2024–25 EHF European League

EHF European League
2024–25
Tournament information
SportHandball
Dates31 August 202425 May 2025
TeamsCompetition proper: 32
Total: 42 (from 19 countries)
Websiteehfel.com
Final positions
Champions SG Flensburg-Handewitt
(3rd title)
Runner-up Montpellier Handball
Tournament statistics
Matches played148
Goals scored10,081 (68.11 per match)
MVP Kevin Møller[1]
Top scorer(s) Ian Barrufet
(90 goals)

The 2024–25 EHF European League was the 44th season of Europe's secondary club handball tournament organised by European Handball Federation (EHF), and the 5th season since it was renamed from the EHF Cup to the EHF European League.

The defending champions were SG Flensburg-Handewitt, who won their third title after defeating French side Montpellier Handball in the final.[2]

Format

  • Qualification Round: 20 teams will be drawn into 10 different home and away ties. The 10 winners will advance to the group stage.
  • Group Stage: The 22 teams already qualified along with the 10 winners of the qualification round will be drawn into 8 groups of 4 teams each, where they will play in a double round-robin format. The top 2 teams in each group will progress to the main round. Teams from the same country can't be drawn into the same group.
  • Main Round: The 16 group winners and runners-up will be placed in 4 groups of 4 teams each where they will play a single round-robin. The winners will advance directly to the quarterfinals, while 2nd and 3rd placed teams will qualify for the play-offs.
  • Play-offs: The 2nd and 3rd placed teams from each group in the main round will play in 4 different home and away ties. The winners will progress to the quarterfinals.
  • Quarter-finals: The main round group winners will face a play-off winner to determine who makes it to the European League finals.
  • EL finals: They will be played in a Final 4 format similar to the Champions League.

Rankings

The rankings are based on the performances of each club from a respective country from a three year period.

  • Associations 1–2 can have four clubs qualify.
  • Associations 3–9 can have three clubs qualify.
  • Associations 10–18 can have two clubs qualify.
  • Associations below the top 18 are allowed to enter apply one club for a potential wildcard.

Qualified teams

The full list of teams qualified for each stage of the 2024–25 EHF European League was announced on 9 July 2024.[4][5]

The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:

  • EL: European League title holders
  • EC: European Cup title holders
  • CW: Cup winners
  • CR: Cup runners-up
  • 4th, 5th, etc.: League position of the previous season
Group stage
SG Flensburg-Handewitt (3rd)EL FC Porto (2nd) Montpellier Handball (3rd) RK Nexe (2nd)
GOG Håndbold (3rd, CW) Kadetten Schaffhausen (1st) CD Bidasoa Irun (2nd) IK Sävehof (1st)
Górnik Zabrze (3rd) CSM Constanța (2nd) RK Gorenje Velenje (1st) Vardar 1961 (2nd)
MOL-Tatabánya KC (3rd) FH Hafnarfjarðar (1st) HT Tatran Prešov (1st, CW) THW Kiel (4th)
SL Benfica (3rd) MRK Sesvete (3rd, CR) Fenix Toulouse Handball (4th) Bathco Torrelavega (11th, CR)
KGHM Chrobry Głogów (4th) RK Vojvodina (1st)WC
Qualification round
MT Melsungen (5th) ABC Braga (4th) Bjerringbro-Silkeborg (4th) HC Kriens-Luzern (2nd)
Fraikin BM Granollers (3rd) Ystads IF (2nd) RK Trimo Trebnje (2nd, CW) Valur (3rd, CW)EC
VfL Gummersbach (6th) Maritimo da Madeira Andebol SAD (5th) GC Amicitia Zürich (3rd) IFK Kristianstad (3rd)
Limoges Handball (5th) Mors-Thy Håndbold (5th) Abanca Ademar León (5th) RK Spačva Vinkovci (4th)
FTC-Green Collect (4th) Elverum Håndball (2nd) RK Izviđač (1st) HCB Karviná (1st)
  • WC Accepted Wildcard

Schedule

All draws were held at the EHF headquarters in Vienna, Austria.

