# 2017–18 EHF Cup

The 2017–18 EHF Cup was the 37th edition of the EHF Cup, the second most important European handball club competition organised by the European Handball Federation (EHF), and the sixth edition since the merger with the EHF Cup Winners' Cup.

## Team allocation
### Teams

The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:
* TH: Title holders
* 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, etc.: League position
* CW: Domestic cup winners
* CL QS: Losers from the Champions League qualification stage.
Third qualifying round :
| Frisch Auf Göppingen (TH) | CYEB Budakalász (4th) | KS Azoty-Puławy (3rd) | RD Koper 2013 (4th) |
| Füchse Berlin (4th) | BM Logroño La Rioja (3rd) | Bjerringbro-Silkeborg (3rd) | Lugi HF (2nd) |
| SC Magdeburg (5th) | Fraikin Granollers (4th) | Ribe-Esbjerg HH (4th) | Alpla HC Hard (CL QS) |
| Grundfos Tatabánya KC (3rd) | Saint-Raphaël Var Handball (4th) | RD Riko Ribnica (3rd) | Tatran Prešov (CL QS) |
| Second qualifying round ||||
| Csurgói KK (5th) | TTH Holstebro (5th) | HC Dobrogea Sud Constanța (4th) | OCI-Lions (1st) |
| Balatonfüredi KSE (6th) | RK Nexe Našice (2nd) | Pfadi Winterthur (2nd) | Riihimäki Cocks (CL QS) |
| Helvetia Anaitasuna (5th) | FC Porto (2nd) | Wacker Thun (4th) | |
| Chambéry Savoie Mont-Blanc (5th) | HK Malmö (4th) | SKA Minsk (2nd) | |
| Gwardia Opole (5th) | CSM București (2nd) | Saint Petersburg HC (2nd) | |
| First qualifying round ||||
| HC Ohrid 2013 (3rd) | Vojvodina (1st) | Bregenz Handball (5th) | Handball Esch (1st) |
| RK Dubrava (3rd) | HC Dinamo Pančevo (2nd) | Olympiacos SFP (1st) | Maccabi Srugo Rishon LeZion (1st) |
| HRK Gorica (4th) | HC Dukla Praha (1st) | AC Doukas (2nd) | SSV Bozen Loacker Volksbank (1st) |
| SL Benfica (3rd) | Talent Robstav M.A.T. Plzeň (2nd) | Valur FC (1st) | HC Olimpus-85 USEFS (1st) |
| HC Kriens-Luzern (3rd) | Achilles Bocholt (1st) | Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar (2nd) | Klaipėda Dragūnas (1st) |
| ZTR Zaporizhia (2nd) | KRAS/Volendam (2nd) | Afturelding (3rd) | RK Partizan 1949 Tivat (1st) |
| BSK Handball Elite (2nd) | Beykoz BLD SK (2nd) | Põlva Serviti (1st) | |
| ØIF Arendal (4th) | SG INSIGNIS Handball Westwien (3rd) | KH BESA Farm Gas (1st) | |

## Round and draw dates

The schedule of the competition was as follows (all draws were held at the EHF headquarters in Vienna, Austria):
| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
| Qualification | First qualifying round | 18 July 2017 | 2-3 September 2017 | 9-10 September 2017 |
| Qualification | Second qualifying round | 18 July 2017 | 7–8 October 2017 | 14–15 October 2017 |
| Qualification | Third qualifying round | 17 October 2017 | 18–19 November 2017 | 25–26 November 2017 |
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 30 November 2017 | 10–11 February 2018 | 10–11 February 2018 |
| Group stage | Matchday 2 | 30 November 2017 | 17–18 February 2018 | 17–18 February 2018 |
| Group stage | Matchday 3 | 30 November 2017 | 24–25 February 2018 | 24–25 February 2018 |
| Group stage | Matchday 4 | 30 November 2017 | 3–4 March 2018 | 3–4 March 2018 |
| Group stage | Matchday 5 | 30 November 2017 | 24–25 March 2018 | 24–25 March 2018 |
| Group stage | Matchday 6 | 30 November 2017 | 31 March–1 April 2018 | 31 March–1 April 2018 |
| Knockout phase | Quarter-finals | 3 April 2018 | 21–22 April 2018 | 28–29 April 2018 |
| Knockout phase | Final four | 1 May 2018 | 19–20 May 2018 | 19–20 May 2018 |

