Hungarian trio and CSM book first Youth Club Trophy showdown

• Györ were the first side to secure themselves a spot in Budapest — the young Hungarian team had two convincing wins in the qualification tournament 1 in Porec: a 32:24 win against Podravka in the semi-finals, and 32:22 against Hypo in the finals
• FTC became the second club to punch their ticket for Budapest; just as compatriots from Györ, they too had a strong performance at the tournament in Zagreb — they beat Ikast 30:23 in the semi-finals and left hosts Lokomotiva disappointed in the finals by 38:22, with Laura Jázmin Tarjányi their overall best scorer with 14 goals
• The third participant in Budapest was CSM after a convincing second half performance against hosts Kepez (35:28) — on the opening day, they eliminated Odense in the semi-finals 33:29
• the last side to book their spot in Budapest was DVSC after a 31:20 win against Esbjerg; it was their best performance of the tournament, following a 30:25 victory over BVB in the semi-finals
• all three Hungarian teams will have female coaches in Budapest: their well-known Krisztina Pigniczki (Györ), Judit Grandpierre (FTC) and Blanka Márián (DVSC); while the CSM arrive with a mother-son coaching duo, Alexandru Moise and Elena Moise
• The top scorers across the qualification tournaments were Hypo's Luna Hahn with 22 goals in tournament 1, Lokomotiva's Lana Jurić with 20 in tournament 2, Naja Okholm was the top scorer of tournament 3 with 19 goals, and Kepez's right back Gazel Dikme with 24 in tournament 4

QUALIFICATION TOURNAMENT 1: 29–30 March, Porec (CRO) 

1. GYÖRI ETO KC (HUN), 2. HYPO NIEDERÖSTERREICH (AUT), 3. OTP GROUP BUDUCNOST (MNE), 4. HC PODRAVKA (CRO)

Before trying to book their spot in Budapest in the final, Hypo and Györ both delivered convincing wins in the semi-finals. Hypo, powered by 10 goals from Luna Hahn, overcame Buducnost 28:18, while the Hungarian side relied on strong team play, with 12 of their 14 outfield players scoring, to beat Podravka 32:24. Consequently, Podravka and Buducnost met in the bronze medal match the following day — after an even first half, Buducnost stepped up a gear in the second, opened a five-goal lead midway through and, led by Kalina Kažić, sealed third place with a 26:19 win.

In the final, Györ were the first to grab their historic ticket to Budapest. From the opening minutes, the Hungarian side imposed their rhythm, racing to an 8:2 lead inside the first 15 minutes and carrying an even wider gap into the break. Luna Hahn, Hypo's centre back, tried to keep her side in the game with 12 goals, but the gap proved too wide to close. Györ spurred another run from the 42nd minute and sealed the win, following the path of their senior team — led by two Hannas, Hanna Molnár and Hanna Marian, who combined for 14 goals.

QUALIFICATION TOURNAMENT 2: 31 March – 1 April, Zagreb (CRO)

1. FTC (HUN), 2. HC LOKOMOTIVA ZAGREB (CRO), FTC (HUN), 3. IKAST HÅNDBOLD (DEN), 4. KRIM OTP GROUP MERCATOR (SLO)

The hosts Lokomotiva and FTC had a strong start to the tournament. Lokomotiva secured their place in the final with a 36:32 win against Krim after a high-scoring first half, led by an outstanding 16-goal performance from Lana Jurić. FTC, on the other hand, beat Ikast 30:23 thanks to a strong second half, as the Danish side could not keep up with a shorter rotation. However, Ikast bounced back in the bronze medal match, delivering a dominant performance against Krim — practically sealing the deal already in the first half with a nine-goal lead at the break, as Alma Johannsen and Tilde Kløve led the charge with seven goals each.

FTC had no trouble against hosts Lokomotiva and booked their spot at the inaugural event, joining Györ. FTC set the tone early, leaving Lokomotiva on just three goals after 18 minutes as they surged to a seven-goal lead. By halftime, they maintained control despite Lokomotiva scoring nine — five of them from Elza Pavelinić, mostly from the penalty line. The second half only widened the gap, as FTC hit a double-digit lead (22:12) within nine minutes of the restart and went on to seal a commanding 37:22 win.

QUALIFICATION TOURNAMENT 3: 2–3 April, Bistrita (ROU)

1. DVSC KÉZILABDA AKADÉMIA (HUN), 2. TEAM ESBJERG (DEN), 3. BV BORUSSIA DORTMUND (GER), 4. CS GLORIA BISTRITA (ROU)

The hosts of the tournament, Bistrita, fell short of reaching the final and the fight for a place in Budapest. The Romanian side lost to Esbjerg 26:32, never once taking the lead, as the Danish team delivered a strong second-half performance with Naja Okholm and Thea Storgaard Rask-Hansen leading the charge. DVSC proved stronger than their German peers, beating BVB 30:25 by capitalising on their opponents' attacking mistakes in the second half. Even 16 saves from Lena Weißmann were not enough for BVB, as Janka Gonda stepped up on the other side with crucial stops in key moments. The semi-final loss seemed to take its toll on Bistrita, as BVB faced little resistance in the third place match and took a 40:26 win. The German side had already netted 22 by halftime, compared to Bistrita's eight and left no room for speculations. Alexa Ani-Senocico scored 10 for the hosts, while Nora Lueg led BVB with eight goals among 12 scorers.

DVSC made sure to complete the Hungarian feel in Budapest, becoming the third Hungarian representative in the title race. In the final in Bistrita, they entered the fray with a blistering start, showing that the semi-final had only been a warm-up. Already after 20 minutes they opened a six-goal lead (10:4) and kept building on it, stretching it to double digits for the first time in the 45th minute (24:14). Esbjerg, who had only nine outfield players and two goalkeepers available, could not keep up with the pace, even though Naja Okholm once again led their side with 10 goals. In the end, DVSC sealed a comfortable 31:20 win with 13 players scoring at least once.

QUALIFICATION TOURNAMENT 4: 2–3 April, Ankara (TUR)

1. CSM BUCURESTI (ROU), 2. KEPEZ BSK (TUR), 3. ODENSE HÅNDBOLD UNGDOM (DEN), 4. METZ HANDBALL (FRA)

The opening match day in Türkiye saw the home side Kepez stroll past Metz Handball, claiming a 32:23 win after a near pitch-perfect performance from Gazel Dikme (11 goals) and goalkeeper Ceylin Çetin, who made 15 saves at 41.67 per cent. In the second game, CSM Bucuresti overcame Odense 33:29 — after a deadlock in the opening 10 minutes, CSM broke away at 10:7 and never looked back. Odense bounced back in the bronze medal match, beating Metz 34:24. Metz kept the contest close for 20 minutes, but after Odense’s 7:0 run, it was all over for the French side, despite Jeanne Hanen netting 12 times, while Silja Dan Thoudal and Silje Røjkjær Hansen combined for 14 goals.

There was no luck for the hosts in the race for Budapest in this inaugural season, as Kepez also fell short. CSM Bucuresti climbed an early comeback, turning the game around after trailing by four (5:9) with a 5:0 run to take control. Although the gap remained narrow at half-time (17:15), the second half sealed the deal for the Romanian side, with Maria Anonescu (9 goals), Maria Sprîncenatu (8 goals) and Maria Petrache (7 seven goals) leading the charge for a 35:28 win. On the other side, Gazel Dikme netted 13 times for Kepez, but her standout performance was not enough for the Turkish side to break through.

Main image: Berke Özkan / Turkish Handball Federation