# 2021–22 LEN Champions League

The 2021–22 LEN Champions League was the 59th edition of LEN's premier competition for men's water polo clubs.

## Teams

Preliminary round :
| Spandau 04 | CN Marseille | Steaua București |
| Waspo 98 Hannover | Dinamo Tbilisi | Zodiac CNA Barceloneta |
| Novi Beograd | Olympiacos |
| Radnički Kragujevac | FTC Telekom |
| Jug AO Dubrovnik | Pro Recco |
Qualification round II :
| Mladost Zagreb | Szolnok VSC | CN Barcelona |
| CN Noisy-le-Sec | AN Brescia | Crvena zvezda |
| NC Vouliagmeni | CSM Oradea |
Qualification round I :
| Jadran Herceg Novi | OSC Budapest | Sintez Kazan |
| Primorac Kotor | RN Savona | CN Terrassa |
| Jadran Split | EVK Žaibas | Enka Istanbul |
| Montpellier | AZS Warsaw |
| Apollon Smyrnis | Vitória Sport Clube |

## Schedule

The schedule of the competition is as follows.
| Phase | Round | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Qualifying rounds | Qualification round I | 24–26 September 2021 | 24–26 September 2021 |
| Qualifying rounds | Qualification round II | 8–10 October 2021 | 8–10 October 2021 |
| Qualifying rounds | Qualification round III | 16 October 2021 | 20 October 2021 |
| Preliminary round | Round 1 | 26/27 October 2021 | 26/27 October 2021 |
| Preliminary round | Round 2 | 9/10 November 2021 | 9/10 November 2021 |
| Preliminary round | Round 3 | 19/20 November 2021 | 19/20 November 2021 |
| Preliminary round | Round 4 | 30 November/1 December 2021 | 30 November/1 December 2021 |
| Preliminary round | Round 5 | 14/15 December 2021 | 14/15 December 2021 |
| Preliminary round | Round 6 | 21/22 December 2021 | 21/22 December 2021 |
| Preliminary round | Round 7 | 11/12 January 2022 | 11/12 January 2022 |
| Preliminary round | Round 8 | 25/26 January 2022 | 25/26 January 2022 |
| Preliminary round | Round 9 | 8/9 February 2022 | 8/9 February 2022 |
| Preliminary round | Round 10 | 22/23 February 2022 | 22/23 February 2022 |
| Preliminary round | Round 11 | 29/30 March 2022 | 29/30 March 2022 |
| Preliminary round | Round 12 | 8/9 April 2022 | 8/9 April 2022 |
| Preliminary round | Round 13 | 19/20 April 2022 | 19/20 April 2022 |
| Preliminary round | Round 14 | 10/11 May 2022 | 10/11 May 2022 |
| Final 8 | Quarterfinals | 2 June 2022 | 2 June 2022 |
| Final 8 | Semifinals | 3 June 2022 | 3 June 2022 |
| Final 8 | Final | 4 June 2022 | 4 June 2022 |

## Qualifying rounds
### Qualification round I

The draw took place in Šibenik during the women's LEN European Junior Water Polo Championship. The top four ranked sides will advance from both groups.

#### Group A

* 23–26 September 2021, Savona, Italy.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | RNS | MON | CNT | PRI | VIT | AZS |
| 1 | RN Savona | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 88 | 41 | +47 | 12 | Round II | — | 9–10 | 13–12 | 11–9 | 26–6 | 29–4 |
| 2 | Montpellier | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 60 | 41 | +19 | 11 | Round II | — | — | — | 11–11 | 17–9 | — |
| 3 | CN Terrassa | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 71 | 38 | +33 | 10 | Round II | — | 12–12 | — | 11–8 | — | — |
| 4 | Primorac Kotor | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 68 | 43 | +25 | 7 | Round II | — | — | — | — | 18–6 | 22–4 |
| 5 | Vitória Sport Clube | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 38 | 84 | −46 | 3 | | — | — | 0–10$^{DSQ}$ | — | — | 17–13 |
| 6 | AZS Warsaw | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 26 | 104 | −78 | 0 | | — | 0–10$^{DSQ}$ | 5–26 | — | — | — |