## Qualification stage

The qualification stage consists of three rounds, which are played as two-legged ties using a home-and-away system. In the draws for each round, teams were allocated into two pots, with teams from Pot 1 facing teams from Pot 2. The winners of each pairing (highlighted in bold) qualified for the following round.
For each round, teams listed first played the first leg at home. In some cases, teams agreed to play both matches at the same venue.

### Round 1

A total of 30 teams entered the draw for the first qualification round, which was held on Tuesday, 18 July 2017. The draw seeding pots were composed as follows:
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 |
| RK Dubrava SL Benfica BSK Handball Elite ZTR Zaporizhia HC Dukla Praha Valur FC Maccabi Srugo Rishon LeZion SG INSIGNIS Handball Westwien Achilles Bocholt Vojvodina Olympiacos SFP KH BESA Farm Gas KRAS/Volendam Handball Esch Põlva Serviti | Beykoz BLD SK SSV Bozen Loacker Volksbank HC Olimpus-85 USEFS RK Partizan 1949 Tivat Klaipėda Dragūnas Talent Robstav M.A.T. Plzeň Afturelding HC Dinamo Pančevo AC Doukas HC Ohrid 2013 HC Kriens-Luzern HRK Gorica ØIF Arendal Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar Bregenz Handball |
The first legs were played on 1–3 and 8–9 September and the second legs were played on 2-3 and 9–10 September 2017.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| AC Doukas | 37–59 | Vojvodina | 13–33 | 24–26 |
| KH BESA Farm Gas | 52–56 | Beykoz BLD SK | 29–21 | 23–35 |
| Klaipėda Dragūnas | 71–72 | RK Dubrava | 36–36 | 35–36 |
| HC Dukla Praha | 52–61 | Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar | 27–30 | 25–31 |
| Talent Robstav M.A.T. Plzeň | 50–39 | Olympiacos SFP | 21–21 | 29–17 |
| RK Partizan 1949 Tivat | 39–70 | Achilles Bocholt | 19–38 | 20–32 |
| Valur FC | 64–58 | SSV Bozen Loacker Volksbank | 34–27 | 30–31 |
| SL Benfica | 74–48 | HC Dinamo Pančevo | 39–20 | 35–28 |
| HC Ohrid 2013 | 48–47 | KRAS/Volendam | 24–24 | 24–23 |
| HC Kriens-Luzern | 45–43 | ZTR Zaporizhia | 24–20 | 21–23 |
| HC Olimpus-85 USEFS | 48–84 | Maccabi Srugo Rishon LeZion | 20–39 | 28–45 |
| Afturelding | 52–55 | BSK Handball Elite | 25–26 | 27–29 |
| Handball Esch | 50–57 | ØIF Arendal | 24–29 | 25–28 |
| SG INSIGNIS Handball Westwien | 57–55 | Bregenz Handball | 30–28 | 27–27 |
| HRK Gorica | 43–46 | Põlva Serviti | 21–21 | 22–25 |

