# 2018–19 EHF Cup

The 2018–19 EHF Cup was the 38th 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

Third qualifying round :
| RK Nexe | TTH Holstebro | GOG Håndbold | BM Logroño La Rioja |
| Fraikin Granollers | Liberbank Cuenca | Saint-Raphaël Var Handball | THW Kiel |
| TSV Hannover-Burgdorf | Füchse Berlin | SC Magdeburg | Grundfos Tatabánya KC |
| Balatonfüredi KSE | HC Eurofarm Rabotnik | KS Azoty-Puławy | HK Malmö |
| Second qualifying round ||||
| Alpla HC Hard | Achilles Bocholt | SKA Minsk | HCB Karviná |
| Aalborg Håndbold | Drammen HK | Pays d'Aix Université Club | Olympiacos |
| Sport36-Komló | IBV Vestmannaeyjar | Maccabi Srugo Rishon LeZion | HC Prolet 62 |
| HV Aalsmeer | Gwardia Opole | SL Benfica | |
| HC Spartak Moscow | HC Dobrogea Sud Constanța | Vojvodina | |
| Pfadi Winterthur | RD Ribnica | ZTR Zaporizhia | |
| First qualifying round ||||
| SG Handball West Wien | GRK Varaždin | RK Dubrava | Talent Robstav M.A.T. Plzeň |
| Põlva Serviti | Glasgow HC | B.S.B. Batumi | FH Hafnarfjordur |
| Selfoss | KH BESA Famgas | Klaipėda Dragūnas | Handball Käerjeng |
| OCI-Lions | FC Porto | AHC Potaissa Turda | Steaua București |
| RD Koper 2013 | RK Gorenje Velenje | RK Železničar 1949 | |
| BSV Bern | Kadetten Schaffhausen | Alingsås HK | |

## 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 | 17 July 2018 | 1-2 September 2018 | 8-9 September 2018 |
| Qualification | Second qualifying round | 17 July 2018 | 6–7 October 2018 | 13–14 October 2018 |
| Qualification | Third qualifying round | 16 October 2018 | 17–18 November 2018 | 24–25 November 2018 |
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 29 November 2018 | 9–10 February 2019 | 9–10 February 2019 |
| Group stage | Matchday 2 | 29 November 2018 | 16–17 February 2019 | 16–17 February 2019 |
| Group stage | Matchday 3 | 29 November 2018 | 23–24 February 2019 | 23–24 February 2019 |
| Group stage | Matchday 4 | 29 November 2018 | 2–3 March 2019 | 2–3 March 2019 |
| Group stage | Matchday 5 | 29 November 2018 | 23–24 March 2019 | 23–24 March 2019 |
| Group stage | Matchday 6 | 29 November 2018 | 30–31 March 2019 | 30–31 March 2019 |
| Knockout phase | Quarter-finals | 2 April 2019 | 20–21 April 2019 | 27–28 April 2019 |
| Knockout phase | Final four | 30 April 2019 | 17–18 May 2019 | 17–18 May 2019 |

## 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 are 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 will play the first leg at home. In some cases, teams agree to play both matches at the same venue.

### Round 1

A total of 22 teams entered the draw for the first qualification round, which was held on Tuesday, 17 July 2018. The draw seeding pots were composed as follows:
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 |
| RK Dubrava Talent Robstav M.A.T. Plzeň Põlva Serviti Selfoss KH BESA Famgas OCI-Lions FC Porto Steaua București RK Gorenje Velenje RK Železničar 1949 Kadetten Schaffhausen | SG Handball West Wien GRK Varaždin Glasgow HC B.S.B. Batumi FH Hafnarfjordur Klaipėda Dragūnas Handball Käerjeng AHC Potaissa Turda RD Koper 2013 BSV Bern Alingsås HK |
The first legs were played on 1–2 and the second legs were played on 8–9 September 2018.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| SG Handball West Wien | 54–55 | OCI-Lions | 26–25 | 28–30 |
| B.S.B. Batumi | 42–67 | KH BESA Famgas | 20–30 | 22–37 |
| Põlva Serviti | 51–53 | BSV Bern | 26–26 | 25–27 |
| Talent Robstav M.A.T. Plzeň | 69–24 | Glasgow HC | 39–12 | 30–12 |
| FC Porto | 68–45 | AHC Potaissa Turda | 41–21 | 27–24 |
| RK Železničar 1949 | 56–59 | Handball Käerjeng | 30–27 | 26–32 |
| RD Koper 2013 | 49–56 | Kadetten Schaffhausen | 25–25 | 24–31 |
| Selfoss | 60–55 | Klaipėda Dragūnas | 34–28 | 26–27 |
| Alingsås HK | 48–51 | RK Gorenje Velenje | 26–23 | 22–28 |
| GRK Varaždin | 50–55 | Steaua București | 25–26 | 25–29 |
| RK Dubrava | 61–63 | FH Hafnarfjordur | 29–33 | 32–30 |