#### Group B

* 22–26 September 2021, Podgorica, Montenegro.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | OSC | JST | JHN | APO | SIN | ESK | ŽAI |
| 1 | OSC Budapest | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 94 | 55 | +39 | 18 | Round II | — | 14–9 | — | 15–8 | 15–12 | 17–11 | — |
| 2 | Jadran Split | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 97 | 63 | +34 | 15 | Round II | — | — | — | — | 14–11 | — | 18–6 |
| 3 | Jadran Herceg Novi | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 85 | 55 | +30 | 12 | Round II | 9–12 | 10–15 | — | 14–8 | 12–6 | 15–5 | 25–9 |
| 4 | Apollon Smyrnis | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 78 | 78 | 0 | 9 | Round II | — | 11–19 | — | — | 18–15 | — | 21–6 |
| 5 | Sintez Kazan | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 75 | 72 | +3 | 6 | | — | — | — | — | — | 12–6 | — |
| 6 | Enka Istanbul | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 60 | 87 | −27 | 3 | | — | 11–22 | — | 9–12 | — | — | — |
| 7 | EVK Žaibas | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 43 | 122 | −79 | 0 | | 6–21 | — | — | — | 7–19 | 9–18 | — |

### Qualification round II

The top two ranked sides from each group advance.

#### Group C

* 8–10 October 2021, Szolnok, Hungary.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SZO | RNS | NCV | JHN |
| 1 | Szolnok VSC | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 34 | +3 | 7 | Round III | — | 13–13 | 13–12 | 11–9 |
| 2 | RN Savona | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 34 | 34 | 0 | 3 | Round III | — | — | — | 11–11 |
| 3 | NC Vouliagmeni | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 33 | 34 | −1 | 2 | | — | 10–10 | — | — |
| 4 | Jadran Herceg Novi | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 31 | 33 | −2 | 2 | | — | — | 11–11 | — |

#### Group D

* 8–10 October 2021, Zagreb, Croatia.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | CZB | MZG | APO | MON |
| 1 | Crvena zvezda | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 33 | 24 | +9 | 6 | Round III | — | — | 14–8 | 11–7 |
| 2 | Mladost Zagreb | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 28 | 25 | +3 | 6 | Round III | 9–8 | — | 9–10 | 10–7 |
| 3 | Apollon Smyrnis | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 33 | 37 | −4 | 6 | | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | Montpellier | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 28 | 36 | −8 | 0 | | — | — | 14–15 | — |
* 1 2 3 Crvena zvezda 2 Pts, +5 GD; Mladost Zagreb 2 Pts, 0 GD; Apollon Smyrnis 2 Pts, −5 GD

#### Group E

* 8–10 October 2021, Paris, France.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | BRE | OSC | NLS | CNT |
| 1 | AN Brescia | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 28 | +7 | 7 | Round III | — | 10–10 | — | — |
| 2 | OSC Budapest | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 24 | +4 | 7 | Round III | — | — | — | 8–7 |
| 3 | CN Noisy-le-Sec | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 31 | 32 | −1 | 3 | | 11–16 | 7–10 | — | 13–6 |
| 4 | CN Terrassa | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 30 | −10 | 0 | | 7–9 | — | — | — |

#### Group F

* 8–10 October 2021, Split, Croatia.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | JST | CNB | PRI | ORA |
| 1 | Jadran Split | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 19 | +23 | 9 | Round III | — | 8–4 | 16–7 | — |
| 2 | CN Barcelona | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 33 | 24 | +9 | 6 | Round III | — | — | 14–10 | 15–6 |
| 3 | Primorac Kotor | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 36 | −11 | 3 | | — | — | — | 8–6 |
| 4 | CSM Oradea | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 41 | −21 | 0 | | 8–18 | — | — | — |

### Qualification round III

The winners in the third round will continue in the preliminary round. The losers in the third round will be transferred in the Euro Cup quarter-finals.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Jadran Split | 21–10 | Mladost Zagreb | 14–7 | 7–3 |
| Szolnok VSC | 18–25 | OSC Budapest | 6–15 | 12–10 |
| RN Savona | 19–20 | Crvena zvezda | 8–9 | 11–11 |
| CN Barcelona | 26–33 | AN Brescia | 13–17 | 13–16 |

