NFH Kampprogram - Magasin - Side 3
Foreword EHF President
Race for glory starts with 16 elite teams in EHF Champions League Women 2024/25 group phase
Ready, steady, go! A total of 16 elite teams from all over the continent are ready to get another
enthralling race to the most coveted trophy in women’s club handball underway. Welcome to the
EHF Champions League Women 2024/25 group phase!
Last season, that trophy went for a record sixth time, but first time in five years, to Györi Audi ETO
KC. The Hungarian powerhouse ended the dream run of HB Ludwigsburg – then playing under their
previous club name, SG BBM Bietigheim – as they beat the surprise finalists from Germany in the
final in Budapest last June.
The road to the EHF FINAL4 is a long one, and the group phase decides which 12 teams will continue
their campaign in the play-offs or the quarter-finals in early 2025. Györ start their title defence in
group B – and fans don’t have to wait long to see them lock horns with Ludwigsburg again, as the
finalists from last season will already meet in the group phase of the new season.
The same section of the competition includes several more teams that have played EHF Champions
League finals in the past, most notably three-time winners Vipers Kristiansand, and WHC Buducnost,
who have lifted the trophy twice before, as well as Brest Bretagne Handball, the 2021 runners-up.
With Team Esbjerg, the group has another regular EHF FINAL4 contender in the mix, while Odense
Håndbold and Rapid Bucuresti have proven their ability to go deep into the competition as well by
featuring in the quarter-finals in the past.
Over in group A, the race to the play-off and quarter-final spots will be just as intense, with eight
teams that make for a well-balanced section. This line-up also includes three former titleholders:
CSM Bucuresti, Krim Mercator Ljubljana, and HC Podravka Vegeta, who return to Europe’s top flight
after two years.
This trio has to be prepared for stiff competition, with 2023 runners-up FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria and
EHF FINAL4 regulars Metz Handball among the other contenders in the group.
This section also has a strong Nordic flavour thanks to Storhamar Handball Elite – the winners of the
EHF European League last season – and Nykøbing Falster Håndbold. In another interesting duel,
Nykøbing will meet the team again they beat in last season’s EHF European League final, CS Gloria
2018 BN.
The stage is set for another tantalising season as handball fans across the globe are following their
favourite teams and players during the group phase matches, traditionally played on Saturdays and
Sundays.
Enjoy the EHF Champions League Women 2024/25!
Michael Wiederer
EHF President
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