# EHF Champions League

The EHF Champions League is the most important club handball competition for men's teams in Europe and involves the leading teams from the top European nations. The competition is organised every year by EHF. The official name for the men's competition is the EHF Champions League Men.
The EHF coefficient rank decides which teams have access and in which stage they enter.

## Eligibility and qualifying

Each year, the EHF publishes a ranking list of its member federations. The first 9 nations are automatically permitted to participate in the tournament with their national champion. The national federation ranked first place in the EHF European League, currently Germany, is awarded a second qualification berth for the domestic runner-up. The remaining six positions are designated through wildcards, with each national federation without two teams already qualified able to submit a single applicant. The wildcards are judged on five criteria: venue, TV, spectators, results in past EHF competitions and product management and digital.

## 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 Men. 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 playoff. 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 playoff 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 official name for the men's EHF FINAL4 is the EHF FINAL4 Men. The participating EHF FINAL4 teams are paired for the semifinals 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.

## Brand Sound

Much like the visual brand identity, the brand sound identity will acoustically connect the various leagues and tournaments which fit under the EHF umbrella. For the EHF Brand Sound, the authors got to the core of "The Sound of Handball" and created a handball sound DNA as the recurring element across all audio-visual applications. The jump shot was identified as the most iconic and defining handball movement.
Through video analysis and motion tracking, the jump shot was extracted into a rhythmic design pattern. There are numerous application opportunities of the brand sound, which will be developed over time. First implementations of the new EHF Brand Sound will be heard in the EHF Champions League. The premium character of this tournament was translated into a modern sound design through a new EHF Champions League sound logo and anthem. Both will come to life in the arena and will consistently complement all audio-visual communications.
The previous anthem for the EHF Champions League is "Hymn of the Champions", used until the end of the 2019/20 season and exclusively written by Austrian film composer Roman Kariolou in 2007. The recording played during the entry ceremony before every game was performed by the Bratislava Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Hernando.

