The DELO EHF Champions League 2021/22 is in its winter break, but players from all 16 group phase teams are involved in the Women’s IHF World Championship 2021 in Spain, which has started this week.
Record Champions League winners Györi Audi ETO KC have the most players at Spain 2021 – 13 in total, one more than CSKA. The Györ players are competing for seven different nations; the CSKA players for five, and mainly for Russia.
Current Champions League title holders Vipers Kristiansand have five players at the World Championship, with some of their biggest stars having left for other clubs since winning their maiden trophy at the DELO EHF FINAL4 2021 last May.
Even Kastamonu Belediyesi GSK are represented at the global championship – through their foreign stars, as Turkey have not qualified.
116 Champions League players are involved in the World Championship
A total of 116 players from the 16 group phase clubs are involved in the tournament in Spain, where the preliminary round concludes next Friday.
Among the 32 nations competing for the world title, Olympic champions France have the biggest number of Champions League players in their squad: 14. Norway, Montenegro, and Russia each have 13, Netherlands 11.
Among the 14 nations playing at the World Championship without Champions League stars are two from Europe: Austria and Slovakia.
Hosts and 2019 silver medallists Spain have only two Champions League players at their disposal foe their home event: Carmen Martin (CSM Bucuresti) and Jennifer Guiterrez (BV Borussia 09 Dortmund).
World Championship players per DELO EHF Champions League club:
13 players/7 nations: Györi Audi ETO KC (1 DEN, 2 FRA, 3 HUN, 1 KOR, 4 NOR, 1 ROU, 1 SWE)
12 players/5 nations: CSKA (1 DEN, 1 NOR, 1 ESP, 8 RUS, 1 SLO)
10 players/5 nations: Krim Mercator Ljubljana (1 BRA, 1 CRO, 1 FRA, 1 SRB, 6 SLO)
10 players/4 nations: Odense Håndbold (4 DEN, 4 NED, 1 NOR, 1 SWE)
9 players/4 nations: FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria (2 GER, 5 HUN, 1 NED, 1 MNE)
9 players/2 nations: Buducnost BEMAX (1 FRA, 8 MNE)
8 players/5 nations: Metz Handball (1 BRA, 2 CRO, 1 DEN, 3 FRA, 1 NED)
8 players/4 nations: Team Esbjerg (1 DEN, 1 GER, 1 NED, 5 NOR)
8 players/3 nations: Rostov-Don (2 FRA, 5 RUS, 1 SWE)
7 players/3 nations: BV Borussia 09 Dortmund (3 GER, 3 NED, 1 ESP)
6 players/3 nations: Brest Bretagne Handball (1 DEN, 4 FRA, 1 POL)
6 players/3 nations: HC Podravka Vegeta (2 CRO, 1 MNE, 3 ROU)
5 players/5 nations: CSM Bucuresti (1 NED, 1 MNE, 1 SLO, 1 SRB, 1 ROU)
5 players/3 nations: Vipers Kristiansand (1 CRO, 2 CZE, 2 NOR)
4 players/3 nations: Kastamonu Belediyesi GSK (1 CZR, 2 MNE, 1 SLO)
1 player/1 nation: IK Sävehof (1 SWE)
DELO EHF Champions League players per World Championship participant:
14 players: France
13 players: Montenegro, Norway, Russia
11 players: Netherlands
9 players: Denmark, Slovenia
8 players: Hungary
6 players: Croatia, Germany
4 players: Sweden, Romania
3 players: Czech Republic
2 players: Brazil, Spain, Serbia
1 player: South Korea, Poland
0 players: Angola, Argentina, Austria, Cameroon, Congo, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, China, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Slovakia, Tunisia, Uzbekistan
Photo Carmen Martin (Spain) courtesy of RFEBM / J. L. Recio
