# 2023–24 LEN Women's Champions League

The 2023–24 LEN Women's Champions League is the 36th edition of the water polo competition organised by the Ligue Européenne de Natation (LEN). This is the first season under the new changes made by LEN. The defending champions are Astralpool Sabadell.
The Spanish side successfully defended their title with a win against Olympiacos Piraeus in the final.

## Format

This season, the format has undergone some changes. After one qualification round (instead of two), sixteen teams will qualify for the main round. For the first time ever, the groups in the main round are held in a home and away format. After the main round, the four groups winners will compete in the final four to decide the winners of the LEN Women's Champions League.

## Rankings

Starting this season, LEN also started a club rankings. Countries inside the top 6 of the new LEN women's club rankings are eligible to enter 5 clubs into the Champions League. While countries outside the top 6 can enter their league champion into either the Champions League or Challenger Cup.
| Rank | Association | Points | Teams |
| 1 | Spain | 105,597.5 | 5 |
| 2 | Greece | 91,125 | 5 |
| 3 | Hungary | 84,842.5 | 5 |
| 4 | Italy | 76,410 | 4 |
| 5 | France | 24,127.5 | 3 |
| 6 | Russia | 53.38 | 0 |
| 7 | Netherlands | 49.300 | 1 |
| 8 | Slovakia | 5,145 | 0 |
| 9 | Germany | 4,620 | 1 |
| 9 | Portugal | 4,620 | 0 |
| 11 | Malta | 3,940 | 0 |
| 12 | Israel | 2,500 | 0 |
| 13 | Croatia | 1,012.5 | 0 |

## Teams

Alongside the new changes, LEN increased the amount of clubs a country can enter, from 4 to 5. German representative, Spandau 04, was the only club outside the top 6 who decided to enter, starting in the qualifiers. While on the other hand, despite being in the top 6, Russia was banned and Netherlands took the sixth-place spot. All other clubs and countries below the top six entered the 2023–24 LEN Women's Challenger Cup.
Main round :
| Olympiacos Piraeus (1st) | ZF Eger (1st) | Ekipe Orizzonte (1st) | Astralpool Sabadell (1st) |
Qualification round :
| Lille UC (1st) | Mulhouse WP (2nd) | Grand Nancy AC (3rd) | Spandau 04 (1st) |
| NO Vouliagmeni (2hd) | Ethnikos Piraeus (3rd) | ANC Glyfada (4th) | Alimos NAC Betsson (5th) |
| Dunaújváros (2nd) | FTC Telekom (3rd) | UVSE Budapest (4th) | BVSC-Zugló (5th) |
| SIS Roma (2nd) | Antenore Plebiscito Padova (3rd) | Pallanuoto Trieste (4th) | ZV De Zaan (1st) |
| Assolim CN Mataró (2nd) | CN Sant Andreu (3rd) | CE Mediterrani (4th) | CN Terrassa (5th) |

## Round and draw dates
### Schedule

| Phase | Round | Round date |
| Qualification round | | 21–24 September 2023 |
| Main round | Matchday 1 | 7–8 October 2023 |
| Main round | Matchday 2 | 21 October 2023 |
| Main round | Matchday 3 | 4 November 2023 |
| Main round | Matchday 4 | 25 November 2023 |
| Main round | Matchday 5 | 9 March 2024 |
| Main round | Matchday 6 | 23 March 2024 |
| Final four | Semifinals | 20 April 2024 |
| Final four | Final | 21 April 2024 |

## Draw

The draw was on 10 August 2023. The seeding was decided by the new LEN club rankings. H indicates which club is hosting the groups.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 | Pot 5 |
| Dunaújváros Assolim CN Mataró (H) UVSE Budapest (H) Antenore Plebiscito Padova | NO Vouliagmeni CE Mediterrani SIS Roma (H) FTC Telekom | ANC Glyfada Ethnikos Piraeus CN Terrassa Lille UC | BVSC-Zugló CN Sant Andreu Spandau 04 Mulhouse WP (H) | ZV De Zaan Grand Nancy AC Alimos NAC Betsson Pallanuoto Trieste |

## Qualification round

In the qualification round, teams play in a round robin format. The top 3 in every group makes the main round, while the fourth and fifth placed teams in the groups drop down to the 2023–24 LEN Women's Euro Cup group stage.