## Winners
### European Champions Cup (organised by IHF)

| Year | Final | Final | Final | Semi-final losers | Semi-final losers | Semi-final losers |
| Year | Champion | Score | Second place | Semi-final losers | Semi-final losers | Semi-final losers |
| 1956–57 Details | Dukla Prague | 21–13 | Örebro SK | HG Copenhagen | Paris UC |
| 1958–59 Details | Redbergslids IK | 18–13 | Frisch Auf Göppingen | Helsingør IF | Dinamo București |
| 1959–60 Details | Frisch Auf Göppingen | 18–13 | Aarhus GF | Dinamo București | Paris UC |
| 1961–62 Details | Frisch Auf Göppingen | 13–11 | Partizan Bjelovar | Dukla Prague | IK Skovbakken |
| 1962–63 Details | Dukla Prague | 15–13 | Dinamo București | Frisch Auf Göppingen | Ajax København |
| 1964–65 Details | Dinamo București | 13–11 | Medveščak Zagreb | Grasshopper | Ajax København |
| 1965–66 Details | SC DHfK Leipzig | 16–14 | Budapest Honvéd | Dukla Prague | Aarhus GF |
| 1966–67 Details | VfL Gummersbach | 17–13 | Dukla Prague | SK Cuncevo | Dinamo București |
| 1967–68 Details | Steaua București | 13–11 | Dukla Prague | Dynamo Berlin | Partizan Bjelovar |
| 1969–70 Details | VfL Gummersbach | 14–11 | Dynamo Berlin | Steaua București | RK Crvenka |
| 1970–71 Details | VfL Gummersbach | 17–16 | Steaua București | Sporting CP | Partizan Bjelovar |
| 1971–72 Details | Partizan Bjelovar | 19–14 | VfL Gummersbach | MAI Moskva | Tatran Prešov |
| 1972–73 Details | MAI Moskva | 26–23 | Partizan Bjelovar | SC Leipzig | SoIK Hellas |
| 1973–74 Details | VfL Gummersbach | 19–17 | MAI Moskva | Oppsal IF Oslo | Červená Hviezda Bratislava |
| 1974–75 Details | ASK Frankfurt/Oder | 19–17 | Borac Banja Luka | VfL Gummersbach | Steaua București |
| 1975–76 Details | Borac Banja Luka | 17–15 | Fredericia KFUM | VfL Gummersbach | Fredensborg/Ski |
| 1976–77 Details | Steaua București | 21–20 | CSKA Moscow | Fredericia KFUM | VfL Gummersbach |
| 1977–78 Details | Magdeburg | 28–22 | Śląsk Wrocław | Honvéd | Calpisa |
| 1978–79 Details | TV Großwallstadt | 30–28 (14–10 / 18–16) | Empor Rostock | Budapest Honvéd | Dinamo București |
| 1979–80 Details | TV Großwallstadt | 21–12 | Valur | Dukla Prague | Atlético de Madrid |
| 1980–81 Details | Magdeburg | 52–43 (25–23 / 29–18) | Slovan Ljubljana | LUGI HF | CSKA Moscow |
| 1981–82 Details | Budapest Honvéd | 49–34 (25–16 / 18–24) | TSV St. Otmar St. Gallen | Helsingør IF | TV Großwallstadt |
| 1982–83 Details | VfL Gummersbach | 32–29 (15–19 / 13–14) | CSKA Moscow | Barcelona | Metaloplastika |
| 1983–84 Details | Dukla Prague | 38–38 (21–17 / 21–17) | Metaloplastika | VfL Gummersbach | Budapest Honvéd |
| 1984–85 Details | Metaloplastika | 49–32 (19–12 / 20–30) | Atlético de Madrid | FH | Dukla Prague |
| 1985–86 Details | Metaloplastika | 54–52 (29–24 / 30–23) | Wybrzeże Gdańsk | Steaua București | Atlético de Madrid |
| 1986–87 Details | SKA Minsk | 62–49 (32–24 / 25–30) | Wybrzeże Gdańsk | TUSEM Essen | Metaloplastika |
| 1987–88 Details | CSKA Moscow | 36–36 (18–15 / 21–18) | TUSEM Essen | Metaloplastika | Elgorriaga Bidasoa |
| 1988–89 Details | SKA Minsk | 61–53 (30–24 / 37–23) | Steaua București | SC Magdeburg | HK Drott |
| 1989–90 Details | SKA Minsk | 53–50 (26–21 / 29–27) | Barcelona | TUSEM Essen | US Créteil Handball |
| 1990–91 Details | Barcelona | 41–40 (23–21 / 20–17) | Proleter Zrenjanin | ETİ Bisküvi | Dinamo Astrakhan |
| 1991–92 Details | Zagreb | 50–38 (22–20 / 18–28) | TEKA Santander | Kolding IF | Barcelona |
| 1992–93 Details | Zagreb | 40–39 (22–17 / 22–18) | SG Wallau-Massenheim | Vénissieux Handball | Barcelona |

