# EHF Women's Champions League

The EHF Women's Champions League is the competition for the top women's handball clubs in Europe, organised annually by the European Handball Federation (EHF). It is the most prestigious tournament for clubs, with the champions of Europe's top national leagues participating.

## Tournament structure

Each year, the EHF publishes a ranking list of its member federations. The first 27 nations are allowed to participate in the tournament with their national champion. The national federations are allowed to request extra places or upgrades from the EHF European League.
The EHF Champions League is divided into five stages. Depending on the ranking of their national federation and of the criteria list, teams can enter the competition in either qualification or the group phase.
The current playing system changed for the 2020–21 season.

### Qualification tournament

Groups of four teams are formed. The number of groups can vary each season. Teams from each group play semi-finals and finals, in a single venue over a weekend. The winning team from each group advance to the group phase, while teams from lower ranks continue in the EHF European League.

## Tournament format

Each year, the EHF publishes a ranking list of its member federations. The first nine nations are allowed to participate in the tournament with their national champion. In addition, the tenth spot is reserved for the best ranked national federation of the EHF European League. The national federations are allowed to request upgrades for their teams eligible to play in the EHF European League and based on the criteria list the EHF Executive Committee approves six upgrades.
The EHF Champions League is divided into four stages. All participating teams enter the competition in the group phase.
The current playing system has been introduced before the 2020–21 season.

### Group phase

Since the 2020–21 season, the format sees two groups formed, with eight teams each in Group A and B. All the teams in each group play each other twice, in home and away matches (14 rounds in total). The first two teams in Groups A and B advance directly to the quarter-finals, while teams from positions three to six in each of these groups proceed to the play off. The season is over for the last two teams in each group after the completion of the group phase.

### Play off

The pairings for the play off are decided by the placement of the teams at the end of the group phase (A6 vs B3, B6 vs A3, A5 vs B4 and B5 vs A4). Each pairing is decided via a home and away format, with the aggregate winners over the two legs advancing to the quarter-finals. The higher ranked teams in the group phase have the home right advantage in the second leg.
Quarter-finals
The pairings for the quarter-finals are also decided by the placement in the group phase (Winner of A5/B4 vs A1, Winner B5/A4 vs B1, Winner A6/B3 vs A2, Winner B6/A3 vs B2). The ties are decided through a home and away format, with the four winners over the two legs played in each pairing advancing to the EHF FINAL4. The higher ranked teams in the group phase have the home right advantage in the second leg.
EHF FINAL4
The participating EHF FINAL4 teams are paired for the semi-finals through a draw and play the last two matches of the season over a single weekend at one venue. The two semi-finals are played on a Saturday, with the third-place game and final on a Sunday.

