Top teams meet for coveted Champions Cup titles

The 11th edition of the Beach Handball Champions Cup features top clubs from across Europe trying to win one of the most coveted titles in continental club beach handball.

The competition format in both genders consists of a round-robin preliminary round with four groups of four teams each. The top-three teams progress to the main round, which will be played in two groups of six teams each. The best four teams of each group will meet in the quarter-finals on Saturday. On Sunday, the placement matches will be played, as well as the semi-finals and finals.

Men’s competition

Title holders on the men’s side are GRD Leça SPAR from Portugal, who also finished in fifth at the ebt Finals this year. They were drawn in group A with three teams that did not participate in last year’s edition: Polish side SPR Purina Katy Wroclaskie, Lund Beachhandball Club from Sweden, and Rotterdam Handball from the Netherlands.

Group B displays a similar picture, as last year’s fifth-place team, Aarhus Beach from Denmark, meet with three teams not participating in the competition last year. Ligue Nouvelle Aquitaine Handball from France, Fundación Fomento Deporte CBMP Ciudad de Málaga from Spain, and Portuguese side VRT Lemar take part in this group. The Danish side showed that they will be a force to be reckoned with in June at the ebt Finals, where they claimed the bronze medal.

Group C consists of German side 12 Monkeys Köln BHC, Nazaré BHT from Portugal, Hiekka Hauskaa from the Netherlands, and Hungarian side Green Cobras BHC. Nazaré claimed the bronze medal in the previous year, beating 12 Monkeys in the main round by 2:0 in sets. The team from Cologne ended the tournament in ninth place. Green Cobras were 13th in the 2024 edition. 12 Monkeys took part at the EBT finals earlier in the summer, finishing in fourth.

Last year’s runners-up, Rødby Beach Boys from Denmark, are favorites in group D. They will face HÍR-SAT BHC from Hungary, who finished in sixth place in 2024, London Beach Handball from Great Britain (15th last year), and BHC Dubrava from Croatia.

Women’s competition

Defending champions The Danish Beach Handball Dream, who also finished in sixth at the ebt Finals 2025, were drawn in group A, competing against Ligue Nouvelle Aquitaine Handball from France, BHT Byczki Kowalewo Pomorskie from Poland, and London GD from Great Britain. The British side faced off with the later crowned champions in the quarter-finals last year, making the Danish squad sweat, especially in the first set which ended with a single-point difference (29:28). It will be fascinating to see if they can replicate this performance to bounce back after a difficult ebt Finals, winning only one of their seven matches and placing last in the tournament.

In group B, German champions Caipiranhas Bartenbeach, Red Velvet BHC Aquital from Hungary, Swiss side Copaca – Balerina, and MKS Ochota Warszawa from Poland face each other. Red Velvet were the only team participating in last year’s edition, finishing in 14th place. However, the German side competed at the EBT finals this year, ranking in fifth place.

Group C seems to be very open. Fundación Fomento Deporte CBMP Ciudad de Málaga from Spain, BHC Dubrava from Croatia, Olympia Beach Handball from Great Britain, and Portuguese side Fortitudo BH square off in this group. All four teams did not participate in the Champions Cup last year. The Spanish side came in 11th place in this year’s ebt Finals and hope to show some progress in this tournament.

As last year’s silver and bronze medallists, CATS A.M. Team Almeria and Black Lake Beach, have not qualified for this edition, group D consists of two teams hoping to take their places after good tournaments last year. GRD Leça Love Tiles from Portugal missed out on the bronze medal in two close sets in the bronze medal match, while Beach Unicorns Hannover lost to silver medallists CATS A.M. Team Almeria in the quarter-finals (15:14, 20:18). Both teams will try to keep Copenhagen Beach from Denmark and Hungarian side OVB Beach Girls BHC behind in this group.

How to follow

All matches will be streamed live on EHFTV, with both tournament and day passes available.

Along with the regular updates that will be shared right here on beach.eurohandball.com, you can subscribe to the Beach Handball newsletter to get the latest news and stories delivered straight to your inbox. The Champions Cup 2025 can also be followed on the EHF’s beach handball Instagram.

All-star Teams

Alongside the awarding of the trophies to the title winners, Sunday will see the presenting of the All-star Teams. For both genders, an All-star Team goalkeeper and defender will be announced, along with an MVP.

Six players will be nominated in each category, and then the vote will open for the fans to make the final decisions. The vote will open on Saturday 18 October at 21:00 CEST and close on Sunday 19 October at 18:00 CEST. Voting will be possible on beach.eurohandball.com, so keep up to date with the latest news.

photos © Uros Hocevar / kolektiff (main, second in-text); Sasa Pahic Szabo / kolektiff (first in-text)