### EHF Champions League

| Year | Final | Final | Final | Semi-final losers | Semi-final losers |
| Year | Champion | Score | Second place | Third place | |
| 1993–94 Details | TEKA Santander | 45–43 (22–22 / 23–21) | ABC Braga | UHK West Wien | USAM Nîmes |
| 1994–95 Details | Elgorriaga Bidasoa | 56–47 (30–20 / 27–26) | Zagreb | THW Kiel | Cantabria Santander |
| 1995–96 Details | Barcelona | 46–38 (23–15 / 23–23) | Elgorriaga Bidasoa | Pfadi Winterthur | THW Kiel |
| 1996–97 Details | Barcelona | 61–45 (31–22 / 23–30) | Zagreb | RK Celje | THW Kiel |
| 1997–98 Details | Barcelona | 56–40 (28–18 / 22–28) | Zagreb | TBV Lemgo | RK Celje |
| 1998–99 Details | Barcelona | 51–40 (22–22 / 29–18) | Zagreb | RK Celje | Portland San Antonio |
| 1999–00 Details | Barcelona | 54–52 (28–25 / 29–24) | THW Kiel | RK Celje | Zagreb |
| 2000–01 Details | Portland San Antonio | 52–49 (30–24 / 25–22) | Barcelona | RK Celje | THW Kiel |
| 2001–02 Details | SC Magdeburg | 51–48 (23–21 / 30–25) | Veszprém | Kolding IF | Portland San Antonio |
| 2002–03 Details | Montpellier | 50–46 (27–19 / 31–19) | Portland San Antonio | RD Prule 67 | Veszprém |
| 2003–04 Details | RK Celje | 62–58 (34–28 / 30–28) | Flensburg-Handewitt | Ciudad Real | SC Magdeburg |
| 2004–05 Details | Barcelona | 56–55 (28–27 / 29–27) | Ciudad Real | RK Celje | Montpellier |
| 2005–06 Details | Ciudad Real | 62–47 (19–25 / 37–28) | Portland San Antonio | Flensburg-Handewitt | Veszprém |
| 2006–07 Details | THW Kiel | 57–55 (28–28 / 29–27) | Flensburg-Handewitt | Portland San Antonio | Valladolid |
| 2007–08 Details | Ciudad Real | 58–54 (27–29 / 25–31) | THW Kiel | HSV Hamburg | Barcelona |
| 2008–09 Details | Ciudad Real | 67–66 (39–34 / 33–27) | THW Kiel | HSV Hamburg | Rhein-Neckar Löwen |
| 2009–10 Details | THW Kiel | 36–34 | Barcelona | Ciudad Real | Chekhovskiye Medvedi |
| 2010–11 Details | Barcelona | 27–24 | Ciudad Real | Rhein-Neckar Löwen | HSV Hamburg |
| 2011–12 Details | THW Kiel | 26–21 | Atlético de Madrid | AG København | Füchse Berlin |
| 2012–13 Details | HSV Hamburg | 30–29 | Barcelona | Vive Kielce | THW Kiel |
| 2013–14 Details | Flensburg-Handewitt | 30–28 | THW Kiel | Barcelona | Veszprém |
| 2014–15 Details | Barcelona | 28–23 | Veszprém | Vive Kielce | THW Kiel |
| 2015–16 Details | Vive Kielce | 39–38 | Veszprém | Paris Saint-Germain | THW Kiel |
| 2016–17 Details | RK Vardar | 24–23 | Paris Saint-Germain | Veszprém | Barcelona |
| 2017–18 Details | Montpellier | 32–26 | HBC Nantes | Paris Saint-Germain | RK Vardar |
| 2018–19 Details | RK Vardar | 27–24 | Veszprém | Barcelona | Vive Kielce |
| 2019–20 Details | THW Kiel | 33–28 | Barcelona | Paris Saint-Germain | Veszprém |
| 2020–21 Details | Barcelona | 36–23 | Aalborg Håndbold | Paris Saint-Germain | HBC Nantes |
| 2021–22 Details | Barcelona | 37–35 | Vive Kielce | THW Kiel | Veszprém |
| 2022–23 Details | SC Magdeburg | 30–29 | Vive Kielce | Barcelona | Paris Saint-Germain |
| 2023–24 Details | Barcelona | 31–30 | Aalborg Håndbold | THW Kiel | SC Magdeburg |
Notes:
Bold : Aggregate
Bold-italic : Winner's goals