Phase Round Draw date Round date[5]
Qualification round First leg 16 July 2024 31 August–1 September 2024
Second leg 6–8 September 2024
Group stage Matchday 1 19 July 2024 8 October 2024
Matchday 2 15 October 2024
Matchday 3 22 October 2024
Matchday 4 29 October 2024
Matchday 5 19 November 2024
Matchday 6 26 November 2024
Main Round Matchday 7 11 February 2025
Matchday 8 18 February 2025
Matchday 9 25 February 2025
Matchday 10 4 March 2025
Play offs First leg no draw 25 March 2025
Second leg 1 April 2025
Quarterfinals First leg no draw 22 April 2025
Second leg 29 April 2025
Final four Semi-finals TBD 24 May 2025
Final and Third place game 25 May 2025

Draw

The draw took place on the at 11:00 CET in Vienna on 19 July 2024.[6][7] The only restriction was that no clubs from the same country cannot be in the same group.

Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4

SG Flensburg-Handewitt
FC Porto
Montpellier Handball
RK Nexe
GOG Håndbold
Kadetten Schaffhausen
CD Bidasoa Irun
IK Sävehof

Górnik Zabrze
CSM Constanța
RK Gorenje Velenje
Vardar 1961
MOL-Tatabánya KC
FH Hafnarfjarðar
HT Tatran Prešov
THW Kiel

SL Benfica
MRK Sesvete
Fenix Toulouse Handball
Bathco BM Torrelavega
KGHM Chrobry Głogów
Play Off Winner 1[A]
Play Off Winner 2[B]
Play Off Winner 3[C]

Play Off Winner 4[D]
Play Off Winner 5[E]
Play Off Winner 6[F]
Play Off Winner 7[G]
Play Off Winner 8[H]
Play Off Winner 9[I]
RK Vojvodina
Special play off winner[J]

Qualification round

The draw for the qualification round was conducted on 16 July 2024.[4][8] The first legs will be held on 31 August to 1 September 2024 while the second legs will be held on 6–7 September 2024.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
ABC Braga 50–52 Abanca Ademar León 23–21 27–31
MT Melsungen 64–54 Elverum Håndball 28–23 36–31
RK Trimo Trebnje 56–63 Limoges Handball 32–28 24–35
HC Kriens-Luzern 71–69 GC Amicitia Zürich 37–31 34–38
Mors-Thy Håndbold 52–74 VfL Gummersbach 22–35 30–39
Valur 58–57 RK Spačva Vinkovci 34–25 24–32
IFK Kristianstad 57–62 Fraikin BM Granollers 29–32 28–30
Bjerringbro-Silkeborg 77–61 FTC-Green Collect 45–27 32–34
Ystads IF 72–66 Maritimo da Madeira Andebol SAD 39–31 33–35
Special Qualification Play off

Unlike the other Play offs, the losers of this tie will drop down to the European Cup.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
HCB Karviná 59–54 RK Izviđač 33–22 26–32

Group stage

The draw for the group stage was conducted on 19 July 2024 at the EHF office in Vienna.

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:

Tiebreakers
  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

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification LUZ GOG GOR ADE
1 HC Kriens-Luzern 6 5 0 1 196 181 +15 10 Main Round 32–30 30–25 34–30
2 GOG Håndbold 6 4 1 1 198 168 +30 9 39–36 31–21 36–23
3 RK Gorenje Velenje 6 1 1 4 160 186 −26 3 27–33 35–35 28–25
4 Abanca Ademar León 6 1 0 5 161 180 −19 2 30–31 21–27 32–24
Source: EHF