## Summary
### European Champions Cup

| Year | Final | Final | Final | Semi-finals losers | Semi-finals losers |
| Year | Champion | Score | Runner-up | | |
| 1961 Details | Știința București | 13–5 (8–1 / 5–4) | Dynamo Prague | Žalgiris Kaunas | RSF Mulheim |
| 1961–62 Details | Sparta Prague | 11–7 (2–3 / 9–4) | ORK Belgrade | RSF Mulheim | Știința București |
| 1962–63 Details | Trud Moscow | 11–8 | Frederiksberg IF | Fortschritt Weissenfels | Rapid București |
| 1963–64 Details | Rapid București | 14–13 | Helsingør IF | Spartacus Budapest | Eimsbütteler TV |
| 1964–65 Details | HG København | 21–16 (14–6 / 7–10) | Spartacus Budapest | Swift Roermond | Lokomotiva Zagreb |
| 1965–66 Details | SC Leipzig | 17–11 (10–5 / 7–6) | HG København | Spartacus Budapest | Sparta Prague |
| 1966–67 Details | Žalgiris Kaunas | 8–7 | SC Leipzig | Universitatea Timișoara | Bohemians Prague |
| 1967–68 Details | Žalgiris Kaunas | 13–11 | Empor Rostock | KS Cracovia | Rapid București |
| 1969–70 Details | Spartak Kyiv | 9–7 | SC Leipzig | Žalgiris Kaunas | HG København |
| 1970–71 Details | Spartak Kyiv | 11–9 | Ferencvárosi TC | 1.FC Nürnberg | HG København |
| 1971–72 Details | Spartak Kyiv | 12–8 | SC Leipzig | Bakony Veszprém | Universitatea București |
| 1972–73 Details | Spartak Kyiv | 17–8 | Universitatea Timișoara | NILOC Amsterdam | SC Leipzig |
| 1973–74 Details | SC Leipzig | 12–10 | Spartak Kyiv | Eintracht Minden | Radnički Belgrade |
| 1974–75 Details | Spartak Kyiv | 14–10 | Lokomotiva Zagreb | IEFS București | Vasas Budapest |
| 1975–76 Details | Radnicki Belgrade | 22–12 | Swift Roermond | Admira Wien | Stockholmspolisens IF |
| 1976–77 Details | Spartak Kyiv | 15–7 | SC Leipzig | Radnicki Belgrade | IL Vestar |
| 1977–78 Details | TSC Berlin | 19–14 | Vasas Budapest | IL Vestar | Ruch Chorzów |
| 1978–79 Details | Spartak Kyiv | 27–26 (13–17 / 14–9) | Vasas Budapest | Eintracht Minden | SC Leipzig |
| 1979–80 Details | RK Radnicki Belgrade | 45–29 (22–19 / 23–10 ) | Inter Bratislava | Stockholmspolisens IF | VIG G. Dimitrov |
| 1980–81 Details | Spartak Kyiv | 39–26 (17–13 / 22–13) | Radnicki Belgrade | VIG G. Dimitrov | RK Osijek |
| 1981–82 Details | Vasas Budapest | 50–43 (29–19 / 21–24) | Radnicki Belgrade | Spartak Kyiv | Rulmentul Braşov |
| 1982–83 Details | Spartak Kyiv | 48–36 (23–19 / 25–17) | Radnicki Belgrade | Bayer Leverkusen | Vasas Budapest |
| 1983–84 Details | Radnicki Belgrade | 42–35 (22–16 / 20–19) | Bayer Leverkusen | Hypo Niederösterreich | Vasas Budapest |
| 1984–85 Details | Spartak Kyiv | 41–31 (23–16 / 18–15) | Radnicki Belgrade | SC Leipzig | Hypo Niederösterreich |
| 1985–86 Details | Spartak Kyiv | 52–45 (29–23 / 23–22) | Ştiinţa Bacău | Vasas Budapest | Budućnost Titograd |
| 1986–87 Details | Spartak Kyiv | 50–37 (25–17 / 25–20) | Hypo Niederösterreich | Ştiinţa Bacău | ZVL Prešov |
| 1987–88 Details | Spartak Kyiv | 33–31 (16–14 / 17–17) | Hypo Niederösterreich | Spartacus Budapest | Radnicki Belgrade |
| 1988–89 Details | Hypo Niederösterreich | 37–33 (16–14 / 21–19) | Spartak Kyiv | Debreceni VSC | CS Mureșul |
| 1989–90 Details | Hypo Niederösterreich | 59–50 (29–24 / 30–26) | Kuban Krasnodar | Chimistul Râmnicu Vâlcea | SC Brühl |
| 1990–91 Details | TV Giessen-Lützellinden | 43–40 (21–15 / 22–25) | Hypo Niederösterreich | Rostselmash | Építők SC |
| 1991–92 Details | Hypo Niederösterreich | 34–32 (15–14 / 19–18) | TV Giessen-Lützellinden | Chimistul Râmnicu Vâlcea | Walle Bremen |
| 1992–93 Details | Hypo Niederösterreich | 40–25 (17–14 / 23–11) | Vasas Budapest | Mar Valencia | Walle Bremen |