#### Notes
### Round 2

The first legs were played on 6–7 October and the second legs were played on 13–14 October 2018. Some teams agreed to play both matches in the same venue.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Vojvodina | 55–44 | HV Aalsmeer | 29–21 | 26–23 |
| RD Ribnica | 56–59 | Selfoss | 30–27 | 26–32 |
| Handball Käerjeng | 64–74 | Achilles Bocholt | 29–33 | 35–41 |
| HC Baník Karviná | 58–47 | HC Prolet 62 | 26–22 | 32–25 |
| Sport36-Komló | 56–56 (a) | Olympiacos | 34–29 | 22–27 |
| RK Gorenje Velenje | 47–45 | Gwardia Opole | 26–22 | 21–23 |
| Aalborg Håndbold | 60–53 | Pfadi Winterthur | 31–29 | 29–24 |
| HC Dobrogea Sud Constanța | 57–44 | Talent Robstav M.A.T. Plzeň | 28–21 | 29–23 |
| Drammen HK | 57–53 | KH BESA Famgas | 37–26 | 20–27 |
| OCI-Lions | 52–52 (a) | Alpla HC Hard | 23–23 | 29–29 |
| Steaua București | 48–50 | Maccabi Srugo Rishon LeZion | 25–23 | 23–27 |
| HC Spartak Moscow | 46–47 | BSV Bern | 28–23 | 18–24 |
| SL Benfica | 71–63 | FH Hafnarfjordur | 37–32 | 34–31 |
| FC Porto | 58–54 | SKA Minsk | 34–29 | 24–25 |
| ZTR Zaporizhia | 60–68 | Kadetten Schaffhausen | 27–30 | 33–38 |
| IBV Vestmannaeyjar | 49–59 | Pays d'Aix Université Club | 24–23 | 25–36 |

#### Notes
### Round 3

A total of 32 teams entered the draw for the third qualification round, which was held on Tuesday, 16 October 2018. The draw seeding pots were composed as follows:
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 |
| RK Nexe GOG Håndbold TTH Holstebro BM Logroño La Rioja Fraikin Granollers Liberbank Cuenca Saint-Raphaël Var Handball Füchse Berlin SC Magdeburg THW Kiel TSV Hannover-Burgdorf Balatonfüredi KSE Grundfos Tatabánya KC HC Eurofarm Rabotnik KS Azoty-Puławy HK Malmö | Achilles Bocholt HC Baník Karviná Aalborg Håndbold Pays d'Aix Université Club Olympiacos Selfoss Maccabi Srugo Rishon LeZion OCI-Lions Drammen HK FC Porto SL Benfica HC Dobrogea Sud Constanța RK Gorenje Velenje Vojvodina BSV Bern Kadetten Schaffhausen |
The first legs were played on 17–18 November and the second legs were played on 24–25 November 2018.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| HK Malmö | 50–57 | HC Dobrogea Sud Constanța | 22–23 | 28–34 |
| SC Magdeburg | 53–57 | FC Porto | 26–23 | 27–34 |
| Fraikin Granollers | 57–49 | RK Gorenje Velenje | 24–25 | 33–24 |
| BM Logroño La Rioja | 50–50 (a) | Kadetten Schaffhausen | 26–22 | 24–28 |
| KS Azoty-Puławy | 60–54 | Selfoss | 33–26 | 27–28 |
| THW Kiel | 70–41 | Drammen HK | 34–23 | 36–18 |
| Aalborg Håndbold | 54–57 | Füchse Berlin | 31–29 | 23–28 |
| Olympiacos | 47–55 | RK Nexe | 22–25 | 25–30 |
| HC Eurofarm Rabotnik | 59–47 | BSV Bern | 29–19 | 30–28 |
| TSV Hannover-Burgdorf | 74–69 | SL Benfica | 41–36 | 33–33 |
| Achilles Bocholt | 54–71 | Liberbank Cuenca | 29–34 | 25–37 |
| Grundfos Tatabánya KC | 58–45 | OCI-Lions | 31–18 | 27–27 |
| HC Baník Karviná | 62–66 | Balatonfüredi KSE | 33–34 | 29–32 |
| Vojvodina | 52–70 | GOG Håndbold | 27–32 | 25–38 |
| Pays d'Aix Université Club | 50–53 | TTH Holstebro | 25–25 | 25–28 |
| Maccabi Srugo Rishon LeZion | 59–63 | Saint-Raphaël Var Handball | 29–36 | 30–27 |

