Live blog: Teams' preparation complete on Friday

• Team Esbjerg, Györi Audi ETO KC, Metz Handball and SG BBM Bietigheim are arriving in Budapest for the EHF FINAL4 Women 2024
• on Friday, players and coaches talk to the media about their hopes for the weekend
• the fan zone opens at 16:00 CEST on Friday, with the team meet-and-greets from 18:00 CEST
• the semi-finals take place on Saturday at 15:00 CEST and 18:00 CEST
• read the semi-final preview and find out how to follow the EHF FINAL4
• follow the official EHF Champions League socials on Instagram , X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook
• all photos © Kolektiff Images

FRIDAY 31 MAY

18:30

The team meet-and-greets are ongoing at the MVM Dome, but we're done for the day here on the live blog. 

Tomorrow, it's semi-finals day, and there'll be coverage throughout the day of the action as we learn which two teams are still in the running to lift the EHF Champions League trophy for the 2023/24 season. We cannot wait.

18:20

The MVM Dome is now the home of the EHF FINAL4 Women museum - next time you're in Budapest, check it out!

18:02

Györ's meet-and-greet in the MVM Dome has begun - they're live on Instagram with a big crowd to welcome the players!

17:45

The team meet-and-greet at the MVM Dome is about to start, a chance for fans to meet their favourite players and show their support for their teams. There's also lots to do in the fanzone, with food, drink and plenty of handball-related games to test skills.

17:15

The EHF FINAL4 Women press conference is underway and news hot off the press is that the tournament will stay in Budapest at the MVM Dome for another three years, until 2027. The news secures a superb base for the competition and will help continue to showcase the best of women's club handball. Read more in the media release.

17:00

Bietigheim have shared a clip of their training session today. Looks like fun!

16:30

One of the fun things about a weekend like the EHF FINAL4 is finding out a bit more about the players. We quizzed some of the Metz and Bietigheim teams about their favourite foods!

16:10

The EHF FINAL4 has produced many amazing moments in the past 10 years, and we're sure there'll be lots more this weekend. In the meantime, enjoy the five most memorable moments to date!

15:45

Reaching an EHF FINAL4 and then going on to try and win it is a challenging task. The four participants in 2024 all have experienced coaches in charge, determined to deploy the best tactics to defeat their semi-final opponents and complete the Golden Road to Budapest. EHF journalist Adrian Costeiu spoke to all four coaches - Jesper Jensen, Per Johansson, Emmanuel Mayonnade and Jakob Vestergaard - at today's media calls and found out how they are approaching tomorrow's crucial games.

15:08

A few more words from the media call - here's Estelle Nze Minko on Györ!

13:50

Kelly Dulfer says SG BBM Bietigheim are here for only one reason: to win. (To be fair, that's also the aim of every other team ...)

12:45

Watch the media calls live here! Anja Althaus, Martin Vilstrup and Bengt Kunkel are chatting with players from all four teams.

12:00

The media calls are about to start, with Bietigheim first up. Before then, Györ had a training session and our photographers were there to grab some shots of the record champions as they prepare for their ninth appearance at an EHF FINAL4.

11:45

The last of our pre-competition features is this fascinating stats counter by Julian Rux, analysing what each of the four teams needs to do to improve their chances of winning the EHF FINAL4. A sneak preview: Esbjerg must improve their defence; Györ's penalty shooting has been underwhelming so far; Metz's defence is also their weak spot; and Bietigheim's second halves have persistently let them down.

Find out more in Julian's article here.

11:30

Here's the last of our arrivals galleries. Metz seemed fairly cheerful despite their delayed travel yesterday as they reached the hotel.

11:00

Fancy winning a jersey of one of the EHF FINAL4 teams? Follow us on Instagram and be in with a chance!

10:45

If you're feeling like you might want to join the Budapest party this weekend there are still a few tickets available for the weekend. Click here!

10:30

Good morning from Budapest! All the EHF FINAL4 Women teams are now here, with Esbjerg and Metz the last to arrive last night after some delays in their flights. We kick off today's coverage with the Esbjerg arrival shots - can you spot your favourite player?

THURSDAY 30 MAY

18:30

Györ have arrived at the hotel to be greeted by their fans, after their short trip to Budapest. Metz and Esbjerg will be here a little later. We'll share some arrival pictures tomorrow! Also tomorrow: the media calls in the early afternoon, and in the evening, the meet-and-greet with fans at the MVM Dome. So join us again on Friday morning for more build-up before the big weekend.

18:10

Can Metz win their first-ever EHF Champions League title on Sunday? Two of our expert EHF journalists (Adrian Costeiu and Courtney Gahan) think so, and Adrian put the French side at the top of his power rankings earlier this week. Metz have a good semi-final draw against underdogs Bietigheim, and seem to be firing on all cylinders, giving them a strong chance of a place in the final. Read the power ranking here.

17:45

After their early trip to Budapest, Bietigheim have taken the opportunity to do some training. They look pretty happy and chilled as they prepare for their EHF FINAL4 debut!

17:20

While Bietigheim are getting on with their first training session, the other three sides are in the air on the way to Hungary.

17:00

This year is the 10th anniversary edition of the EHF FINAL4 - the final weekend in the current format started life in 2014, and including that year nine editions have so far been played (skipping 2019/20 due to the Covid-19 pandemic). We've gathered some of the best winners' quotes from those nine tournaments, and all you have to do is work out who said what.

16:30

Who do you think will be crowned MVP of the weekend? Join us to have your say on social media.

16:00

Are you a stats-and-facts fan? Then we have just the article for you, by EHF journalist and king of statistics Björn Pazen - the facts and figures for the EHF FINAL4 Women 2024. Check it out here.

15:30

There are bound to be some breakout performances this weekend, especially from some of the young players on court. A number have come through the EHF's Respect Your Talent programme, which identifies the stars of the future at Younger Age Category competitions and gives them mentoring and training in key areas designed to help them thrive as professional athletes.

Among the RYT alumnae set to shine is Metz' Sarah Bouktit. The 21-year-old line player is the top scorer still in the competition and if she has a good weekend, may well challenge Vipers Kristiansand's Anna Vykahireva for the season's top scorer award. Read more about Bouktit and her fellow RYT stars here.

15:00

Over the past few weeks, since the quarter-finals decided the four EHF FINAL4 participants, we've been talking to players and examining the teams' chances. Last week we published four exclusive interviews, one for each team, speaking to Metz' Kristina Jörgensen, Györ's Viktória Gyori-Lukács, Bietigheim's Gabriela Moreschi, and Esbjerg's Sanna Solberg-Isaksen. Find out what they had to say below.

14:30

SG BBM Bietigheim have had an extraordinary season - despite losing eight games and finishing sixth in their group, they have reached Budapest. In doing so they have become the first German team to make it to the EHF FINAL4, and the first German team to play the EHF Champions League Women semi-finals since Walle Bremen in 1995.

They were the first team to arrive earlier today, with the rest of the semi-finalists due a little later on.

14:00

Welcome to Budapest!

It's that time of the year again - the pinnacle of the European club handball season. The best four teams in this year's EHF Champions League Women are gathering to play for the coveted trophy and we will bring you all the best moments, pictures, video clips and more throughout the weekend.

Today, look out for photos from the team arrivals - SG BBM Bieitigheim are already here - as well as the essential content we've been producing over the last week or so. Let's start with the semi-final preview.