#### Notes
### Round 2

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| HC Kriens-Luzern | 32–65 | TTH Holstebro | 16–27 | 16–38 |
| Achilles Bocholt | 65–72 | Riihimäki Cocks | 40–35 | 25–37 |
| Beykoz BLD SK | 48–71 | HK Malmö | 27–36 | 21–35 |
| RK Ohrid 2013 | 46–81 | FC Porto | 20–37 | 26–44 |
| HC Dobrogea Sud Constanța | 51–46 | Bækkelagets SK | 24–22 | 27–24 |
| Põlva Serviti | 46–59 | RK Nexe Našice | 25–27 | 21–32 |
| Limburg Lions | 51–57 | ØIF Arendal | 25–28 | 26–29 |
| Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar | 59–59 | St. Petersburg HC | 32–27 | 27–32 (p) |
| Pfadi Winterthur | 61–39 | RK Vojvodina | 35–22 | 26–17 |
| Helvetia Anaitasuna | 70–49 | Talent Robstav M.A.T. Plzeň | 40–26 | 30–23 |
| SG Handball West Wien | 49–59 | Wacker Thun | 22–27 | 27–32 |
| Balatonfüredi KSE | 55–41 | Valur FC | 27–22 | 28–19 |
| CSM București | 56–63 | SKA Minsk | 26–30 | 30–33 |
| SL Benfica | 49–50 | Gwardia Opole | 28–24 | 21–26 |
| Maccabi Srugo Rishon Lezion | 51–60 | Chambery Savoie Mont Blanc | 24–29 | 27–31 |
| Csurgói KK | 59–60 | RK Dubrava | 33–24 | 26–36 |

#### Notes
### Round 3

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| CYEB Budakalász | 48–61 | Helvetia Anaitasuna | 27–35 | 21–26 |
| KS Azoty-Puławy | 59–59 (a) | TTH Holstebro | 30–27 | 29–32 |
| SC Magdeburg | 53–52 | HC Dobrogea Sud Constanța | 27–25 | 26–27 |
| FC Porto | 52–63 | Füchse Berlin | 27–30 | 25–33 |
| Gwardia Opole | 51–52 | RD Koper 2013 | 30–25 | 21–27 |
| Frisch Auf Göppingen | 58–48 | ØIF Arendal | 27–27 | 31–21 |
| Riihimäki Cocks | 49–46 | RD Riko Ribnica | 24–17 | 25–29 |
| Wacker Thun | 40–40 (a) | Alpla HC Hard | 19–17 | 21–23 |
| Grundfos Tatabánya KC | 46–47 | Chambery Savoie Mont Blanc | 25–24 | 21–23 |
| Fraikin Granollers | 55–46 | Balatonfüredi KSE | 28–21 | 27–25 |
| Lugi HF | 51–46 | Pfadi Winterthur | 29–29 | 22–17 |
| HK Malmö | 50–59 | Bjerringbro-Silkeborg | 25–23 | 25–36 |
| Ribe-Esbjerg HH | 50–52 | RK Nexe Našice | 29–26 | 21–26 |
| Saint-Raphaël Var Handball | 81–60 | RK Dubrava | 40–29 | 41–31 |
| SKA Minsk | 66–63 | BM Logroño La Rioja | 36–28 | 30–35 |
| Tatran Prešov | 47–47 (a) | Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar | 24–21 | 23–26 |

## Group stage
### Draw and format

The draw of the EHF Cup group stage took place on Thursday, 30 November 2017. The 16 teams allocated into four pots were drawn into four groups of four teams.
In each group, teams play against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. The matchdays are 10–11 February, 17–18 February, 24–25 February, 3–4 March, 24–25 March, and 31 March–1 April 2018.
If two or more teams are equal on points on completion of the group matches, the following criteria are applied to determine the rankings (in descending order):
* number of points in matches of all teams directly involved;
* goal difference in matches of all teams directly involved;
* higher number of plus goals in matches of all teams directly involved;
* goal difference in all matches of the group;
* higher number of plus goals in all matches of the group;
If no ranking can be determined, a decision shall be obtained by drawing lots. Lots shall be drawn by the EHF, if possible in the presence of a responsible of each club.

