# 2024–25 LEN Champions League

The 2024–25 LEN Champions League is the 62nd edition of the newly renamed European Aquatics's premier competition for men's water polo clubs. FTC-Telekom are the defending champions.

## Format

After one qualification round, sixteen teams will qualify for the group stage. Four groups of four will be played., with the top two in each group will make the quarter-finals round (also a group stage). The team that finish third and fourth will compete in the 2024–25 LEN Euro Cup knockout stage. The remaining eight teams in the quarter-finals round will play a further six matches, with the top two in each group making the final four.

## Rankings

The top 11 best ranked countries in the new rankings are allowed to have their national champion go directly into the main round, as long as they meet requirements.
| Rank | Association | Points | Teams |
| 1 | Italy | 110,260 | 3 |
| 2 | Hungary | 84,492.5 | 3 |
| 3 | Spain | 71,732.5 | 3 |
| 4 | Serbia | 69,815 | 3 |
| 5 | Greece | 68,857.5 | 3 |
| 6 | Croatia | 57,210 | 3 |
| 7 | France | 45,620 | 2 |
| 8 | Germany | 33,042.5 | 2 |
| 9 | Romania | 17,087.5 | 3 |
| 10 | Montenegro | 14,977.5 | 2 |
| 11 | Georgia | 12,407.5 | 1 |
| 12 | Turkey | 7,245 | 1 |
| 13 | Russia | 5,162.5 | 0 |
| 14 | Switzerland | 3,685 | 0 |
| 15 | Netherlands | 3,280 | 0 |
| Rank | Association | Points | Teams |
| 16 | Slovakia | 3,180 | 0 |
| 17 | Portugal | 2,972.5 | 0 |
| 18 | Slovenia | 2,960 | 0 |
| 19 | Lithuania | 1,877.5 | 0 |
| 20 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1,790 | 1 |
| 21 | Great Britain | 1,720 | 0 |
| 22 | Belgium | 1,310 | 0 |
| 23 | Malta | 1,310 | 0 |
| 24 | Israel | 860 | 0 |
| 25 | Denmark | 560 | 0 |
| 26 | Finland | 560 | 0 |
| 27 | Bulgaria | 370 | 0 |
| 28 | Cyprus | 370 | 0 |
| 29 | Poland | 317.5 | 0 |

## Teams

Alongside the 11 domestic champions, the defending champions also get a spot in the main round. In the event that the Champions League defending champions won their national league, the runners-up of the national league will take the vacant spot. In this season, as FTC-Telekom are the reigning champions, Hungary's spot was given to the Hungarian runners-up, A-Híd Vasas Plaket. After the abrupt withdrawal of the Italian champions, Pro Recco, due to financial reasons, RN Savona, who placed second, takes their place in the Main round. Also, despite finishing fourth, CC Ortigia took Italy's third spot in the tournament. Croatia also saw a team withdrawing with Primorje EB Rijeka, who placed third, giving up their spot. The replacement was HAVK Mladost Zagreb, who finished fourth.
Main round :
| Jadran Split (1st) | CN Marseille (1st) | Dinamo Tbilisi (1st) | Waspo'98 Hannover (1st) |
| Olympiacos Piraeus (1st) | FTC-Telekom (1st) | A-Híd Vasas Plaket (2nd) | RN Savona (2nd) |
| Primorac Kotor (1st) | Steaua București (1st) | Novi Beograd (1st) | Zodiac Atlètic-Barceloneta (1st) |
Qualification round :
| VK Banja Luka (1st) | Jug AO Dubrovnik (2nd) | HAVK Mladost Zagreb (4th) | Pays d'Aix Natation (3rd) |
| Spandau 04 (2nd) | NC Vouliagmeni (2nd) | AC PAOK (3rd) | BVSC-Zugló (3rd) |
| AN Brescia (3rd) | CC Ortigia (4th) | Jadran Herceg Novi (2nd) | CSM Oradea (2nd) |
| Dinamo București (3rd) | Radnički Kragujevac (2nd) | VK Šabac (3rd) | Astrapool Sabadell (2nd) |
| CN Barcelona (3rd) | Enka Istanbul (1st) | | |

