Quarter-finals start with THC, Dijon eyeing return to EHF Finals

Quarter-finals start with THC, Dijon eyeing return to EHF Finals

Filip Mishov
EHF / Filip Mishov
19 March 2026, 13:00

Eight clubs from six different countries are in action this weekend for the first leg of the EHF European League Women 2025/26 quarter-finals — and defending champions Thüringer HC from Germany and last season’s third-ranked French side JDA Bourgogne Dijon Handball are among them.

A Hungarian derby is on the agenda with Motherson Mosonmagyarovari KC playing MOL Esztergom. The two Danish clubs, Viborg HK and Nykøbing Falster Håndbold, start their challenges at home against CS Rapid Bucuresti and THC, respectively, while Dijon travel to HC Lokomotiva Zagreb.

QUARTER-FINALS, LEG 1

Viborg HK (DEN) vs CS Rapid Bucuresti (ROU)

Saturday 21 March, 18:00 CET, live on EHFTV

  • the Anders Friis-led squad have been inconsistent on home court in 2026, winning five, drawing one, and losing four matches across all competitions
  • Marielle Martinsen is Viborg’s top scorer in the competition with 47 goals
  • Rapid struggle in the Romanian league and rank only in eighth position after losing three of their last four matches
  • Rapid boast the highest-scoring squad (304 goals) in the competition, while Viborg are second with 273 goals, but no team scored more goals than Viborg (203 goals) in the group phase
  • Rapid’s Dutch playmaker Estavana Polman is the joint third-best scorer of the European League, with 50 goals

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20260319 ELW Quote Viborg Hald
I am very excited about the quarter-finals. It has been a long time since Viborg HK have participated in international competitions, so to be in a quarter-final is already a nice result. It is always exciting to play international matches, especially against a team like Bucuresti — a very good team which always bring a lot of energy to the match, some of which comes from the dedicated Bucuresti fans.
Sara Hald
Line player, Viborg HK

Motherson Mosonmagyarovari KC (HUN) vs MOL Esztergom (HUN)

Saturday 21 March, 20:00 CET, live on EHFTV

  • Mosonmagyarovar are in the quarter-finals for the second time, while Esztergom are debutants in the competition
  • Dragan Adžic's squad are ranked mid-table in Hungary, while Elek Gábor's squad are fourth
  • Esztergom beat Mosonmagyarovar 26:21 in the domestic league this season, and also won both their duels last season
  • experience is on MKC's side with the likes of Barbara Arenhart, Eszter Tóth and Gabriella Tóth in their squad
  • Esztergom left back Emília Varga is the most reliable penalty shooter this season, with 30 goals from 33 attempts

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20260320 ELW Quote Mosonmagyarovar Stranigg
I think our strength is that we have played well and as a united team in the European League so far. It is also extra motivation for us that we may have our best chance ever to reach the EHF Finals. We have amazing fans who will support us in Györ as well, and we hope we can give them a performance they deserve.
Zsófia Stranigg
Left wing, Motherson Mosonmagyarovari KC
20260319 ELW QF L1 Preview Text

HC Lokomotiva Zagreb (CRO) vs JDA Bourgogne Dijon Handball (FRA)

Sunday 22 March, 14:00 CET, live on EHFTV

  • Silvio Ivandija's squad failed to win a match on home court in group C but won all three away games and finished second
  • Lokomotiva are second in the Croatian league, only behind EHF Champions League play-off participants HC Podravka — the only team they have lost against
  • no quarter-final team conceded fewer goals (160) than Lokomotiva in the group phase
  • Dijon, who finished third last season, are aiming to reach the EHF Finals for the second consecutive year
  • the French club have scored the third-highest number of goals (259) in the competition; Stine Lønborg is their leading scorer with 42 goals

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Nykøbing Falster Håndbold (DEN) vs Thüringer HC (GER)

Sunday 22 March, 18:00 CET, live on EHFTV

  • Niels Agesen's squad won their last three home matches in the Danish league, where they rank third — behind EHF Champions League play-off participants Team Esbjerg and Odense Håndbold
  • NFH reached the EHF Finals in 2023 and finished runners-up after losing the all-Danish final against Ikast Håndbold
  • Thüringer HC, the defending champions, won group A despite losing two of their six matches
  • Herbert Müller’s squad are coming off two defeats in the final tournament of the domestic cup competition, and also lost two of their last three matches in the league
  • last year's MVP from the EHF Finals, Johanna Reichert, is again the competition’s top scorer so far this season, with 71 goals — 20 more than any other player

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20260320 ELW Quote Nykøbing Agesen
Thüringer HC are a team with an insane amount of international experience, so it will be a really good international match. And if we are not razor-sharp, we will have a hard time. But I believe we have a chance.
Niels Agesen
Head coach, Nykøbing Falster Håndbold

photos © Christian Heilwagen (main), Antonio Mrkoci (in-text)

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