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MON GRA SIL ZAB
1 Montpellier Handball 6 6 0 0 193 145 +48 12 Main Round 34–25 40–26 30–25
2 Fraikin BM Granollers 6 3 0 3 194 186 +8 6 24–28 36–27 41–30
3 Bjerringbro-Silkeborg 6 2 1 3 165 193 −28 5 22–34 35–32 30–26
4 Górnik Zabrze 6 0 1 5 161 189 −28 1 23–27 32–36 25–25
Source: EHF

Group C

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification BEN LIM KAD TAT
1 SL Benfica 6 5 0 1 190 163 +27 10 Main Round 37–31 39–32 36–23
2 Limoges Handball 6 4 0 2 198 170 +28 8 36–28 27–31 31–24
3 Kadetten Schaffhausen 6 3 0 3 195 187 +8 6 25–26 29–39 39–26
4 HT Tatran Prešov 6 0 0 6 140 203 −63 0 16–24 21–34 30–39
Source: EHF

Group D

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification BID YST GLO CON
1 CD Bidasoa Irun 6 4 1 1 199 176 +23 9 Main Round 35–32 33–33 37–25
2 Ystads IF 6 3 1 2 196 179 +17 7 23–29 36–30 38–29
3 KGHM Chrobry Głogów 6 2 1 3 187 201 −14 5 28–35 27–38 37–33
4 CSM Constanța 6 1 1 4 177 203 −26 3 35–30 29–29 26–32
Source: EHF

Group E

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification KIE VOJ TOR NEX
1 THW Kiel 6 6 0 0 200 174 +26 12 Main Round 37–35 32–27 31–28
2 RK Vojvodina 6 4 0 2 194 186 +8 8 28–32 31–30 31–26
3 Bathco BM Torrelavega 6 0 2 4 172 188 −16 2 30–33 26–33 32–32
4 RK Nexe 6 0 2 4 174 192 −18 2 26–35 35–36 27–27
Source: EHF

Group F

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MEL POR VAR VAL
1 MT Melsungen 6 5 0 1 194 150 +44 10 Main Round 32–27 34–18 36–21
2 FC Porto 6 3 1 2 178 163 +15 7 24–29 37–24 37–29
3 RK Vardar 6 2 1 3 163 187 −24 5 32–30 22–26 33–26
4 Valur 6 0 2 4 165 200 −35 2 28–33 27–27 34–34
Source: EHF

Group G

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification FLE TAT KAR SES
1 SG Flensburg-Handewitt 6 6 0 0 234 173 +61 12 Main Round 44–27 36–33 42–25
2 MOL-Tatabánya KC 6 3 1 2 174 193 −19 7 29–39 28–27 28–25
3 HCB Karviná 6 1 1 4 177 203 −26 3 31–41 31–31 32–29
4 MRK Sesvete 6 1 0 5 172 188 −16 2 28–32 27–31 38–23
Source: EHF

Group H

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification GUM FEN SAV FH
1 VfL Gummersbach 6 5 0 1 200 162 +38 10 Main Round 33–26 37–35 32–24
2 Fenix Toulouse Handball 6 4 0 2 190 182 +8 8 31–30 30–33 37–30
3 IK Sävehof 6 2 0 4 184 192 −8 4 25–28 31–37 30–26
4 FH Hafnarfjarðar 6 1 0 5 160 198 −38 2 21–40 25–29 34–30
Source: EHF

Main round

In the Main Round, the remaining sixteen teams played in four groups of four. Teams were matched with two opponents they had not previously played against in the Group Stage, while points against the teams that advanced from the same group were carried over. At the end of the Main Round, the four group winners advanced to the Quarterfinals, while 2nd- and 3rd-placed teams from each group qualified for the Play-offs.