## Records and statistics
### Winning clubs

Performance in the European Cup/EHF Champions League by club :
| vte Club | Winners | Runners-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
| Barcelona | 12 | 5 | 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2011, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2024 | 1990, 2001, 2010, 2013, 2020 |
| VfL Gummersbach | 5 | 1 | 1967, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1983 | 1972 |
| THW Kiel | 4 | 4 | 2007, 2010, 2012, 2020 | 2000, 2008, 2009, 2014 |
| SC Magdeburg | 4 | 0 | 1978, 1981, 2002, 2023 | — |
| Dukla Prague | 3 | 2 | 1957, 1963, 1984 | 1967, 1968 |
| Ciudad Real | 3 | 2 | 2006, 2008, 2009 | 2005, 2011 |
| SKA Minsk | 3 | 0 | 1987, 1989, 1990 | — |
| Zagreb | 2 | 4 | 1992, 1993 | 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999 |
| Steaua Bucureşti | 2 | 2 | 1968, 1977 | 1971, 1989 |
| Frisch Auf Göppingen | 2 | 1 | 1960, 1962 | 1959 |
| Metaloplastika | 2 | 1 | 1985, 1986 | 1984 |
| TV Großwallstadt | 2 | 0 | 1979, 1980 | — |
| Montpellier | 2 | 0 | 2003, 2018 | — |
| RK Vardar | 2 | 0 | 2017, 2019 | — |
| Bjelovar | 1 | 2 | 1972 | 1962, 1973 |
| CSKA Moscow | 1 | 2 | 1988 | 1977, 1983 |
| Portland San Antonio | 1 | 2 | 2001 | 2003, 2006 |
| Flensburg-Handewitt | 1 | 2 | 2014 | 2004, 2007 |
| Vive Kielce | 1 | 2 | 2016 | 2022, 2023 |
| Dinamo Bucureşti | 1 | 1 | 1965 | 1963 |
| MAI Moscow | 1 | 1 | 1973 | 1974 |
| Borac Banja Luka | 1 | 1 | 1976 | 1975 |
| Honvéd | 1 | 1 | 1982 | 1966 |
| CB Cantabria | 1 | 1 | 1994 | 1992 |
| Bidasoa Irún | 1 | 1 | 1995 | 1996 |
| Redbergslids IK | 1 | 0 | 1959 | — |
| DHfK Leipzig | 1 | 0 | 1966 | — |
| ASK Frankfurt/Oder | 1 | 0 | 1975 | — |
| Celje | 1 | 0 | 2004 | — |
| HSV Hamburg | 1 | 0 | 2013 | — |
| Veszprém KC | 0 | 4 | — | 2002, 2015, 2016, 2019 |
| Wybrzeże Gdańsk | 0 | 2 | — | 1986, 1987 |
| Aalborg Håndbold | 0 | 2 | — | 2021, 2024 |
| Örebro SK | 0 | 1 | — | 1957 |
| Aarhus GF | 0 | 1 | — | 1960 |
| Medveščak Zagreb | 0 | 1 | — | 1965 |
| Dynamo Berlin | 0 | 1 | — | 1970 |
| Fredericia KFUM | 0 | 1 | — | 1976 |
| Śląsk Wrocław | 0 | 1 | — | 1978 |
| Empor Rostock | 0 | 1 | — | 1979 |
| Valur | 0 | 1 | — | 1980 |
| Slovan Ljubljana | 0 | 1 | — | 1981 |
| TSV St. Otmar St. Gallen | 0 | 1 | — | 1982 |
| Atlético Madrid | 0 | 1 | — | 1985 |
| TUSEM Essen | 0 | 1 | — | 1988 |
| Proleter Zrenjanin | 0 | 1 | — | 1991 |
| Wallau-Massenheim | 0 | 1 | — | 1993 |
| ABC Braga | 0 | 1 | — | 1994 |
| Atlético de Madrid | 0 | 1 | — | 2012 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 0 | 1 | — | 2017 |
| HBC Nantes | 0 | 1 | — | 2018 |

### Performance by country (1957-2024)

| Rank | Country | Winners | Runners-up | Semi-finals | Total |
| 1 | Spain | 18 | 13 | 19 | 50 |
| 2 | Germany | 17 | 10 | 27 | 54 |
| 3 | Soviet Union | 5 | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| 4 | Yugoslavia | 4 | 7 | 6 | 17 |
| 5 | East Germany | 4 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| 6 | Romania | 3 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
| 7 | Czechoslovakia | 3 | 2 | 6 | 11 |
| 8 | Croatia | 2 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| 9 | France | 2 | 2 | 12 | 16 |
| 10 | North Macedonia | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 11 | Hungary | 1 | 5 | 9 | 15 |
| 12 | Poland | 1 | 5 | 3 | 9 |
| 13 | Sweden | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 14 | Slovenia | 1 | 0 | 7 | 8 |
| 15 | Denmark | 0 | 4 | 11 | 15 |
| 16 | Switzerland | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 17 | Iceland | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 18 | Portugal | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 19 | Norway | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 20 | Austria | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 21 | Russia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 22 | Turkey | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | Total | 64 | 64 | 128 | 256 |
* Since 2009–10 EHF Champions League have Third Place Match.

