European Aquatics Champions League
| Current season, competition or edition: 2024–25 European Aquatics Champions League | |
| Formerly | European Cup Euroleague |
|---|---|
| Sport | Water polo |
| Founded | 1963 |
| President | Paolo Barelli |
| No. of teams | 24 (preliminary stage) 16 (group stage) |
| Country | LEN members |
| Continent | Europe |
| Most recent champion(s) | Ferencváros (3rd title) |
| Most titles | Pro Recco (11 titles) |
| Level on pyramid | 1st Tier (Europe) |
| Official website | championsleague.len.eu |
The European Aquatics Champions League is the top-tier European professional water polo club competition with teams from up to 18 countries. It is organized by the Ligue Européenne de Natation.
The competition started in 1963 as European Cup. A change of name and format occurred in 1996, with the competition being renamed Champions League and the final four system being established as the format of choice, for the first time during the 1996–97 LEN Champions League. From 2003 to 2011 the competition was named LEN Euroleague (with the change of name being simply a re-branding) and from 2011 to 2024 was named the LEN Champions League. From 2024, after LEN was renamed to European Aquatics, the new name is the European Aquatics Champions League.
LEN Champions League is the most popular water polo league in the European continent. It has been won by 24 clubs, 10 of which have won the title more than once. The most successful club in the competition is Pro Recco, with eleven titles. The current European champion is Ferencváros, who won their second title after defeating Pro Recco in the 2023–24 LEN Champions League Final in Valletta.
History
Names of the competition
- 1963–1996: European Cup
- 1996–2003: Champions League
- 2003–2011: LEN Euroleague
- 2011–present: LEN Champions League
Title holders
- 1963–64 Partizan
- 1964–65 Pro Recco
- 1965–66 Partizan
- 1966–67 Partizan
- 1967–68 Mladost
- 1968–69 Mladost
- 1969–70 Mladost
- 1970–71 Partizan
- 1971–72 Mladost
- 1972–73 OSC Budapest
- 1973–74 MGU Moscow
- 1974–75 Partizan
- 1975–76 Partizan
- 1976–77 CSK VMF Moscow
- 1977–78 Canottieri Napoli
- 1978–79 OSC Budapest
- 1979–80 Vasas
- 1980–81 Jug Dubrovnik
- 1981–82 Barcelona
- 1982–83 Spandau 04
- 1983–84 Stefanel Recco
- 1984–85 Vasas
- 1985–86 Spandau 04
- 1986–87 Spandau 04
- 1987–88 Sisley Pescara
- 1988–89 Spandau 04
- 1989–90 Mladost
- 1990–91 Mladost
- 1991–92 Jadran Split
- 1992–93 Jadran Split
- 1993–94 Újpest
- 1994–95 Catalunya
- 1995–96 Mladost
- 1996–97 Posillipo
- 1997–98 Posillipo
- 1998–99 POŠK
- 1999–00 Bečej
- 2000–01 Jug Dubrovnik
- 2001–02 Olympiacos
- 2002–03 Pro Recco
- 2003–04 Honvéd
- 2004–05 Posillipo
- 2005–06 Jug Dubrovnik
- 2006–07 Pro Recco
- 2007–08 Pro Recco
- 2008–09 Primorac Kotor
- 2009–10 Pro Recco
- 2010–11 Partizan
- 2011–12 Pro Recco
- 2012–13 Crvena zvezda
- 2013–14 Atlètic-Barceloneta
- 2014–15 Pro Recco
- 2015–16 Jug Dubrovnik
- 2016–17 Szolnok
- 2017–18 Olympiacos
- 2018–19 Ferencváros
- 2019–20 Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- 2020–21 Pro Recco
- 2021–22 Pro Recco
- 2022–23 Pro Recco
- 2023–24 Ferencváros
- 2024–25 Ferencváros
Finals
Titles by club
Titles by nation
| Rank | Country | Titles | Runners-up | CL winning clubs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Italy | 16 | 11 | 4 |
| 2. | Yugoslavia [A] | 14 | 6 | 4 |
| 3. | Hungary | 10 | 10 | 6 |
| 4. | Croatia [A] | 7 | 9 | 3 |
| 5. | Germany [B] | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| 6. | Spain | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 7. | Soviet Union [C] | 2 | 6 | 2 |
| 8. | Serbia [A] | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| 9. | Greece | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 10. | Montenegro [A] | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 11. | Netherlands | 2 | ||
| 12. | East Germany | 1 | ||
| Romania | 1 |
*A Results until the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991 and the self-determination of all countries unless the union of Serbia and Montenegro, named until 2003 as FR YUgoslavia, and broke up in 2006. Clubs from present day Serbia won the title 7 times and were runners-up additional 4 times, clubs from present day Croatia won the title 7 and were runners-up one time, clubs from present day Montenegro were runners-up one time.