### Seeding

On 27 November 2017, EHF announced the composition of the group stage seeding pots:
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
| SKA Minsk Chambéry Savoie Füchse Berlin Frisch Auf Göppingen | Bjerringbro-Silkeborg Helvetia Anaitasuna Riihimäki Cocks KS Azoty-Puławy | RK Nexe Našice Fraikin Granollers Saint-Raphaël SC Magdeburg | RD Koper 2013 Wacker Thun Lugi HF Tatran Prešov |

### Group A

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | MAG | BJE | MIN | PRE |
| SC Magdeburg | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 192 | 157 | +35 | 10 | — | 33–26 | 35–30 | 36–24 |
| Bjerringbro-Silkeborg | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 166 | 167 | −1 | 6 | 27–26 | — | 32–30 | 27–19 |
| SKA Minsk | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 177 | 178 | −1 | 5 | 31–33 | 27–26 | — | 34–27 |
| Tatran Prešov | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 146 | 179 | −33 | 3 | 19–29 | 32–28 | 25–25 | — |

### Group B

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | FCH | SRH | ANA | LUG |
| Füchse Berlin | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 185 | 154 | +31 | 10 | — | 21–26 | 34–23 | 34–25 |
| Saint-Raphaël | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 183 | 165 | +18 | 10 | 25–34 | — | 36–27 | 28–26 |
| Helvetia Anaitasuna | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 174 | 201 | −27 | 4 | 28–30 | 29–38 | — | 34–32 |
| Lugi HF | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 169 | 191 | −22 | 0 | 27–32 | 28–30 | 31–33 | — |

### Group C

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | GÖP | NEX | KOP | RCO |
| Frisch Auf Göppingen | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 177 | 144 | +33 | 12 | — | 30–27 | 31–26 | 33–27 |
| RK Nexe Našice | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 164 | 152 | +12 | 8 | 24–27 | — | 29–24 | 31–24 |
| RD Koper 2013 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 152 | 168 | −16 | 2 | 20–25 | 27–31 | — | 23–25 |
| Riihimäki Cocks | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 143 | 172 | −29 | 2 | 20–31 | 20–22 | 27–32 | — |

### Group D

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | GRA | CHA | AZO | THU |
| Fraikin Granollers | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 175 | 157 | +18 | 9 | — | 28–21 | 32–26 | 25–24 |
| Chambéry Savoie | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 162 | 152 | +10 | 9 | 30–30 | — | 28–22 | 27–22 |
| KS Azoty-Puławy | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 168 | 179 | −11 | 4 | 30–37 | 25–27 | — | 31–29 |
| Wacker Thun | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 152 | 169 | −17 | 2 | 26–23 | 25–29 | 26–34 | — |

### Ranking of the second-placed teams

Because the German side SC Magdeburg, the organizers of the Final 4 tournament, finished on top of their group they qualified directly to the final tournament and only the top three second-placed teams qualified to the quarter-finals. The ranking of the second-placed teams was determined on the basis of the team's results in the group stage.
| Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| B | Saint-Raphaël | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 183 | 165 | +18 | 10 |
| D | Chambéry Savoie | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 162 | 152 | +10 | 9 |
| C | RK Nexe Našice | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 164 | 152 | +12 | 8 |
| A | Bjerringbro-Silkeborg | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 166 | 167 | −1 | 6 |

## Knockout stage
### Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-final pairing was held on Tuesday 3 April at 11:00 hrs in the EHF headquarters in Vienna. The first leg was scheduled for 21 and 22 April and the second leg followed one week later.
* Pot 1
* Frisch Auf Göppingen
* Fraikin Granollers
* Füchse Berlin
* Pot 2
* RK Nexe Našice
* Chambéry Savoie
* Saint-Raphaël
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Saint-Raphaël | 67–63 | Fraikin Granollers | 37–23 | 30–40 |
| RK Nexe Našice | 44–45 | Füchse Berlin | 28–20 | 16–25 |
| Chambéry Savoie | 54–61 | Frisch Auf Göppingen | 27–30 | 27–31 |