## Group stage

The draw of the EHF Cup group stage took place on Thursday, 29 November 2018. 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 9–10 February, 16–17 February, 23–24 February, 2–3 March, 23–24 March and 30–31 March 2019.
In the group stage, teams are 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:
* Highest number of points in matches between the teams directly involved;
* Superior goal difference in matches between the teams directly involved;
* Highest number of goals scored in matches between the teams directly involved (or in the away match in case of a two-team tie);
* Superior goal difference in all matches of the group;
* Highest number of plus goals in all matches of the group;
If the ranking of one of these teams is determined, the above criteria are consecutively followed until the ranking of all teams is determined. If no ranking can be determined, a decision shall be obtained by EHF through drawing of lots.
During the group stage, only criteria 4–5 apply to determine the provisional ranking of teams.

### Group A

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | FÜC | SRH | LOG | BAL |
| 1 | Füchse Berlin | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 192 | 166 | +26 | 10 | Knockout stage | — | 33–29 | 29–27 | 36–23 |
| 2 | Saint-Raphaël Var Handball | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 180 | 169 | +11 | 8 | Ranking of the second-placed teams | 34–31 | — | 30–26 | 27–23 |
| 3 | Logroño La Rioja | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 174 | 180 | −6 | 4 | | 29–34 | 29–28 | — | 29–24 |
| 4 | Balatonfüredi | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 156 | 187 | −31 | 2 | | 24–29 | 27–32 | 35–34 | — |

### Group B

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | TAT | HAN | NEX | RAB |
| 1 | Tatabánya | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 172 | 154 | +18 | 9 | Knockout stage | — | 28–25 | 27–28 | 30–27 |
| 2 | TSV Hannover-Burgdorf | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 162 | 144 | +18 | 7 | Ranking of the second-placed teams | 27–27 | — | 32–22 | 24–21 |
| 3 | Nexe | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 156 | 160 | −4 | 6 | | 26–29 | 29–25 | — | 23–18 |
| 4 | Eurofarm Rabotnik | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 133 | 165 | −32 | 2 | | 21–31 | 17–29 | 29–28 | — |

### Group C

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | POR | HOL | DOB | LIB |
| 1 | FC Porto | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 196 | 168 | +28 | 12 | Knockout stage | — | 32–29 | 30–27 | 37–26 |
| 2 | TTH Holstebro | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 175 | 160 | +15 | 6 | Ranking of the second-placed teams | 31–33 | — | 29–25 | 34–22 |
| 3 | Dobrogea Sud Constanța | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 165 | 174 | −9 | 4 | | 29–35 | 22–28 | — | 34–26 |
| 4 | Liberbank Cuenca | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 152 | 186 | −34 | 2 | | 26–29 | 26–24 | 26–28 | — |

### Group D

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | KIE | GOG | GRA | AZO |
| 1 | THW Kiel | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 191 | 144 | +47 | 12 | Knockout stage | — | 37–23 | 34–28 | 26–23 |
| 2 | GOG Håndbold | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 182 | 180 | +2 | 6 | Ranking of the second-placed teams | 22–26 | — | 34–26 | 41–29 |
| 3 | Fraikin Granollers | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 174 | 195 | −21 | 5 | | 22–33 | 34–31 | — | 30–29 |
| 4 | Azoty-Puławy | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 169 | 197 | −28 | 1 | | 26–35 | 28–31 | 34–34 | — |

### Ranking of the second-placed teams

The top three second-placed teams will qualify to the quarter-finals. The ranking of the second-placed teams will be determined on the basis of the team's results in the group stage.
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | A | Saint-Raphaël Var Handball | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 180 | 169 | +11 | 8 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | B | TSV Hannover-Burgdorf | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 162 | 144 | +18 | 7 | Knockout stage |
| 3 | C | TTH Holstebro | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 175 | 160 | +15 | 6 | Knockout stage |
| 4 | D | GOG Håndbold | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 182 | 180 | +2 | 6 | |