### Group A

* 21–24 September 2023, Budapest, Hungary.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PSW | PSL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | UVSE | ALI | FTC | GLY | SPA |
| 1 | UVSE Budapest (H) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 34 | +25 | 12 | Main round | — | 12–7 | 11–9 | 21–11 | 15–7 |
| 2 | Alimos NAC Betsson | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 51 | 43 | +8 | 9 | Main round | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | FTC Telekom | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 55 | 40 | +15 | 6 | Main round | — | 13–14 | — | 17–8 | 16–7 |
| 4 | ANC Glyfada | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 37 | 63 | −26 | 3 | Euro Cup | — | 9–19 | — | — | 9–6 |
| 5 | Spandau 04 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 29 | 51 | −22 | 0 | Euro Cup | — | 9–11 | — | — | — |

### Group B

* 21–24 September 2023, Mulhouse, France.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PSW | PSL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | MUL | ETH | MED | TRI | PAD |
| 1 | Mulhouse WP (H) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 37 | +11 | 12 | Main round | — | 13–10 | 14–12 | 10–9 | 11–6 |
| 2 | Ethnikos Piraeus | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 44 | 42 | +2 | 8 | Main round | — | — | 17–15 | 12–9 | 9–7 |
| 3 | CE Mediterrani | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 55 | 50 | +5 | 5 | Main round | — | — | — | 17–10 | 15–17 |
| 4 | Pallanuoto Trieste | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 42 | 51 | −9 | 3 | Euro Cup | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | Antenore Plebiscito Padova | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 38 | 47 | −9 | 2 | Euro Cup | — | — | — | 12–14 | — |
* ↑ Match ended 13–13, Ethnikos Piraeus won 4–2 on penalties
* ↑ Match ended 13–13, Antenore Plebiscito Padova won 4–2 on penalties

### Group C

* 21–24 September 2023, Mataró, Spain.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PSW | PSL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | MAT | VOU | TER | BVSC | ZAAN |
| 1 | Assolim CN Mataró (H) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 36 | +32 | 12 | Main round | — | 15–9 | 20–7 | 18–9 | 15–11 |
| 2 | NO Vouliagmeni | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 46 | 37 | +9 | 9 | Main round | — | — | 11–6 | 12–8 | 14–8 |
| 3 | CN Terrassa | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 42 | 57 | −15 | 6 | Main round | — | — | — | — | 16–15 |
| 4 | BVSC-Zugló | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 39 | 54 | −15 | 2 | Euro Cup | — | — | 11–13 | — | 16–14 |
| 5 | ZV De Zaan | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 45 | 56 | −11 | 1 | Euro Cup | — | — | — | — | — |
* ↑ Match ended 11–11, BVSC-Zugló won 5–3 on penalties

### Group D

* 21–24 September 2023, Rome, Italy.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PSW | PSL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SAN | ROM | DUN | LIL | NAN |
| 1 | CN Sant Andreu | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 32 | +30 | 12 | Main round | — | — | — | — | 22–3 |
| 2 | SIS Roma (H) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 48 | 36 | +12 | 9 | Main round | 9–15 | — | 9–8 | 9–8 | 21–5 |
| 3 | Dunaújváros | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 51 | 36 | +15 | 5 | Main round | 9–11 | — | — | — | 24–6 |
| 4 | Lille UC | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 50 | 42 | +8 | 4 | Euro Cup | 11–14 | — | 10–13 | — | — |
| 5 | Grand Nancy AC | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 23 | 88 | −65 | 0 | Euro Cup | — | — | — | 9–21 | — |
* ↑ Match ended 10–10, Dunaújváros won 3–0 on penalties

## Main round

The draw took place on 26 September 2023 in Barcelona, Spain. The four group winners advance to the final four.
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 is the first time that this round is being held in a home and away format. Five countries are being represented, with Spain boasting the most clubs with five.
Seeding
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
| Astralpool Sabadell Olympiacos Piraeus Ekipe Orizzonte ZF Eger | UVSE Budapest Mulhouse WP Assolim CN Mataró CN Sant Andreu | Alimos NAC Betsson Ethnikos Piraeus NO Vouliagmeni SIS Roma | FTC Telekom CE Mediterrani CN Terrassa Dunaújváros |

### Group A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PSW | PSL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SAN | TER | ORI | ROM |
| 1 | CN Sant Andreu | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 57 | +18 | 17 | Final four | — | 15–9 | 13–9 | 10–9 |
| 2 | CN Terrassa | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 59 | 67 | −8 | 9 | | 6–11 | — | 10–8 | 13–10 |
| 3 | Ekipe Orizzonte | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 68 | 65 | +3 | 6 | | 10–11 | 15–9 | — | 16–11 |
| 4 | SIS Roma | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 63 | 76 | −13 | 4 | | 14–15 | 8–12 | 11–10 | — |
* ↑ Match ended 10–10, CN Sant Andreu won 5–4 on penalties

### Group B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PSW | PSL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SAB | ALI | MUL | DUN |
| 1 | Astralpool Sabadell | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 91 | 55 | +36 | 18 | Final four | — | 14–7 | 18–10 | 18–12 |
| 2 | Alimos NAC Betsson | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 69 | 76 | −7 | 9 | | 8–13 | — | 12–15 | 14–10 |
| 3 | Mulhouse WP | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 77 | 94 | −17 | 5 | | 10–19 | 13–16 | — | 18–16 |
| 4 | Dunaújváros | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 70 | 82 | −12 | 4 | | 8–9 | 11–12 | 13–11 | — |
* ↑ Match ended 15–15, Mulhouse WP won 3–1 on penalties