## Preliminary round

The draw for the 2021–22 LEN Champions League preliminary round took place in Ostia, Italy. The upcoming season is planned with the usual pre-pandemic round-robin format with 14 rounds contested on a home-and-away basis. The top three teams in group A and the top four teams in group B will advance to the Final 8. Also, Novi Beograd will participate in the Final 8 as the host of tournament. The matchdays will be from 26 October 2021 to 15 June 2022.

### Group A

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | BRE | FTC | NBG | BAR | OLY | RKG | JST | DTB |
| 1 | AN Brescia | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 162 | 133 | +29 | 30 | Final 8 | — | 8–8 | 13–16 | 14–12 | 8–7 | 12–8 | 6–5 | 16–8 |
| 2 | FTC Telekom | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 154 | 138 | +16 | 28 | Final 8 | 8–6 | — | 11–10 | 7–17 | 9–9 | 13–12 | 14–8 | 16–10 |
| 3 | Novi Beograd | 14 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 188 | 149 | +39 | 27 | Final 8 | 11–11 | 11–14 | — | 11–9 | 9–12 | 16–10 | 14–7 | 19–7 |
| 4 | Zodiac CNA Barceloneta | 14 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 173 | 121 | +52 | 27 | Final 8 | 12–12 | 12–12 | 12–12 | — | 9–5 | 13–7 | 11–6 | 18–4 |
| 5 | Olympiacos | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 146 | 131 | +15 | 20 | | 5–8 | 8–10 | 12–12 | 8–4 | — | 11–7 | 12–10 | 20–9 |
| 6 | Radnički Kragujevac | 14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 139 | 159 | −20 | 13 | | 8–14 | 11–11 | 11–13 | 3–9 | 10–8 | — | 13–10 | 14–7 |
| 7 | Jadran Split | 14 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 141 | 173 | −32 | 9 | | 14–15 | 9–7 | 12–17 | 13–15 | 12–16 | 9–8 | — | 15–13 |
| 8 | Dinamo Tbilisi | 14 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 130 | 229 | −99 | 6 | | 11–19 | 7–14 | 8–17 | 7–20 | 14–13 | 13–17 | 12–11 | — |
* ↑ Novi Beograd is already qualified as the Final 8 host.
* 1 2 Novi Beograd 23–21 (Agg.) Zodiac CNA Barceloneta

### Group B

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | REC | CNM | JUG | HAN | OSC | BER | CZB | STE |
| 1 | Pro Recco | 14 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 200 | 100 | +100 | 39 | Final 8 | — | 11–8 | 10–0$^{w/o}$ | 18–3 | 17–14 | 14–9 | 13–7 | 23–5 |
| 2 | CN Marseille | 14 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 170 | 119 | +51 | 33 | Final 8 | 7–13 | — | 12–13 | 13–10 | 13–9 | 12–7 | 10–0$^{w/o}$ | 15–10 |
| 3 | Jug AO Dubrovnik | 14 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 174 | 143 | +31 | 31 | Final 8 | 11–8 | 9–14 | — | 13–7 | 11–12 | 12–9 | 17–11 | 14–7 |
| 4 | Waspo 98 Hannover | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 150 | 180 | −30 | 21 | Final 8 | 7–20 | 7–14 | 14–14 | — | 12–12 | 10–9 | 14–11 | 13–12 |
| 5 | OSC Budapest | 14 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 151 | 168 | −17 | 19 | | 8–14 | 9–14 | 10–15 | 12–17 | — | 0–10$^{w/o}$ | 13–9 | 14–8 |
| 6 | Spandau 04 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 133 | 148 | −15 | 10 | | 6–11 | 7–13 | 8–16 | 11–11 | 11–12 | — | 11–12 | 10–8 |
| 7 | Crvena zvezda | 14 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 133 | 178 | −45 | 7 | | 12–14 | 8–11 | 13–19 | 12–15 | 8–11 | 12–9 | — | 10–10 |
| 8 | Steaua București | 14 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 111 | 186 | −75 | 4 | | 3–14 | 6–14 | 8–10 | 9–10 | 9–15 | 5–16 | 11–8 | — |