## Knockout stage
### Quarter-finals

Since THW Kiel won their group, they qualified directly for the EHF Cup Finals and will not have to play the quarter-finals. In this case, the quarter-finals will consist of only three two-legged fixtures. The draw for the quarter-final pairings was held on Tuesday, 2 April, at 11:00 CET in the EHF headquarters in Vienna. The three group winners were placed in Pot 1, and the three best second-ranked teams were placed in Pot 2. The group winners started the quarter-finals with an away match on 20 and 21 April, and played the second leg at home on 27 and 28 April.
* Pot 1
* Füchse Berlin
* Tatabánya
* FC Porto
* Pot 2
* Saint-Raphaël Var Handball
* TSV Hannover-Burgdorf
* TTH Holstebro
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| TSV Hannover-Burgdorf | 54–64 | Füchse Berlin | 26–34 | 28–30 |
| TTH Holstebro | 52–50 | Tatabánya | 29–24 | 23–26 |
| Saint-Raphaël Var Handball | 60–64 | FC Porto | 30–30 | 30–34 |

#### Matches

| 21 April 2019 15:00 | TSV Hannover-Burgdorf | 26–34 | Füchse Berlin | Swiss Life Hall, Hanover Attendance: 3,937 Referees: Andorka, Hucker (HUN) |
| 21 April 2019 15:00 | Olsen 11 | (14–15) | Lindberg 6 | Swiss Life Hall, Hanover Attendance: 3,937 Referees: Andorka, Hucker (HUN) |
| 21 April 2019 15:00 | 4× | Report | 3× 6× | Swiss Life Hall, Hanover Attendance: 3,937 Referees: Andorka, Hucker (HUN) |
| 28 April 2019 15:00 | Füchse Berlin | 30–28 | TSV Hannover-Burgdorf | Max-Schmeling-Halle, Berlin Attendance: 7,165 Referees: Gasmi, Gasmi (FRA) |
| 28 April 2019 15:00 | Lindberg 8 | (18–11) | Kastening 9 | Max-Schmeling-Halle, Berlin Attendance: 7,165 Referees: Gasmi, Gasmi (FRA) |
| 28 April 2019 15:00 | 2× 8× | Report | 1× 3× | Max-Schmeling-Halle, Berlin Attendance: 7,165 Referees: Gasmi, Gasmi (FRA) |
Füchse Berlin won 64–54 on aggregate.
| 20 April 2019 17:45 | TTH Holstebro | 29–24 | Tatabánya | Gråkjær Arena, Holstebro Attendance: 2,021 Referees: Baumgart, Wild (GER) |
| 20 April 2019 17:45 | Bramming 9 | (12–9) | Vranković 6 | Gråkjær Arena, Holstebro Attendance: 2,021 Referees: Baumgart, Wild (GER) |
| 20 April 2019 17:45 | 2× 6× | Report | 3× 5× | Gråkjær Arena, Holstebro Attendance: 2,021 Referees: Baumgart, Wild (GER) |
| 27 April 2019 16:00 | Tatabánya | 26–23 | TTH Holstebro | Audi Aréna, Győr Attendance: 2,650 Referees: Brkić, Jusufhodžić (AUT) |
| 27 April 2019 16:00 | Vujović 8 | (14–12) | Bramming 5 | Audi Aréna, Győr Attendance: 2,650 Referees: Brkić, Jusufhodžić (AUT) |
| 27 April 2019 16:00 | 2× 5× 1× | Report | 1× 4× | Audi Aréna, Győr Attendance: 2,650 Referees: Brkić, Jusufhodžić (AUT) |
TTH Holstebro won 52–50 on aggregate.
| 20 April 2019 20:00 | Saint-Raphaël Var Handball | 30–30 | FC Porto | Palais des Sports JF Krakowski, Saint-Raphaël Attendance: 2,000 Referees: Boričič, Marković (SRB) |
| 20 April 2019 20:00 | Caucheteux 9 | (17–17) | Areia, Branquinho 7 | Palais des Sports JF Krakowski, Saint-Raphaël Attendance: 2,000 Referees: Boričič, Marković (SRB) |
| 20 April 2019 20:00 | 2× 4× | Report | 1× 7× | Palais des Sports JF Krakowski, Saint-Raphaël Attendance: 2,000 Referees: Boričič, Marković (SRB) |
| 27 April 2019 18:00 | FC Porto | 34–30 | Saint-Raphaël Var Handball | Dragão Caixa, Porto Attendance: 2,099 Referees: Buache, Meyer (SUI) |
| 27 April 2019 18:00 | Areia 8 | (17–15) | Caucheteux 10 | Dragão Caixa, Porto Attendance: 2,099 Referees: Buache, Meyer (SUI) |
| 27 April 2019 18:00 | 4× 4× 1× | Report | 3× 2× 1× | Dragão Caixa, Porto Attendance: 2,099 Referees: Buache, Meyer (SUI) |
FC Porto won 64–60 on aggregate.