### EHF Women's Champions League (knockout system)

| Year | Final | Final | Final | Semi-finals losers | Semi-finals losers |
| Year | Champion | Score | Runner-up | | |
| 1993–94 Details | Hypo Niederösterreich | 45–39 (18–20 / 25–21) | Vasas Budapest | Mar Valencia | TV Giessen-Lützellinden |
| 1994–95 Details | Hypo Niederösterreich | 40–36 (17–14 / 26–19) | Podravka Koprivnica | Mar Valencia | Walle Bremen |
| 1995–96 Details | Podravka Koprivnica | 38–37 (17–13 / 25–20) | Hypo Niederösterreich | Mar Valencia | Ferencvárosi TC |
| 1996–97 Details | Mar Valencia | 58–50 (35–26 / 24–23) | Viborg HK | Hypo Niederösterreich | Ferencvárosi TC |
| 1997–98 Details | Hypo Niederösterreich | 56–47 (28–21 / 26–28) | Mar Valencia | Podravka Koprivnica | Budućnost Podgorica |
| 1998–99 Details | Dunaferr NK | 51–49 (25–23 / 26–26) | Krim Ljubljana | Hypo Niederösterreich | Budućnost Podgorica |
| 1999–00 Details | Hypo Niederösterreich | 52–45 (32–23 / 22–20) | Kometal Gjorče Petrov | Buducnost Podgorica | Volgograd Akva |
| 2000–01 Details | Krim Ljubljana | 47–41 (22–22 / 25–19) | Viborg HK | Budućnost Podgorica | Ferencvárosi TC |
| 2001–02 Details | Kometal Gjorče Petrov | 51–49 (27–25 / 26–22) | Ferencvárosi TC | Larvik HK | Budućnost Podgorica |
| 2002–03 Details | Krim Ljubljana | 63–58 (30–27 / 36–28) | Mar Valencia | Ikast EH | Viborg HK |
| 2003–04 Details | Slagelse FH | 61–56 (25–24 / 32–36) | Krim Ljubljana | Dunaferr NK | Larvik HK |
| 2004–05 Details | Slagelse FH | 54–43 (27–23 / 20–27) | Kometal Gjorče Petrov | Dunaferr NK | Hypo Niederösterreich |
| 2005–06 Details | Viborg HK | 44–43 (22–24 / 20–21) | Krim Ljubljana | BM Sagunto | Aalborg DH |
| 2006–07 Details | Slagelse FH | 61–53 (29–29 / 32–24) | Lada Togliatti | Győri Audi ETO KC | Hypo Niederösterreich |
| 2007–08 Details | Zvezda Zvenigorod | 56–53 (25–24 / 29–31) | Hypo Niederösterreich | Győri Audi ETO KC | Lada Togliatti |
| 2008–09 Details | Viborg HK | 50–49 (24–26 / 23–26) | Győri Audi ETO KC | Oltchim Râmnicu Vâlcea | Hypo Niederösterreich |
| 2009–10 Details | Viborg HK | 60–52 (28–21 / 32–31) | Oltchim Râmnicu Vâlcea | Győri Audi ETO KC | Larvik HK |
| 2010–11 Details | Larvik HK | 47–46 (23–21 / 25–24) | SD Itxako | ŽRK Budućnost | Győri Audi ETO KC |
| 2011–12 Details | ŽRK Budućnost | 54–54 (29–27 / 27–25) | Győri Audi ETO KC | Oltchim Râmnicu Vâlcea | Larvik HK |
| 2012–13 Details | Győri Audi ETO KC | 47–43 (21–24 / 23–22) | Larvik HK | Oltchim Râmnicu Vâlcea | Krim Ljubljana |

### EHF Women's Champions League (EHF FINAL4 system)

| Year | Final | Final | Final | Semi-finals losers | Semi-finals losers |
| Year | Champion | Score | Runner-up | Third place | Fourth place |
| 2013–14 Details | Győri Audi ETO KC | 27–21 | ŽRK Budućnost | HC Vardar | FC Midtjylland |
| 2014–15 Details | ŽRK Budućnost | 26–22 | Larvik HK | HC Vardar | Dinamo Volgograd |
| 2015–16 Details | CSM București | 29–26 (Pen) | Győri Audi ETO KC | HC Vardar | ŽRK Budućnost |
| 2016–17 Details | Győri Audi ETO KC | 31–30 (OT) | HC Vardar | CSM București | ŽRK Budućnost |
| 2017–18 Details | Győri Audi ETO KC | 27–26 (OT) | HC Vardar | CSM București | Rostov-Don |
| 2018–19 Details | Győri Audi ETO KC | 25–24 | Rostov-Don | Vipers Kristiansand | Metz Handball |
| 2019–20 Details | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| 2020–21 Details | Vipers Kristiansand | 34–28 | Brest Bretagne Handball | Győri Audi ETO KC | CSKA Moscow |
| 2021–22 Details | Vipers Kristiansand | 33–31 | Győri Audi ETO KC | Metz Handball | Team Esbjerg |
| 2022–23 Details | Vipers Kristiansand | 28–24 | Ferencvárosi TC | Győri Audi ETO KC | Team Esbjerg |
| 2023–24 Details | Győri Audi ETO KC | 30–24 | SG BBM Bietigheim | Team Esbjerg | Metz Handball |

