kiel
26–21  
Atlético de Madrid
 
AG København
 
Füchse Berlin
2012–13
Details
 
HSV Hamburg
30–29  
Barcelona
 
Vive Kielce
 
THW Kiel
2013–14
Details
 
Flensburg-Handewitt
30–28  
THW Kiel
 
Barcelona
 
Veszprém
2014–15
Details
 
Barcelona
28–23  
Veszprém
 
Vive Kielce
 
THW Kiel
2015–16
Details
 
Vive Kielce
39–38  
Veszprém
 
Paris Saint-Germain
 
THW Kiel
2016–17
Details
 
RK Vardar
24–23  
Paris Saint-Germain
 
Veszprém
 
Barcelona
2017–18
Details
 
Montpellier
32–26  
HBC Nantes
 
Paris Saint-Germain
 
RK Vardar
2018–19
Details
 
RK Vardar
27–24  
Veszprém
 
Barcelona
 
Vive Kielce
2019–20
Details
 
THW Kiel
33–28  
Barcelona
 
Paris Saint-Germain
 
Veszprém
2020–21
Details
 
Barcelona
36–23  
Aalborg Håndbold
 
Paris Saint-Germain
 
HBC Nantes
2021–22
Details
 
Barcelona
37–35  
Vive Kielce
 
THW Kiel
 
Veszprém
2022–23
Details
 
SC Magdeburg
30–29  
Vive Kielce
 
Barcelona
 
Paris Saint-Germain
2023–24
Details
 
Barcelona
31–30  
Aalborg Håndbold
 
THW Kiel
 
SC Magdeburg

Notes:
Bold : Aggregate
Bold-italic : Winner's goals

Records and statistics

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Winning clubs

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Performance in the European Cup/EHF Champions League by club
Club
Winners Runners-up Years won Years runner-up
  Barcelona 12 5 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2011, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2024 1990, 2001, 2010, 2013, 2020
  VfL Gummersbach 5 1 1967, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1983 1972
  THW Kiel 4 4 2007, 2010, 2012, 2020 2000, 2008, 2009, 2014
  SC Magdeburg 4 0 1978, 1981, 2002, 2023
  Dukla Prague 3 2 1957, 1963, 1984 1967, 1968
  Ciudad Real 3 2 2006, 2008, 2009 2005, 2011
  SKA Minsk 3 0 1987, 1989, 1990
  Zagreb 2 4 1992, 1993 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999
  Steaua Bucureşti 2 2 1968, 1977 1971, 1989
  Frisch Auf Göppingen 2 1 1960, 1962 1959
  Metaloplastika 2 1 1985, 1986 1984
  TV Großwallstadt 2 0 1979, 1980
  Montpellier 2 0 2003, 2018
  RK Vardar 2 0 2017, 2019
  Bjelovar 1 2 1972 1962, 1973
  CSKA Moscow 1 2 1988 1977, 1983
  Portland San Antonio 1 2 2001 2003, 2006
  Flensburg-Handewitt 1 2 2014 2004, 2007
  Vive Kielce 1 2 2016 2022, 2023
  Dinamo Bucureşti 1 1 1965 1963
  MAI Moscow 1 1 1973 1974
  Borac Banja Luka 1 1 1976 1975
  Honvéd 1 1 1982 1966
  CB Cantabria 1 1 1994 1992
  Bidasoa Irún 1 1 1995 1996
  Redbergslids IK 1 0 1959
  DHfK Leipzig 1 0 1966
  ASK Frankfurt/Oder 1 0 1975
  Celje 1 0 2004
  HSV Hamburg 1 0 2013
  Veszprém KC 0 4 2002, 2015, 2016, 2019
  Wybrzeże Gdańsk 0 2 1986, 1987
  Aalborg Håndbold 0 2 2021, 2024
  Örebro SK 0 1 1957
  Aarhus GF 0 1 1960
  Medveščak Zagreb 0 1 1965
  Dynamo Berlin 0 1 1970
  Fredericia KFUM 0 1 1976
  Śląsk Wrocław 0 1 1978
  Empor Rostock 0 1 1979
  Valur 0 1 1980
  Slovan Ljubljana 0 1 1981
  TSV St. Otmar St. Gallen 0 1 1982
  Atlético Madrid 0 1 1985
  TUSEM Essen 0 1 1988
  Proleter Zrenjanin 0 1 1991
  Wallau-Massenheim 0 1 1993
  ABC Braga 0 1 1994
  Atlético de Madrid 0 1 2012
  Paris Saint-Germain 0 1 2017
  HBC Nantes 0 1 2018

