One former winner and three finalists start race for quarter-finals

One former winner and three finalists start race for quarter-finals

MAL7445 V
EHF / Björn Pazen
30 March 2026, 11:00

Two teams each from France, Hungary and Poland and just one from Denmark and Portugal enter the fight for the last four spots in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2025/26 quarter-finals. The Match of the Week of the first play-offs leg travels to Portugal, where Sporting Clube de Portugal welcome Orlen Wisla Plock on Thursday.

The two leaders of the group phase — Füchse Berlin and Barça — and runners-up SC Magdeburg and Aalborg Håndbold are directly qualified for the quarter-finals.

PLAY-OFFS, FIRST LEG

One Veszprém HC (HUN) vs Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)

Wednesday 1 April, 18:45 CEST, live on EHFTV
H2H: 9-1-8
Last match: Paris Saint-Germain vs One Veszprém HC, 27 February 2025 (33:37 (18:23))

  • One Veszprém HC lost three of their four EHF Champions League matches since the EHF EURO break and finished fifth in group A
  • Paris Saint-Germain finished fourth in group B and are unbeaten in EHF Champions League matches in 2026, with three wins and one draw
  • Veszprém have three French internationals in their squad: Hugo Descat, Yannis Lenne and former PSG star Nedim Remili
  • Veszprém played four EHF Champions League finals, Paris one — and both sides are still waiting for their first trophy
  • PSG top player Elohim Prandi is the second-best scorer of the competition with 111 strikes, while Nedim Remili has netted 75 times for Veszprém
  • in the 2024/25 group phase, the Hungarian record champions won both encounters against PSG
  • both sides currently top their domestic leagues: PSG won their away match in the French league closely, 34:33 at Nimes, while Veszprém took a clear 33:22 victory at Szigetszentmiklosi
  • the aggregate winner of this duel will face the 2025 finalists Füchse Berlin in the quarter-finals

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20260312 Veszprem Aalborg Pascual
The first match after an international break is always complicated, and this time was no different. Right now, we shouldn’t be focusing primarily on the opponent, but on ourselves. I still need to get a few of my players back into shape by Wednesday so that everyone is ready for the fight. The condition of my own squad is the most important thing.
Xavi Pascual
Head coach, One Veszprém HC

GOG (DEN) vs HBC Nantes (FRA)

Wednesday 1 April, 20:45 CEST, live on EHFTV
H2H:  0-1-1
Last match: GOG vs HBC Nantes, 30 November 2021 (29:29 (16:14))

  • thanks to their first home win of this EHF Champions League season against Zagreb, in round 14 (33:28), GOG passed Szeged and finished fifth in group B with 13 points
  • for the fifth time in their club’s history, GOG are among the last 16 teams of this competition; their best result was making it to the quarter-finals in 2022/23
  • Nantes won their last group match, 37:34 at Füchse Berlin, to finish fourth in group A with 16 points
  • HBC qualified three times for the EHF FINAL4 in Cologne, including in 2025, and were even finalists in 2018
  • the only duels between the two sides occurred in the group phase of the EHF European League 2020/21, when Nantes won on home ground and tied in Gudme
  • the best scorers of both sides are Frederik Bjerre, with 102 goals scored for GOG to currently be third-ranked overall, and Noam Leopold with 66 for Nantes
  • in their domestic leagues, Nantes took a close 29:28 win at Aix last weekend, while GOG beat Sønderjyske 40:36
  • the winner of this tie will face record champions Barça in the quarter-finals

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OTP Bank - PICK Szeged (HUN) vs Industria Kielce (POL)

Thursday 2 April, 18:45 CEST, live on EHFTV
H2H: 5-1-10
Last match: Industria Kielce vs OTP Bank - PICK Szeged, 21 November 2024 (31:35 (19:17))

  • OTP Bank - PICK Szeged qualified for the EHF Champions League quarter-finals six times in history, but have never made it to the EHF FINAL4
  • in the current season, the Hungarian side took only one point from their last five group phase matches and finished sixth in group B with 11 points
  • on the other hand, Industria Kielce won their last six group phase games to finish third in group A, ahead of Veszprém and Nantes
  • Kielce were EHF Champions League winners in 2016, and participated at the EHF FINAL4 in Cologne six times; last season, they failed against Berlin in the play-offs
  • in 2024/25, Szeged won both group matches against Kielce (28:27, 35:31)
  • the top scorers of both clubs are almost equal so far: Szymon Sicko has netted 66 times for Kielce, while Mario Šoštarić is on 63 goals for Szeged
  • the winner of this pairing will lock horns with defending champions SC Magdeburg
  • in their domestic leagues, both sides took clear wins last weekend: Szeged beat Balatonfüred 39:23 and Kielce won 37:25 at Glogow

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SE20251127 Szeged Zagreb 32
This is a stage where you simply cannot make mistakes. Our opponent, Industria Kielce, is a fantastic team, but our goal is to qualify for the quarter-finals. It won’t be easy, as every team here represents a very high level. Our aim is to win at home, in front of our amazing fans — that could give us the foundation we need for the second leg to secure our place in the next round.
Richárd Bodó
Left back, OTP Bank - PICK Szeged

MOTW: Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR) vs Orlen Wisla Plock (POL)

Thursday 2 April, 20:45 CEST, live on EHFTV
H2H: 2-1-1
Last match: Orlen Wisla Plock vs Sporting CP, 6 March 2025 (29:29 (17:15))

  • equal on points with Veszprém — both on 14 — Sporting finished sixth in group A, after gaining a direct quarter-finals spot in 2024/25
  • Orlen Wisla Plock secured third place in group B quite early, below Barça and Magdeburg, finishing on 18 points
  • the 29:29 draw in their last group phase match of the 2024/25 season against Sporting provided Plock with a spot in the play-offs, where they failed against Nantes
  • HBC were also Sporting’s stumbling block in their very first EHF Champions League quarter-finals, last season
  • Plock’s only quarter-final participation was in 2022/23, when they failed against eventual winners Magdeburg
  • the aggregate winner of this tie will meet Aalborg Håndbold in the quarter-finals
  • in their domestic leagues, Plock won 34:16 at Mielec, while Sporting started the Portuguese championship group phase with a 33:30 victory over FC Porto

STAT OF THE MATCH: The third EHF Champions League encounter between Sporting Clube de Portugal and Orlen Wisla Plock will make for an exciting Match of the Week in the first leg of the play-offs, as both sides count on important goal scorers. Recent addition to the team, right back Melvyn Richardson, leads the charge for the Polish side with 94 goals scored so far, placing fourth in the overall standings. The Portuguese hosts also rely on a talented right back — Francisco Costa — who follows closely on 93 goals, and currently ranks fifth overall. Who will boost their team to the quarter-finals?

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20251204 WISLA GOG 032(1)

Photos © Peter Szalmas/One Veszprém HC (main), Lau Nielsen, Jerzy Stankowski/Orlen Wisla Plock (in-text)

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