## Records and statistics
### Performance by club

| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Years won | Years runners-up |
| Spartak Kyiv | 13 | 2 | 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988 | 1974, 1989 |
| Hypo Niederösterreich | 8 | 5 | 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000 | 1987, 1988, 1991, 1996, 2008 |
| Győri ETO KC | 6 | 4 | 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2024 | 2009, 2012, 2016, 2022 |
| Radnički Belgrade | 3 | 4 | 1976, 1980, 1984 | 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985 |
| Viborg HK | 3 | 2 | 2006, 2009, 2010 | 1997, 2001 |
| Slagelse DT | 3 | 0 | 2004, 2005, 2007 | |
| Vipers Kristiansand | 3 | 0 | 2021, 2022, 2023 |
| SC Leipzig | 2 | 4 | 1966, 1974 | 1967, 1970, 1972, 1977 |
| Krim Ljubljana | 2 | 3 | 2001, 2003 | 1999, 2004, 2006 |
| ŽRK Budućnost | 2 | 1 | 2012, 2015 | 2014 |
| Žalgiris Kaunas | 2 | 0 | 1967, 1968 | |
| Vasas Budapest | 1 | 4 | 1982 | 1978, 1979, 1993, 1994 |
| Sagunto | 1 | 2 | 1997 | 1998, 2003 |
| Kometal Skopje | 1 | 2 | 2002 | 2000, 2005 |
| Larvik HK | 1 | 2 | 2011 | 2013, 2015 |
| HG København | 1 | 1 | 1965 | 1966 |
| TV Giessen-Lützellinden | 1 | 1 | 1991 | 1992 |
| Podravka Koprivnica | 1 | 1 | 1996 | 1995 |
| Știința București | 1 | 0 | 1961 | |
| Sparta Prague | 1 | 0 | 1962 | |
| Trud Moscow | 1 | 0 | 1963 | |
| Rapid București | 1 | 0 | 1964 | |
| TSC Berlin | 1 | 0 | 1978 | |
| Dunaferr NK | 1 | 0 | 1999 | |
| Zvezda Zvenigorod | 1 | 0 | 2008 | |
| CSM București | 1 | 0 | 2016 | |

### Performance by country (1961–2024)

| Rank | Country | Winners | Runners-up | Semi-finals | Total |
| 1 | Soviet Union | 16 | 3 | 4 | 23 |
| 2 | Hungary | 8 | 12 | 21 | 41 |
| 3 | Austria | 8 | 5 | 8 | 21 |
| 4 | Denmark | 7 | 5 | 9 | 21 |
| 5 | Norway | 4 | 2 | 7 | 13 |
| 6 | Yugoslavia | 3 | 6 | 11 | 20 |
| 7 | East Germany | 3 | 5 | 4 | 12 |
| 8 | Romania | 3 | 3 | 16 | 22 |
| 9 | Slovenia | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 10 | Montenegro | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 11 | North Macedonia | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 |
| 12 | Germany | 1 | 3 | 11 | 15 |
| 13 | Spain | 1 | 3 | 5 | 9 |
| 14 | Russia | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 |
| 15 | Czechoslovakia | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 16 | France | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 17 | Croatia | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 18 | Netherlands | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 19 | Bulgaria | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 20 | Poland | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 21 | Sweden | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 22 | Switzerland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | Total | 61 | 61 | 122 | 244 |
* Since 2013–14 EHF Women's Champions League have Third Place Match.

#### Notes

* 1: Goals from four seasons (1998–2002) are missing. Bojana Popovic's tally is higher than what is written here.

### Goals scored in the Final Four by nations

All goals (2199) scored in the Final Four by the nationality of the players.
    Last updated after the 2023/24 season.
| Rank | Nation | Goals |
| 1 | Norway | 474 |
| 2 | France | 212 |
| 3 | Montenegro | 183 |
| 4 | Russia | 177 |
| 5 | Hungary | 176 |
| 6 | Denmark | 153 |
| 7 | Romania | 105 |
| 8 | Netherlands | 104 |
| 9 | Sweden | 97 |
| 10 | Serbia | 91 |
| 11 | Croatia | 75 |
| 12 | Brazil | 71 |
| Rank | Nation | Goals |
| 13 | Germany | 63 |
| 14 | Czech Republic | 61 |
| 15 | Slovenia | 60 |
| 16 | Spain | 31 |
| 17 | North Macedonia | 18 |
| 18 | Poland | 16 |
| 19 | South Korea | 8 |
| 20 | Ukraine | 7 |
| 21 | Tunisia | 7 |
| 22 | Turkey | 7 |
| 23 | Belarus | 3 |