## Round and draw dates
### Schedule

| Phase | Round | Round date |
| Qualification round | | 12–15 September 2024 |
| Main round | Matchday 1 | 8–9 October 2024 |
| Main round | Matchday 2 | 15–16 October 2024 |
| Main round | Matchday 3 | 29–30 October 2024 |
| Main round | Matchday 4 | 12–13 November 2024 |
| Main round | Matchday 5 | 19–20 November 2024 |
| Main round | Matchday 6 | 3–4 December 2024 |
| Quarter-finals round | Matchday 1 | 4–5 February 2025 |
| Quarter-finals round | Matchday 2 | 25–26 February 2025 |
| Quarter-finals round | Matchday 3 | 18–19 March 2025 |
| Quarter-finals round | Matchday 4 | 1–2 April 2025 |
| Quarter-finals round | Matchday 5 | 22–23 April 2025 |
| Quarter-finals round | Matchday 6 | 13–14 May 2025 |
| Final Four | Semifinals | 30 May 2025 |
| Final Four | Final | 1 June 2025 |

## Qualification round

The group winners qualify for the main round, while everyone else drops down to the Euro Cup qualifiers.

### Draw

The draw was on 13 August 2024 in Zagreb, Croatia. H indicates which clubs is hosting a group. Teams in bold advanced to the main round.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
| AN Brescia Jug AO Dubrovnik (H) NC Vouliagmeni Astrapool Sabadell (H) | Spandau 04 CC Ortigia CN Barcelona Radnički Kragujevac (H) | VK Šabac Jadran Herceg Novi CSM Oradea (H) HAVK Mladost Zagreb BVSC-Zugló | Enka Istanbul Pays d'Aix Natation VK Banja Luka Dinamo București AC PAOK |

### Group A

12–15 September 2024, Dubrovnik, Croatia
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | PSW | PSL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | JAD | JUG | BAR | DIN | BAN |
| 1 | Jadran Herceg Novi | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 78 | 33 | +45 | 12 | Main round | — | — | 14–10 | 15–8 | 35–3 |
| 2 | Jug AO Dubrovnik (H) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 65 | 32 | +33 | 9 | | 12–14 | — | 14–9 | 15–8 | 24–1 |
| 3 | CN Barcelona | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 70 | 44 | +26 | 6 | | — | — | — | 18–12 | 33–4 |
| 4 | Dinamo București | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 58 | 55 | +3 | 3 | | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | VK Banja Luka | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 122 | −107 | 0 | | — | — | — | 7–30 | — |

### Group B

13–15 September 2024, Kragujevac, Serbia
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | PSW | PSL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | RAD | ZUG | MLA | VOU |
| 1 | Radnički Kragujevac (H) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 30 | +3 | 9 | Main round | — | 10–9 | 9–8 | 14–13 |
| 2 | BVSC-Zugló | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 40 | 32 | +8 | 6 | | — | — | — | 17–9 |
| 3 | HAVK Mladost Zagreb | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 32 | 29 | +3 | 3 | | — | 13–14 | — | — |
| 4 | NC Vouliagmeni | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 28 | 42 | −14 | 0 | | — | — | 6–11 | — |

### Group C

12–15 September 2024, Oradea, Romania
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | PSW | PSL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ORA | SPA | BRE | PAOK | ENK |
| 1 | CSM Oradea (H) | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 36 | +17 | 11 | Main round | — | 8–7 | 14–13 | — | — |
| 2 | Spandau 04 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 43 | 36 | +7 | 9 | | — | — | — | 12–10 | 15–11 |
| 3 | AN Brescia | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 51 | 36 | +15 | 7 | | — | 7–9 | — | 15–4 | — |
| 4 | AC PAOK | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 33 | 48 | −15 | 3 | | 8–11 | — | — | — | 11–10 |
| 5 | Enka Istanbul | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 38 | 62 | −24 | 0 | | 8–20 | — | 9–16 | — | — |
* ↑ Match ended 7–7, CSM Oradea won 7–6 on penalties.