*AB and AB . Note, Croatian record counting since 1991, while Serbian and Montenegrin counting since 2006, only.
*B The results of West Germany counted with those of Germany.
*C Results until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Clubs from present day Russia won the title 2 times and were runners-up additional 5 times, clubs from present day Kazakhstan were runners-up once time.
Records
- Pro Recco has been the most successful club, having won the competition a record 11 times.
- Mladost (1968, 1969, 1970) and Pro Recco (2021, 2022, 2023) are the only two clubs to have won the competition three times in a row.
- Partizan and Pro Recco are the only two clubs to have won the European Championship twice in a row for two times (1966, 1967 & 1975, 1976) and (2007, 2008 & 2021, 2022)
- Spandau 04 (1986, 1987), Mladost (1990, 1991), Jadran Split (1992, 1993) and Posillipo (1997, 1998) are the other five teams to have won the European Championship twice in a row, only for one time.
- Most finals in a row: 7 Pro Recco (2006-2012), 5 Mladost (1968-1972) & Spandau 04 (1986-1990).
Most Titles
Players
bold - active players
| Player | Titles | Clubs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| # | List | ||
| / Pietro Figlioli | 7 | 1 | Pro Recco (2007, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023) |
| Đorđe Perišić | 6 | 1 | Partizan (1964, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1975, 1976) |
| Maurizio Felugo | 6 | 2 | Posillipo (2005), Pro Recco (2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015) |
| Ozren Bonačić | 5 | 2 | Partizan (1964), Mladost (1968, 1969, 1970, 1972) |
| Mirko Sandić | 5 | 1 | Partizan (1964, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1975) |
| Božidar Novaković | 5 | 1 | Partizan (1966, 1967, 1971, 1975, 1976) |
| Tibor Benedek | 5 | 2 | Ujpest (1994), Pro Recco (2003, 2008, 2010, 2012) |
| Tamás Kásás | 5 | 2 | Posillipo (1998), Pro Recco (2007, 2008, 2010, 2012) |
| Stefano Tempesti | 5 | 1 | Pro Recco (2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015) |
| Andrija Prlainović | 5 | 4 | Partizan (2011), Pro Recco (2012, 2015), Crvena Zvezda (2013), Szolnok (2017) |
| Norbert Madaras | 5 | 2 | Pro Recco (2007, 2008, 2010, 2012), Ferencvaros (2019) |
| Aleksandar Ivović | 5 | 1 | Pro Recco (2012, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023) |
| Aaron Younger | 5 | 3 | Szolnok (2017), Ferencvaros (2019), Pro Recco (2021, 2022, 2023) |
| Duško Pijetlović | 4 | 3 | Partizan (2011), Pro Recco (2012, 2015), Crvena Zvezda (2013) |
| Branimir Glidžić | 4 | 1 | Partizan (1964, 1966, 1967, 1971) |
| Zoran Janković | 4 | 1 | Partizan (1964, 1966, 1967, 1971) |
| Feliče Tedeski | 4 | 1 | Partizan (1964, 1966, 1967, 1971) |
| Zdravko Hebel | 4 | 1 | Mladost (1968, 1969, 1970, 1972) |
| Milan Jeger | 4 | 1 | Mladost (1968, 1969, 1970, 1972) |
| Miroslav Poljak | 4 | 1 | Mladost (1968, 1969, 1970, 1972) |
| Karlo Stipanić | 4 | 1 | Mladost (1968, 1969, 1970, 1972) |
| Zlatko Šimenc | 4 | 1 | Mladost (1968, 1969, 1970, 1972) |
| Marijan Žužej | 4 | 1 | Mladost (1968, 1969, 1970, 1972) |
| / Armando Fernández | 4 | 1 | Spandau04 (1982, 1985, 1986, 1989) |
| Peter Röhle | 4 | 1 | Spandau04 (1982, 1985, 1986, 1989) |
| Hagen Stamm | 4 | 1 | Spandau04 (1982, 1985, 1986, 1989) |