### Final four

The seventh edition of the EHF Cup Finals in 2019 was hosted by THW Kiel after the EHF Executive Committee decided to award the hosting rights to the German club at its meeting on 6 December 2018. The tournament took place at Sparkassen-Arena in Kiel, on 17 and 18 May 2019. The draw was held on 30 April 2019.
As group winners, THW Kiel avoided playing the quarter-finals and qualified directly for the EHF Cup Finals.

#### Bracket

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final |
| 17 May | 17 May |
| TTH Holstebro | 26 |
| TTH Holstebro | 26 | 18 May | 18 May |
| THW Kiel | 32 | 18 May | 18 May |
| THW Kiel | 32 | THW Kiel | 26 |
| 17 May | 17 May | | THW Kiel | 26 |
| 17 May | 17 May | Füchse Berlin | 22 |
| Füchse Berlin | 24 | Füchse Berlin | 22 |
| FC Porto | 20 | | |
| FC Porto | 20 | Third place | Third place |
| | | 18 May | 18 May |
| | | TTH Holstebro | 26 |
| | | FC Porto | 28 |

#### Semifinals

| 17 May 2019 18:00 | TTH Holstebro | 26–32 | THW Kiel | Sparkassen-Arena, Kiel Attendance: 10,200 Referees: Bonaventura, Bonaventura (FRA) |
| 17 May 2019 18:00 | Bramming 7 | (14–16) | Ekberg 6 | Sparkassen-Arena, Kiel Attendance: 10,200 Referees: Bonaventura, Bonaventura (FRA) |
| 17 May 2019 18:00 | 2× 4× 1× | Report | 2× 1× | Sparkassen-Arena, Kiel Attendance: 10,200 Referees: Bonaventura, Bonaventura (FRA) |
| 17 May 2019 20:45 | Füchse Berlin | 24–20 | FC Porto | Sparkassen-Arena, Kiel Attendance: 10,011 Referees: Jørum, Kleven (NOR) |
| 17 May 2019 20:45 | Drux 6 | (12–8) | Alves 6 | Sparkassen-Arena, Kiel Attendance: 10,011 Referees: Jørum, Kleven (NOR) |
| 17 May 2019 20:45 | 1× 2× | Report | 1× 4× | Sparkassen-Arena, Kiel Attendance: 10,011 Referees: Jørum, Kleven (NOR) |

#### Third place game

| 18 May 2019 18:00 | TTH Holstebro | 26–28 | FC Porto | Sparkassen-Arena, Kiel Attendance: 10,045 Referees: Brunner, Salah (SUI) |
| 18 May 2019 18:00 | Smits 6 | (16–14) | Branquinho 7 | Sparkassen-Arena, Kiel Attendance: 10,045 Referees: Brunner, Salah (SUI) |
| 18 May 2019 18:00 | 1× 3× | Report | 1× 3× | Sparkassen-Arena, Kiel Attendance: 10,045 Referees: Brunner, Salah (SUI) |

#### Final

| 18 May 2019 20:45 | THW Kiel | 26–22 | Füchse Berlin | Sparkassen-Arena, Kiel Attendance: 10,285 Referees: Jurinović, Mrvica (CRO) |
| 18 May 2019 20:45 | Ekberg 7 | (16–10) | Elísson 6 | Sparkassen-Arena, Kiel Attendance: 10,285 Referees: Jurinović, Mrvica (CRO) |
| 18 May 2019 20:45 | 3× 3× | Report | 3× 4× | Sparkassen-Arena, Kiel Attendance: 10,285 Referees: Jurinović, Mrvica (CRO) |

## Top goalscorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Magnus Bramming | TTH Holstebro | 100 |
| 2 | Hans Lindberg | Füchse Berlin | 79 |
| 3 | Raphaël Caucheteux | Saint-Raphaël Var Handball | 62 |