## Final 8

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | | Final | Final |
| 2 June | 2 June | | | |
| AN Brescia | 12 | | | |
| AN Brescia | 12 | 3 June | 3 June | | |
| Waspo 98 Hannover | 5 | 3 June | 3 June | |
| Waspo 98 Hannover | 5 | AN Brescia | 13 | |
| 2 June | 2 June | | AN Brescia | 13 | |
| 2 June | 2 June | Novi Beograd | 14 | |
| CN Marseille | 10 | Novi Beograd | 14 | |
| CN Marseille | 10 | | | | 4 June | 4 June |
| Novi Beograd | 16 | | | | 4 June | 4 June |
| Novi Beograd | 16 | | | | Novi Beograd | 16 |
| 2 June | 2 June | | | | | Novi Beograd | 16 |
| 2 June | 2 June | | | | Pro Recco (PSO) | 17 |
| Pro Recco | 11 | | | | Pro Recco (PSO) | 17 |
| Pro Recco | 11 | 3 June | 3 June | | | |
| Zodiac CNAB | 10 | 3 June | 3 June | | | |
| Zodiac CNAB | 10 | Pro Recco | 10 | | | |
| 2 June | 2 June | | Pro Recco | 10 | | | |
| 2 June | 2 June | FTC Telekom | 7 | | Third place game | Third place game |
| FTC Telekom | 14 | FTC Telekom | 7 | | Third place game | Third place game |
| FTC Telekom | 14 | | | | 4 June | 4 June |
| Jug AO Dubrovnik | 13 | | | | 4 June | 4 June |
| Jug AO Dubrovnik | 13 | | | | AN Brescia | 12 |
| | | | | | FTC Telekom | 14 |

### 5th–8th place bracket

| 5th–8th place semifinals | 5th–8th place semifinals | Fifth place game | Fifth place game |
| 3 June | 3 June |
| Waspo 98 Hannover | 11 |
| Waspo 98 Hannover | 11 | 4 June | 4 June |
| CN Marseille | 9 | 4 June | 4 June |
| CN Marseille | 9 | Waspo 98 Hannover | 10 |
| 3 June | 3 June | | Waspo 98 Hannover | 10 |
| 3 June | 3 June | Zodiac CNAB | 12 |
| Zodiac CNAB | 12 | Zodiac CNAB | 12 |
| Jug AO Dubrovnik | 9 | | |
| Jug AO Dubrovnik | 9 | Seventh place game | Seventh place game |
| | | 4 June | 4 June |
| | | CN Marseille | 15 |
| | | Jug AO Dubrovnik | 13 |
* 2021–22 LEN Champions League Champions
* Pro Recco 10th title
Marco Del Lungo, Francesco Di Fulvio, Luka Loncar, Gergő Zalánki, Aaron Younger, Alessandro Velotto, Nicholas Presciutti, Gonzalo Echenique, Aleksandar Ivović, Benjamin Thomas, Matteo Aicardi, Stefano Luongo, Tommaso Negri
Head coach Sandro Sukno

## Awards

| Season MVP | Top Scorer | Finals MVP |
| Francesco Di Fulvio (Pro Recco) | Gergő Zalánki 42 goals (Pro Recco) | Giacomo Cannella (Pro Recco) |
Total 7 of the Season :
| LW | Francesco Di Fulvio (Pro Recco) | CF | Duško Pijetlović (Novi Beograd) | RW | Gergő Zalánki (Pro Recco) |
| LD | Álvaro Granados (Novi Beograd) | CB | Aleksandar Ivović (Pro Recco) | RD | Dušan Mandić (Novi Beograd) |
| GK | Marco Del Lungo (Pro Recco) | Marco Del Lungo (Pro Recco) | Marco Del Lungo (Pro Recco) | Marco Del Lungo (Pro Recco) | Marco Del Lungo (Pro Recco) |