| / Gonzalo Echenique | 4 | 2 | Barceloneta (2014), Pro Recco (2021, 2022, 2023) |
| Matteo Aicardi | 4 | 1 | Pro Recco (2015, 2021, 2022, 2023) |
| Francesco Di Fulvio | 4 | 1 | Pro Recco (2015, 2021, 2022, 2023) |
| Dušan Mandić | 4 | 3 | Partizan (2011), Pro Recco (2021), Ferencvaros (2024, 2025) |
Coaches
| Coach | Titles | Clubs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| # | List | ||
| Vlaho Orlić | 6 | 1 | Partizan (1964, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1975, 1976) |
| Giuseppe Porzio | 5 | 2 | Posillipo (2005), Pro Recco (2007, 2008, 2010, 2012) |
| Aleksandar Coša Seifert | 4 | 1 | Mladost (1968, 1969, 1970, 1972) |
| Alfred Balen | 3 | 1 | Spandau04 (1982, 1985, 1986) |
As Player and Coach combined
| Player/Coach | Titles | as Player | as Coach | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | List | # | List | ||
| Giuseppe Porzio | 7 | 2 | Posillipo (1997, 1998) | 5 | Posillipo (2005), Pro Recco (2007, 2008, 2010, 2012) |
| / Ozren Bonačić | 6 | 5 | Partizan (1964), Mladost (1968, 1969, 1970, 1972) | 1 | Mladost (1996) |
| Duško Antunović | 5 | 3 | Partizan (1971, 1975, 1976) | 2 | Mladost (1990, 1991) |
| Igor Milanović | 5 | 3 | Mladost (1990, 1991), Catalunya (1995) | 2 | Partizan (2011), Pro Recco (2015) |
| Ivo Trumbić | 4 | 3 | Mladost (1967, 1968, 1969) | 1 | Pescara (1988) |
| Paolo De Crescenzo | 3 | 1 | Canottieri Naples (1978) | 2 | Posilllipo (1997, 1998) |
| Sandro Sukno | 3 | 1 | Pro Recco (2012) | 2 | Pro Recco (2022, 2023) |
* Two players were players and coaches at the same time in the winning teams. Boris Čukvas won three titles in a dual role. He was a player and Partizan's coach during the seasons in which the Belgrade-based club won its first three titles (1963/64, 1965/66 and 1966/67). Eraldo Pizzo was a player and Pro Recco's coach in the season 1964/65.
Titles (2) as a player and a coach: Veselin Đuho, Marco Baldineti, Vjekoslav Kobeščak.
Awards
Most valuable player Final Tournament
- 2010 – Vanja Udovičić
- 2011 – Tamás Kásás
- 2012 – Dénes Varga
- 2013 – Andrija Prlainovic
- 2014 – Albert Español
- 2015 – Felipe Perrone
- 2016 – Felipe Perrone
- 2017 – Andrija Prlainovic
- 2018 – Josip Pavic
- 2019 – Dénes Varga
- 2020 Not awarded due to COVID-19 pandemic
- 2021 – Dušan Mandić
- 2022 – Giacomo Cannella
- 2023 – Gergő Zalánki
- 2024 – Dušan Mandić
Top Scorer by Season
- 2012–13 – Felipe Perrone 31 goals
- 2013–14 – Filip Filipović 51 goals
- 2014–15 – Sandro Sukno 34 goals
- 2015–16 – Dénes Varga 33 goals
- 2016–17 – Felipe Perrone 42 goals
- 2017–18 – Darko Brguljan 42 goals
- 2018–19 – Kostas Genidounias 42 goals
- 2019–20 Not awarded due to COVID-19 pandemic
- 2020–21 – Angelos Vlachopoulos 41 goals
- 2021–22 – Gergő Zalánki 42 goals
- 2022–23 – Alvaro Granados 46 goals
- 2023–24 – Alvaro Granados 39 goals
See also
Men
- European Aquatics Euro Cup
- European Aquatics Conference Cup
- European Aquatics Challenger Cup
- European Aquatics Super Cup
Women
- European Aquatics Women's Champions League
- European Aquatics Women's Euro Cup
- European Aquatics Women's Conference Cup
- European Aquatics Women's Challenger Cup
- European Aquatics Women's Super Cup
Defunct
References
External links
- Official website
- LEN Champions League at LEN (archived)