### Group D

13–15 September 2024, Sabadell, Spain
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | PSW | PSL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | AST | SAB | ORT | PAY |
| 1 | Astrapool Sabadell (H) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 25 | +23 | 9 | Main round | — | 14–9 | 17–11 | 17–5 |
| 2 | VK Šabac | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 39 | 35 | +4 | 6 | | — | — | 14–13 | — |
| 3 | CC Ortigia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 39 | 43 | −4 | 3 | | — | — | — | 15–12 |
| 4 | Pays d'Aix Natation | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 25 | 48 | −23 | 0 | | — | 8–16 | — | — |

## Main round

The top two from each group make the quarter-finals round. The bottom two from each group drops down to the Euro Cup eighth-finals.
Teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 2 points for a penalty shootout win, 1 point for a penalty shootout loss, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings:
* Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
* Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
* Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
* Goal difference in all group matches;
* Goals scored in all group matches.
This season, 11 of the 16 clubs from last season are present. RN Savona return to the Champions League for the first time in 18 years. For the first time since 2010–11, Primorac Kotor will participate. After 13 years away, A-Híd Vasas Plaket qualified. Waspo'98 Hannover comes back after a one season absence. Of the teams who progressed from qualification, Radnički Kragujevac and CSM Oradea return after being absent for three and eleven years respectively.
For the first time ever, Romania will be represented by two clubs in the group stage, while Montenegro will boast two clubs in the group stage for the first time since 2011–12. Overall, a total of 11 countries are present in the group stage.

### Group A

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | PSW | PSL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | NOV | ORA | STE | HAN |
| 1 | Novi Beograd | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 51 | +24 | 18 | Advance to Quarter-finals | — | 12–10 | 11–7 | 10–8 |
| 2 | CSM Oradea | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 79 | 83 | −4 | 10 | Advance to Quarter-finals | 9–15 | — | 19–18 | 10–9 |
| 3 | Steaua București | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 77 | 86 | −9 | 7 | Transfer to Euro Cup | 8–15 | 19–20 | — | 13–12 |
| 4 | Waspo'98 Hannover | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 57 | 68 | −11 | 1 | Transfer to Euro Cup | 9–12 | 10–11 | 9–12 | — |
* ↑ Match ended 11–11, CSM Oradea won 8–7 on penalties
* ↑ Match ended 13–13, CSM Oradea won 7–6 on penalties
* ↑ Match ended 8–8, Steaua București won 5–4 on penalties

### Group B

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | PSW | PSL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | FTC | JAD | RAD | DIN |
| 1 | FTC-Telekom | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 92 | 42 | +50 | 18 | Advance to Quarter-finals | — | 18–9 | 16–4 | 16–7 |
| 2 | Jadran Split | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 76 | 69 | +7 | 11 | Advance to Quarter-finals | 10–12 | — | 15–13 | 12–5 |
| 3 | Radnički Kragujevac | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 51 | 72 | −21 | 7 | Transfer to Euro Cup | 5–12 | 11–14 | — | 8–6 |
| 4 | Dinamo Tbilisi | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 44 | 80 | −36 | 0 | Transfer to Euro Cup | 7–18 | 10–16 | 9–10 | — |
* ↑ Match ended 10–10, Jadran Split won 5–3 on penalties