Group I

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MON GOG LUZ GRA
1 Montpellier Handball 6 5 0 1 182 168 +14 10 Quarterfinals 30–28 31–27 34–25
2 GOG Håndbold 6 3 1 2 198 192 +6 7 Play Offs 33–27 39–36 32–31
3 HC Kriens-Luzern 6 2 0 4 198 205 −7 4 31–32 32–30 43–42
4 Fraikin BM Granollers 6 1 1 4 189 202 −13 3 24–28 36–36 31–29
Source: EHF

Group II

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification BID LIM BEN YST
1 CD Bidasoa Irun 6 4 0 2 188 177 +11 8[a] Quarterfinals 35–30 28–27 35–32
2 Limoges Handball 6 4 0 2 196 193 +3 8[a] Play Offs 32–31 36–28 31–30
3 SL Benfica 6 3 0 3 194 193 +1 6 33–30 37–31 36–31
4 Ystads IF 6 1 0 5 185 200 −15 2 23–29 32–36 37–33
Source: EHF
Notes:
  1. ^ a b CD Bidasoa Irun 66–62 Limoges Handball

Group III

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification KIE MEL POR VOJ
1 THW Kiel 6 5 1 0 197 165 +32 11 Quarterfinals 35−24 32−22 37−35
2 MT Melsungen 6 3 2 1 173 167 +6 8 Play Offs 26−26 32−27 26−26
3 FC Porto 6 2 0 4 170 178 −8 4 30−35 24−29 29−20
4 RK Vojvodina 6 0 1 5 168 198 −30 1 28–32 29−36 30−38
Source: EHF

Group IV

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification FLE FEN GUM TAT
1 SG Flensburg-Handewitt 6 4 2 0 220 186 +34 10 Quarterfinals 34−34 32−30 44−27
2 Fenix Toulouse Handball 6 3 2 1 194 191 +3 8 Play Offs 35−35 31−30 35−28
3 VfL Gummersbach 6 3 0 3 201 181 +20 6 31−36 33−26 33−27
4 MOL-Tatabánya KC 6 0 0 6 171 228 −57 0 29−39 31−33 29−44
Source: EHF

Knockout stage

In the play-offs, eight teams ranked 2nd and 3rd in Main Round Groups I through IV played against each other in home-and-away matches.

The four winning teams advanced to the Quarterfinals, where they were joined by winners of Main Round Groups I through IV for another round of home-and-away matches.

The four Quarterfinal winners qualified for the Final Four tournament.

Play-offs

Overview

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
HC Kriens-Luzern 64–65 Limoges Handball 36–29 28–36
VfL Gummersbach 54-55 MT Melsungen 29–26 25-29
SL Benfica 64–65 GOG Håndbold 33–31 31–34
FC Porto 63–58 Fenix Toulouse Handball 35–28 28–30
Matches
25 March 2025
18:45 CET (UTC+1)
HC Kriens-Luzern 36–29 Limoges Handball Sursee Stadthalle, Sursee
Attendance: 2,200
Referees: Kull, Tint (EST)
Sigrist 11 (17–14) Turchenko, Monteiro 5
 2× Report  4×
1 April 2025
18:45 CET (UTC+1)
Limoges Handball 36–28 HC Kriens-Luzern Palais des Sports de Beaublanc, Limoges
Attendance: 3,000
Referees: Bozhinovski, Nachevski (MKD)
Turchenko 10 (16–16) Šipić 6
 3× Report  2×

25 March 2025
18:45 CET (UTC+1)
VfL Gummersbach 29–26 MT Melsungen Schwalbe-Arena, Gummersbach
Attendance: 2,928
Referees: Bolić, Hurich (AUT)
Schluroff 10 (15–13) Krištopāns 7
 6× Report  3×
1 April 2025
20:45 CET (UTC+1)
MT Melsungen 29–25 VfL Gummersbach Rothenbach-Halle, Kassel
Attendance: 2,851
Referees: Borge, Nygren (NOR)
Kastening 7 (14–13) Vujović, Pregler 5
 4× 1× Report  6×