### Players with the most Champions League titles

bold - active players
| Players | Titles | Winning years and clubs | Winning years and clubs |
| Players | Titles | # | List |
| / Zinaida Turchyna | 13 | 1 | Spartak Kyiv 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988 |
| // Nataliya Rusnachenko | 9or10 | 2 | Spartak Kyiv 1986, 1987, 1988, Hypo Niederösterreich 1990(??), 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000 |
| / Larysa Karlova | 8 | 1 | Spartak Kyiv 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988 |
| Katrine Lunde | 7 | 3 | Viborg 2009, 2010, Győri ETO KC 2013, 2014, Vipers Kristiansand 2021, 2022, 2023 |
| / Marianna Racz | 7 | 2 | Vasas Budapest 1982, Hypo Niederösterreich 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 |
| / Stanka Božović | 7 | 1 | Hypo Niederösterreich 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000 |
| / Nataliya Tymoshkina | 7 | 1 | Spartak Kyiv 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979 |
| Nora Mørk | 6 | 3 | Larvik HK 2011, Győri ETO KC 2017, 2018, 2019, Vipers Kristiansand 2021, 2022 |
| Bojana Popović | 6 | 3 | Slagelse FH 2004, 2005, 2007, Viborg HK 2009, 2010, ŽRK Budućnost 2012 |
| / Ausra Fridrikas | 6 | 2 | Hypo Niederösterreich 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000, Slagelse FH 2004, 2005 |
| Jana Knedlíková | 6 | 2 | Győri ETO KC 2017, 2018, 2019, Vipers Kristiansand 2021, 2022, 2023 |
| / Lyudmyla Poradnyk | 6or7 | 1 | Spartak Kyiv 1970(??), 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979 |
| / Olha Zubaryeva | 6 | 1 | Spartak Kyiv 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1986 |
| Heidi Løke | 5 | 3 | Larvik HK 2011, Győri ETO KC 2013, 2014, 2017, Vipers Kristiansand 2021 |
| Eduarda Amorim | 5 | 1 | Győri ETO KC 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| Anita Görbicz | 5 | 1 | Győri ETO KC 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| / Nataliya Matryuk | 5or7 | 1 | Spartak Kyiv 1979(??), 1981, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988(??) |
| / Tetyana Kocherhina | 5 | 1 | Spartak Kyiv 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981 |
| / Marina Bazanova | 5 | 1 | Spartak Kyiv 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988 |
| / Rima Sypkus | 4 | 1 | Hypo 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000 |
| // Tanja Dshandshagava | 4 | 1 | Hypo 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000 |
| Cristina Varzaru | 4 | 2 | Viborg 2006, 2009, 2010, Bucuresti 2016 |
| Katarina Bulatovic | 4 | 3 | Slagelse 2007, Budućnost 2012, 2015, Györi ETO KC2014 |
| / Lyubov Odynokova | 3or4 | 1 | Spartak Kyiv 1979(??), 1981, 1983, 1985 |
As of the end of 2023/24 season no player has won 3 titles with 3 different clubs.

### Coaches with most titles

| Coach | Titles | Clubs | Clubs |
| Coach | Titles | # | List |
| / Ihor Turchyn | 13 | 1 | Spartak Kyiv 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988 |
| Ambros Martin | 4 | 1 | Győri ETO KC 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018 |
| Vinko Kandija | 4 | 2 | Radnički Belgrade 1976, 1980, Hypo 1989, 1990 |
| Ole Gustav Gjekstad | 4 | 2 | Larvik HK 2011, Vipers 2021, 2022, 2023 |
| Anja Andersen | 3 | 1 | Slagelse DT 2004, 2005, 2007 |

#### As Player and Coach combined

| Player/Coach | Titles | as Player | as Player | as Coach | as Coach |
| Player/Coach | Titles | # | List | # | List |
| Ambros Martin | 5 | 1 | San Antonio 2001 | 4 | Győri ETO KC 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018 |