#### Matches

| 21 April 20:45 | Saint-Raphaël | 37–23 | Fraikin Granollers | Palais des Sports J.F. Krakowski, Saint-Raphaël, Var Attendance: 1,462 Referees: Schulze, Tönnies (GER) |
| 21 April 20:45 | Caucheteux, Dipanda 7 | (17—10) | Coloma 7 | Palais des Sports J.F. Krakowski, Saint-Raphaël, Var Attendance: 1,462 Referees: Schulze, Tönnies (GER) |
| 21 April 20:45 | 3× 5× | Report | 2× 2× | Palais des Sports J.F. Krakowski, Saint-Raphaël, Var Attendance: 1,462 Referees: Schulze, Tönnies (GER) |
| 29 April 20:00 | Fraikin Granollers | 40–30 | Saint-Raphaël | Palau d'Esports de Granollers, Granollers Attendance: 1,800 Referees: Kouz, Zhoba (UKR) |
| 29 April 20:00 | Resina 9 | (16–15) | Karalek 7 | Palau d'Esports de Granollers, Granollers Attendance: 1,800 Referees: Kouz, Zhoba (UKR) |
| 29 April 20:00 | 3× 2× | Report | 2× 7× 1× | Palau d'Esports de Granollers, Granollers Attendance: 1,800 Referees: Kouz, Zhoba (UKR) |
Saint-Raphaël won 67–63 on aggregate.
| 21 April 19:00 | RK Nexe Našice | 28–20 | Füchse Berlin | Sportska Dvorana Kralja Tomislava, Našice Attendance: 2,000 Referees: Horváth. Marton (HUN) |
| 21 April 19:00 | Barišić - Jaman 8 | (12–9) | Lindberg, Wiede 5 | Sportska Dvorana Kralja Tomislava, Našice Attendance: 2,000 Referees: Horváth. Marton (HUN) |
| 21 April 19:00 | 3× 7× | Report | 2× 4× | Sportska Dvorana Kralja Tomislava, Našice Attendance: 2,000 Referees: Horváth. Marton (HUN) |
| 28 April 19:00 | Füchse Berlin | 25–16 | RK Nexe Našice | Max-Schmeling-Halle, Berlin Attendance: 5,000 Referees: Madsen, Mortensen (DEN) |
| 28 April 19:00 | Wiede 6 | (14–9) | Zrnić 7 | Max-Schmeling-Halle, Berlin Attendance: 5,000 Referees: Madsen, Mortensen (DEN) |
| 28 April 19:00 | 3× 3× | Report | 3× 7× 1× | Max-Schmeling-Halle, Berlin Attendance: 5,000 Referees: Madsen, Mortensen (DEN) |
Füchse Berlin won 45–44 on aggregate.
| 22 April 17:00 | Chambéry Savoie | 27–30 | Frisch Auf Göppingen | Le Phare (Chambéry), Chambéry Attendance: 2,647 Referees: Santos, Fonseca (POR) |
| 22 April 17:00 | Melić, Minel 6 | (11–19) | Fontaine, Schiller 6 | Le Phare (Chambéry), Chambéry Attendance: 2,647 Referees: Santos, Fonseca (POR) |
| 22 April 17:00 | 3× 4× | Report | 1× 2× | Le Phare (Chambéry), Chambéry Attendance: 2,647 Referees: Santos, Fonseca (POR) |
| 29 April 17:30 | Frisch Auf Göppingen | 31–27 | Chambéry Savoie | EWS Arena, Göppingen Attendance: 2,900 Referees: Schulze, Tönnies (GER) |
| 29 April 17:30 | Fontaine, Schiller 5 | (18–13) | Minel 7 | EWS Arena, Göppingen Attendance: 2,900 Referees: Schulze, Tönnies (GER) |
| 29 April 17:30 | 3× 2× | Report | 3× 3× 2× | EWS Arena, Göppingen Attendance: 2,900 Referees: Schulze, Tönnies (GER) |
Frisch Auf Göppingen won 61–54 on aggregate.