25 March 2025
20:45 WET (UTC+0)
SL Benfica 33–31 GOG Håndbold Pavilhão da Luz Nº 2, Lisbon
Attendance: 482
Referees: Sekulić, Jovandić (SRB)
Izquierdo 7 (17–15) Tilsted 8
 3× Report  6× 1×
1 April 2025
18:45 CET (UTC+1)
GOG Håndbold 34–31 SL Benfica Arena Svendborg, Svendborg
Attendance: 3,016
Referees: Ivanović, Vujisić (MNE)
Grøndahl 10 (15–15) Grigoraș 7
 3× Report  3× 1×

25 March 2025
20:45 WET (UTC+0)
FC Porto 35–28 Fenix Toulouse Handball Dragão Arena, Porto
Attendance: 873
Referees: Vešović, Mitrović (MNE)
Veitia Valdés 8 (16–16) Jarry 8
 3× Report  1×
1 April 2025
20:45 CET (UTC+1)
Fenix Toulouse Handball 30–28 FC Porto Palais des Sports André-Brouat, Toulouse
Attendance: 4,000
Referees: Jović, Arnautović (BIH)
Feuchtmann 8 (12–12) Veitia Valdés 5
Report  2×

Quarterfinals

Overview

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
FC Porto 61–65 Montpellier Handball 29–30 32–35
MT Melsungen 60–49 CD Bidasoa Irun 28–27 32–22
Limoges Handball 56–61 THW Kiel 26–26 30–35
GOG Håndbold 55–64 SG Flensburg-Handewitt 26–29 29–35
Matches
22 April 2025
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)
FC Porto 29–30 Montpellier Handball Dragão Arena, Porto
Attendance: 1,262
Referees: Erdogan, Özdeniz (TUR)
Veitia Valdés 6 (11–14) Monte Dos Santos 8
 2× Report  1×
29 April 2025
CET (UTC+1)
Montpellier Handball 35–32 FC Porto FDI Stadium, Montpellier
Attendance: 3,000
Referees: Thiyagarajah, Thiyagarajah (GER)
Simonet 7 (18–15) Caldeira Brandão 5
 1× Report  3×

22 April 2025
18:45
MT Melsungen 28–27 CD Bidasoa Irun Rothenbach-Halle, Kassel
Attendance: 2,907
Referees: Leszczynski, Piechota (POL)
Barrufet 6 (15–13) Nieto 6
 1× Report  3×
29 April 2025
CET (UTC+1)
CD Bidasoa Irun 22–32 MT Melsungen Polideportivo Artaleku, Irún
Attendance: 2,000
Referees: Gasmi, Gasmi (FRA)
three players 4 (8–15) Barrufet 9
 2× Report  5×

22 April 2025
CET (UTC+1)
Limoges Handball 26–26 THW Kiel Palais des Sports de Beaublanc, Limoges
Attendance: 4,798
Referees: Cindrić, Gonzurek (CRO)
El-Deraa 6 (16–13) Madsen, Imre 5
 2× Report  1×
29 April 2025
CET (UTC+1)
THW Kiel 35–30 Limoges Handball Wunderino Arena, Kiel
Attendance: 6,294
Referees: Andorka, Hucker (HUN)
Johansson 7 (16–15) Yusuf 7
 5× Report  5×

22 April 2025
CET (UTC+1)
GOG Håndbold 26–29 SG Flensburg-Handewitt Arena Svendborg, Svendborg
Attendance: 3,579
Referees: Mandák, Rudinský (SVK)
Grøndahl 7 (15–15) Jørgensen, Jakobsen 7
 2× Report  4×
29 April 2025
CET (UTC+1)
SG Flensburg-Handewitt 35–29 GOG Håndbold GP JOULE Arena, Flensburg
Attendance: 5,250
Referees: Mikelič, Paradina (CRO)
Møller 9 (17–12) Grøndahl 8
 3× Report  3× 1×

Final Four

The Final Four tournament was held at the Barclays Arena in Hamburg, Germany.