### Group C

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PSW | PSL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | MAT | ETH | FTC | EGER |
| 1 | Assolim CN Mataró | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 93 | 36 | +57 | 18 | Final four | — | 18–8 | 13–5 | 18–6 |
| 2 | Ethnikos Piraeus | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 67 | 83 | −16 | 7 | | 4–13 | — | 15–13 | 14–11 |
| 3 | FTC Telekom | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 64 | 68 | −4 | 6 | | 8–13 | 12–11 | — | 18–7 |
| 4 | ZF Eger | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 54 | 91 | −37 | 5 | | 5–18 | 16–15 | 9–8 | — |
* ↑ Match ended 11–11, ZF Eger won 5–4 on penalties

### Group D

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PSW | PSL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | OLY | VOU | UVSE | MED |
| 1 | Olympiacos Piraeus | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 84 | 47 | +37 | 18 | Final four | — | 12–7 | 15–8 | 21–7 |
| 2 | NO Vouliagmeni | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 62 | 65 | −3 | 9 | | 9–14 | — | 13–11 | 14–9 |
| 3 | UVSE Budapest | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 62 | 62 | 0 | 9 | | 6–7 | 9–8 | — | 10–7 |
| 4 | CE Mediterrani | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 55 | 89 | −34 | 0 | | 10–15 | 10–11 | 12–18 | — |
* 1 2 NO Vouliagmeni 21–20 UVSE Budapest

## Final four

The Final four was held between 20 and 21 April 2024. The draw was held in Barcelona on 26 March 2024. On 12 April, the Nova Escullera pool in Barcelona was announced as the host.

### Bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final |
| 20 April | 20 April |
| CN Sant Andreu | 9 |
| CN Sant Andreu | 9 | 21 April | 21 April |
| Astralpool Sabadell | 14 | 21 April | 21 April |
| Astralpool Sabadell | 14 | Astralpool Sabadell | 16 |
| 20 April | 20 April | | Astralpool Sabadell | 16 |
| 20 April | 20 April | Olympiacos Piraeus | 10 |
| Olympiacos Piraeus | 16 | Olympiacos Piraeus | 10 |
| Assolim CN Mataró | 12 | | |
| Assolim CN Mataró | 12 | Third place | Third place |
| | | 21 April | 21 April |
| | | CN Sant Andreu | 8 |
| | | Assolim CN Mataró | 7 |

### Semi-finals

| 20 April 2024 12:00 | Report | CN Sant Andreu | 9–14 | Astralpool Sabadell | Nova Escullera pool, Barcelona Referees: Alessia Ferrari (ITA), Michiel Zwart (NED) |
| Nova Escullera pool, Barcelona Referees: Alessia Ferrari (ITA), Michiel Zwart (NED) |||
| 20 April 2024 12:00 | Report | Pérez, Ruiz 3 | Goals | González 5 | Nova Escullera pool, Barcelona Referees: Alessia Ferrari (ITA), Michiel Zwart (NED) |
| 20 April 2024 14:00 | Report | Olympiacos Piraeus | 16–12 | Assolim CN Mataró | Nova Escullera pool, Barcelona Referees: Nora Debreceni (HUN), Boris Margeta (SLO) |
| Nova Escullera pool, Barcelona Referees: Nora Debreceni (HUN), Boris Margeta (SLO) |||
| 20 April 2024 14:00 | Report | Elefteriadou 7 | Goals | Van de Kraats 3 | Nova Escullera pool, Barcelona Referees: Nora Debreceni (HUN), Boris Margeta (SLO) |

### Third place match

| 21 April 2024 12:00 | Report | CN Sant Andreu | 8–7 | Assolim CN Mataró | Nova Escullera pool, Barcelona Referees: Alessia Ferrari (ITA), Michiel Zwart (NED) |
| Nova Escullera pool, Barcelona Referees: Alessia Ferrari (ITA), Michiel Zwart (NED) |||
| 21 April 2024 12:00 | Report | Ruiz 3 | Goals | Kestzthelyi 3 | Nova Escullera pool, Barcelona Referees: Alessia Ferrari (ITA), Michiel Zwart (NED) |

### Final

| 21 April 2024 14:00 | Report | Astralpool Sabadell | 16–10 | Olympiacos Piraeus | Nova Escullera pool, Barcelona Referees: Alessia Ferrari (ITA), Boris Margeta (SLO) |
| Nova Escullera pool, Barcelona Referees: Alessia Ferrari (ITA), Boris Margeta (SLO) |||
| 21 April 2024 14:00 | Report | Giustini 5 | Goals | Plevritou 3 | Nova Escullera pool, Barcelona Referees: Alessia Ferrari (ITA), Boris Margeta (SLO) |
* 2023–24 LEN Women's Champions League Champions
* Astralpool Sabadell Seventh title