### Final four

The sixth edition of the EHF Cup Finals in 2018 was hosted by SC Magdeburg after the EHF Executive Committee decided to award the hosting rights to the German club at its meeting on 16 December in Hamburg. The tournament took place on 19 and 20 May 2018. The draw was held on 2 May 2018 in Magdeburg, Germany at 11:00.
| Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final |
| 19 May | 19 May |
| Saint-Raphaël | 28 |
| Saint-Raphaël | 28 | 20 May | 20 May |
| SC Magdeburg | 27 | 20 May | 20 May |
| SC Magdeburg | 27 | Saint-Raphaël | 25 |
| 19 May | 19 May | | Saint-Raphaël | 25 |
| 19 May | 19 May | Füchse Berlin | 28 |
| Frisch Auf Göppingen | 24 | Füchse Berlin | 28 |
| Füchse Berlin | 27 | | |
| Füchse Berlin | 27 | Third place | Third place |
| | | 20 May | 20 May |
| | | SC Magdeburg | 35 |
| | | Frisch Auf Göppingen | 25 |

### Semifinals

| 19 May 2018 14:45 | Saint-Raphaël | 28–27 | SC Magdeburg | GETEC Arena, Magdeburg Attendance: 6,209 Referees: Marín, García (ESP) |
| 19 May 2018 14:45 | Caucheteux 11 | (13–13) | Musche 7 | GETEC Arena, Magdeburg Attendance: 6,209 Referees: Marín, García (ESP) |
| 19 May 2018 14:45 | 3× 3× | Report | 1× 2× | GETEC Arena, Magdeburg Attendance: 6,209 Referees: Marín, García (ESP) |
| 19 May 2018 17:00 | Frisch Auf Göppingen | 24–27 | Füchse Berlin | GETEC Arena, Magdeburg Attendance: 6,209 Referees: Brunovský, Čanda (SVK) |
| 19 May 2018 17:00 | Schiller 6 | (13–13) | Lindberg 9 | GETEC Arena, Magdeburg Attendance: 6,209 Referees: Brunovský, Čanda (SVK) |
| 19 May 2018 17:00 | 2× 6× | Report | 3× 2× | GETEC Arena, Magdeburg Attendance: 6,209 Referees: Brunovský, Čanda (SVK) |

### Third place game

| 20 May 2018 12:45 | SC Magdeburg | 35–25 | Frisch Auf Göppingen | GETEC Arena, Magdeburg Attendance: 6,209 Referees: Pandžić, Mosorinski (SRB) |
| 20 May 2018 12:45 | Musche 10 | (16–15) | four players 4 | GETEC Arena, Magdeburg Attendance: 6,209 Referees: Pandžić, Mosorinski (SRB) |
| 20 May 2018 12:45 | 3× 4× | Report | 3× 2× | GETEC Arena, Magdeburg Attendance: 6,209 Referees: Pandžić, Mosorinski (SRB) |

### Final

| 20 May 2018 15:15 | Saint-Raphaël | 25–28 | Füchse Berlin | GETEC Arena, Magdeburg Attendance: 6,209 Referees: Olesen, Pedersen (DEN) |
| 20 May 2018 15:15 | Caucheteux 8 | (13–14) | Zachrisson 9 | GETEC Arena, Magdeburg Attendance: 6,209 Referees: Olesen, Pedersen (DEN) |
| 20 May 2018 15:15 | 4× 5× 1× | Report | 2× 7× | GETEC Arena, Magdeburg Attendance: 6,209 Referees: Olesen, Pedersen (DEN) |

## Top goalscorers

    As of 20 May 2018
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Hans Lindberg | Füchse Berlin | 82 |
| 2 | Raphaël Caucheteux | Saint-Raphaël | 81 |
| 3 | Marcel Schiller | Frisch Auf Göppingen | 67 |