Bracket

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
24 May
 
 
THW Kiel31
 
25 May
 
Montpellier Handball32
 
Montpellier Handball25
 
24 May
 
SG Flensburg-Handewitt32
 
MT Melsungen34
 
 
SG Flensburg-Handewitt35
 
Third place
 
 
25 May
 
 
THW Kiel37
 
 
MT Melsungen31

Semifinals

24 May 2025
15:00
MT Melsungen 34–35 SG Flensburg-Handewitt Barclays Arena, Hamburg
Attendance: 11,000
Referees: Erdogan, Özdeniz (TUR)
Kastening 8 (15−16) Jakobsen 9
 2× Report  4×

24 May 2025
18:00
THW Kiel 31–32 Montpellier Handball Barclays Arena, Hamburg
Attendance: 11,000
Referees: Pavicevic, Raznatovic (MNE)
Johansson, Zerbe 7 (17−16) Karlsson 8
 2× Report  2×

Third place game

25 May 2025
15:00
THW Kiel 37–31 MT Melsungen Barclays Arena, Hamburg
Attendance: 12,000
Referees: Andorka, Hucker (HUN)
Madsen 12 (18−18) Drosten 6
 2× 1× Report  2× 1×

Final

25 May 2025
18:00
Montpellier Handball 25–32 SG Flensburg-Handewitt Barclays Arena, Hamburg
Attendance: 12,000
Referees: A. Konjicanin, D. Konjicanin (BIH)
Monte 6 (13−19) Jørgensen 10
 1× Report  1×

Top goalscorers

Rank Player Club Goals[10]
1 Ian Barrufet MT Melsungen 90
2 Ihor Turchenko Limoges Handball 89
3 Luca Sigrist HC Kriens-Luzern 87
4 Tobias Grøndahl GOG Håndbold 79
5 Marin Šipić HC Kriens-Luzern 78
6 Seif El-Deraa Limoges Handball 75
7 Miro Schluroff VfL Gummersbach 74
8 Antonio García Fraikin BM Granollers 71
9 Emil Madsen THW Kiel 67
10 Kristian Olsen Ystads IF 65

Notes

  1. ^ The eventual team in this slot was Abanca Ademar León.
  2. ^ The eventual team in this slot was MT Melsungen.
  3. ^ The eventual team in this slot was Limoges Handball.
  4. ^ The eventual team in this slot was HC Kriens-Luzern.
  5. ^ The eventual team in this slot was VfL Gummersbach.
  6. ^ The eventual team in this slot was Valur.
  7. ^ The eventual team in this slot was Fraikin BM Granollers.
  8. ^ The eventual team in this slot was Bjerringbro-Silkeborg.
  9. ^ The eventual team in this slot was Ystads IF.
  10. ^ The eventual team in this slot was HCB Karviná.

See also

References

  1. ^ Pazen, Björn (26 May 2025). "Kevin Møller: As a kid, I dreamt of moments like this". EHF European League. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  2. ^ "Danish world champions help Flensburg seal back-to-back titles in the EHF European League Men". International Handball Federation. 25 May 2025. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  3. ^ https://www.eurohandball.com/media/lf0hvm1g/placedistribution_final_24_25_men.pdf
  4. ^ a b "Seedings set for 2024/25 EHF European League Men draw". ehfel.eurohandball.com.
  5. ^ a b https://www.eurohandball.com/media/2rtiwitv/ehfel_men_system_2024_25.pdf
  6. ^ "Path through European League Men 2024/25 group matches to be set". ehfel.eurohandball.com.
  7. ^ "Elite sides learn EHF European League group matches fate". ehfel.eurohandball.com.
  8. ^ "EHF European League Men qualification picture is complete". ehfel.eurohandball.com.
  9. ^ "Season's first EHF EL draw takes place on Tuesday". www.eurohandball.com.
  10. ^ "2024−25 Player Stats". ehfel.eurohandball.com.