### Group C

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | PSW | PSL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | BAR | MAR | JAD | VAS |
| 1 | Zodiac Atlètic-Barceloneta | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 56 | +44 | 18 | Advance to Quarter-finals | — | 19–14 | 18–7 | 18–7 |
| 2 | CN Marseille | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 69 | 67 | +2 | 9 | Advance to Quarter-finals | 9–12 | — | 13–11 | 13–9 |
| 3 | Jadran Herceg Novi | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 61 | 73 | −12 | 6 | Transfer to Euro Cup | 8–16 | 3–9 | — | 17–9 |
| 4 | A-Híd Vasas Plaket | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 54 | 88 | −34 | 3 | Transfer to Euro Cup | 10–15 | 13–11 | 6–14 | — |

### Group D

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | PSW | PSL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | OLY | SAV | AST | KOT |
| 1 | Olympiacos Piraeus | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 91 | 68 | +23 | 13 | Advance to Quarter-finals | — | 9–10 | 15–11 | 20–19 |
| 2 | RN Savona | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 74 | 69 | +5 | 12 | Advance to Quarter-finals | 11–14 | — | 10–12 | 11–9 |
| 3 | Astrapool Sabadell | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 75 | 84 | −9 | 6 | Transfer to Euro Cup | 8–15 | 13–14 | — | 15–16 |
| 4 | Primorac Kotor | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 79 | 98 | −19 | 5 | Transfer to Euro Cup | 9–18 | 12–18 | 14–16 | — |
* ↑ Match ended 12–12, Olympiacos Piraeus won 8–7 on penalties
* ↑ Match ended 11–11, Olympiacos Piraeus won 3–0 on penalties
* ↑ Match ended 11–11, RN Savona won 3–2 on penalties
* ↑ Match ended 11–11, Astrapool Sabadell won 5–3 on penalties

## Quarter-finals round

The four group winners and four group runners-up were drawn into two groups, with each one containing two group winners and two group runners-up. The top two teams in each group advanced to the Final Four.

### Draw

The draw took place in Zagreb on 11 December. The seeded and unseeded clubs consist of the teams that finished first and second in the previous round respectively. The only restriction was that clubs from the same group in the Main round could not be drawn against each other.
| Seeded | Unseeded |
| Novi Beograd FTC-Telekom Zodiac Atlètic-Barceloneta Olympiacos Piraeus | CSM Oradea Jadran Split CN Marseille RN Savona |
Teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 2 points for a penalty shootout win, 1 point for a penalty shootout loss, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings:
* Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
* Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
* Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
* Goal difference in all group matches;
* Goals scored in all group matches.

### Group A

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | PSW | PSL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | NOV | OLY | JAD | MAR |
| 1 | Novi Beograd | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Final four | — | – | – | – |
| 2 | Olympiacos Piraeus | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Final four | – | — | – | – |
| 3 | Jadran Split | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | – | – | — | – |
| 4 | CN Marseille | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | – | – | – | — |

### Group B

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | PSW | PSL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | BAR | FTC | ORA | SAV |
| 1 | Zodiac Atlètic-Barceloneta | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Final four | — | – | – | – |
| 2 | FTC-Telekom | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Final four | – | — | – | – |
| 3 | CSM Oradea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | – | – | — | – |
| 4 | RN Savona | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | – | – | – | — |

## Final Four

On 18 January 2024, the final four was held in the capital of Malta, Valletta, at the National Pool Complex.

## Awards

Total 7 of the Season :
| | LW | Loren Fatović (Jadran Split) | CF | Kostas Kakaris (Olympiacos Piraeus) | RW | Dušan Mandić (FTC-Telekom) |
| | LD | Álvaro Granados (Zodiac Atlètic-Barceloneta) | CB | Andro Bušlje (Olympiacos Piraeus) | RD | Gergő Zalánki (Olympiacos Piraeus) |
| | GK | Marko Bijač (Jadran Split) | Marko Bijač (Jadran Split) | Marko Bijač (Jadran Split) | Marko Bijač (Jadran Split) | Marko Bijač (Jadran Split) |
| Soma Vogel (FTC-Telekom) |||||