#### Notes

* $^A$ Results until the Dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Three out of five titles were won by clubs from present day Belarus, while two titles and the additional three times runners-up were achieved by clubs from present day Russia.
* $^B$ Results until the Breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. Clubs from present day Serbia won the title two times and were runners-up additional two times, clubs from present day Croatia won the title once and were runners-up three times, clubs from present day Bosnia and Herzegovina won the title once and were runners-up once, while clubs from present day Slovenia were runners-up one time.
* $^C$ Results until the Dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993. Three titles and two times runners-up were all achieved by HC Dukla Prague.

### Goals scored in the Final Four by nations

All the goals (3573) scored in the Final Four by the nationality of the players.
    Last updated after the 2023/24 season.
| Rank | Nation | Goals |
| 1 | France | 550 |
| 2 | Spain | 539 |
| 3 | Denmark | 311 |
| 4 | Germany | 306 |
| 5 | Croatia | 255 |
| 6 | Sweden | 218 |
| 7 | Poland | 189 |
| 8 | Iceland | 167 |
| 9 | Serbia | 159 |
| 10 | Slovenia | 157 |
| 11 | Hungary | 123 |
| Rank | Nation | Goals |
| 12 | Belarus | 85 |
| 13 | Russia | 78 |
| 14 | North Macedonia | 76 |
| 15 | Norway | 76 |
| 16 | Czech Republic | 56 |
| 17 | Netherlands | 35 |
| 18 | Montenegro | 33 |
| 19 | Latvia | 32 |
| 20 | Brazil | 25 |
| 21 | Egypt | 25 |
| 22 | Austria | 17 |
| Rank | Nation | Goals |
| 23 | Portugal | 17 |
| 24 | Ukraine | 11 |
| 25 | Tunisia | 9 |
| 26 | Argentina | 7 |
| 27 | Lithuania | 4 |
| 28 | Switzerland | 4 |
| 29 | Bosnia and Hercegovina | 3 |
| 30 | Italy | 3 |
| 31 | Iran | 2 |
| 32 | Slovakia | 2 |
| 33 | Faroe Islands | 1 |

### Coaches with most titles

| Coach | Titles | Clubs | Clubs |
| Coach | Titles | # | List |
| Valero Rivera | 6 | 1 | Barcelona 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 |
| Talant Dujshebaev | 4 | 2 | Ciudad Real 2006, 2008, 2009, Kielce 2016 |
| Xavier Pascual | 3 | 1 | Barcelona 2011, 2015, 2021 |
| Alfreð Gíslason | 3 | 2 | Magdeburg 2002, Kiel 2010, 2012 |
| Spartak Mironovitch | 3 | 1 | SKA Minsk 1987, 1989, 1990 |
* Horst Dreischang won titles with Gummersbach in 1967 and 1970. He was Gummersbach's coach until 29 January 1971, just after 1st game of Champions League 1/4 finals, which Gummersbach won with 11 goals lead. Gummersbach won the title that year.

#### As Player and Coach combined

| Player/Coach | Titles | as Player | as Player | as Coach | as Coach |
| Player/Coach | Titles | # | List | # | List |
| Carlos Ortega | 8 | 6 | Barcelona 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2005 | 2 | Barcelona 2022, 2024 |
| Talant Dujshebaev | 6 | 2 | CSKA Moscow 1988, Teka Santander 1994 | 4 | Ciudad Real 2006, 2008, 2009, Kielce 2016 |
| Roberto García Parrondo | 3 | 2 | Ciudad Real 2008, 2009 | 1 | Vardar 2019 |
| Filip Jicha | 3 | 2 | THW Kiel 2010, 2012 | 1 | THW Kiel 2020 |

## Sponsorship

* Select Sport
* Hummel International