Performance by country (1957-2024)

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Rank Country Winners Runners-up Semi-finals Total
1   Spain
18
13
19
50
2   Germany
17
10
27
54
3   Soviet Union [A]
5
3
4
12
4   Yugoslavia [B]
4
7
6
17
5   East Germany
4
2
3
9
6   Romania
3
3
7
13
7   Czechoslovakia [C]
3
2
6
11
8   Croatia
2
4
1
7
9   France
2
2
12
16
10   North Macedonia
2
0
1
3
11   Hungary
1
5
9
15
12   Poland
1
5
3
9
13   Sweden
1
1
3
5
14   Slovenia
1
0
7
8
15   Denmark
0
4
11
15
16   Switzerland
0
1
2
3
17   Iceland
0
1
1
2
18   Portugal
0
1
1
2
19   Norway
0
0
2
2
20   Austria
0
0
1
1
21   Russia
0
0
1
1
22   Turkey
0
0
1
1
Total 64 64 128 256

Notes

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Goals scored in the Final Four by nations

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All the goals (3573) scored in the Final Four by the nationality of the players.

Last updated after the 2023/24 season.

Coaches with most titles

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Coach Titles Clubs
# List
  Valero Rivera 6 1 Barcelona 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
  Talant Dujshebaev 4 2 Ciudad Real 2006, 2008, 2009, Kielce 2016
  Xavier Pascual 3 1 Barcelona 2011, 2015, 2021
  Alfreð Gíslason 3 2 Magdeburg 2002, Kiel 2010, 2012
  Spartak Mironovitch 3 1 SKA Minsk 1987, 1989, 1990

*   Horst Dreischang won titles with Gummersbach in 1967 and 1970. He was Gummersbach's coach until 29 January 1971, just after 1st game of Champions League 1/4 finals, which Gummersbach won with 11 goals lead. Gummersbach won the title that year.[25][26]

As Player and Coach combined

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Player/Coach Titles as Player as Coach
# List # List
  Carlos Ortega 8 6 Barcelona 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2005 2 Barcelona 2022, 2024
  Talant Dujshebaev 6 2 CSKA Moscow 1988, Teka Santander 1994 4 Ciudad Real 2006, 2008, 2009, Kielce 2016
  Roberto García Parrondo 3 2 Ciudad Real 2008, 2009 1 Vardar 2019
  Filip Jicha 3 2 THW Kiel 2010, 2012 1 THW Kiel 2020

Sponsorship

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "EHF releases place distribution for 2021/22 European club competitions".
  2. ^ "22 clubs vying for a place in the new EHF Champions League Men season".
  3. ^ a b c "REGULATIONS EHF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE MEN SEASON 2021/22" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 July 2021.
  4. ^ eurohandball.com Hymn of the Champions[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ Kiril Lazarov
  6. ^ Nikola Karabatić
  7. ^ Mikkel Hansen
  8. ^ Timur Dibirov
  9. ^ Momir Ilić
  10. ^ Marko Vujin
  11. ^ Ivan Čupić
  12. ^ Siarhei Rutenka
  13. ^ Alex Dujshebaev
  14. ^ László Nagy
  15. ^ Niclas Ekberg
  16. ^ Zlatko Horvat
  17. ^ Domagoj Duvnjak
  18. ^ Víctor Tomás
  19. ^ Uwe Gensheimer
  20. ^ Jonas Källman
  21. ^ Vid Kavtičnik
  22. ^ Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson
  23. ^ Gašper Marguč
  24. ^ Igor Karačić
  25. ^ "Leseprobe – VFL Gummersbach. Die Chronik by Verlag die Werkstatt - Issuu". 19 November 2015.
  26. ^ "Men Handball European Champions Cup 1971 Winner VFL Gummersbach (FRG)".
  27. ^ "EHF and EHF Marketing strike four-year deal with hummel". www.eurohandball.com. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
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