Thrilling EHF European League Women group phase set after draw
All set for the EHF European League Women 2025/26 group phase after the draw in Vienna on Thursday 20 November decided the next stage on the path to the title. The 16 remaining clubs in the competition were divided into four groups of four, as the first round is set to take place in January 2026.
Romania and Germany enter the group phase with three participants each, alongside six other nations that complete the EHF European League Women 2025/26 line-up: France, Denmark, Hungary and Norway will aim for the title with two teams each, and only one club will represent Poland and Croatia in the upcoming stage.
German side Thüringer HC will start their title defence in an exciting group A, where they will meet 2020/21 bronze medallists CS Minaur Baia Mare, former EHF Champions League winners Larvik and Hungarian club Motherson Mosonmagyaróvári KC, as the fight for the top spots in the standings will surely provide world-class action.
Group B also sees two former EHF Finals participants meet — 2022/23 runners-up Nykøbing Falster Håndbold and last season’s fourth-placed HSG Blomberg-Lippe were drawn in this group, alongside experienced French club Chambray Touraine Handball and MOL Esztergom, who are debutants in European club competitions.
Three clubs making their EHF European League group phase debuts will meet in group C. Tertnes Bergen have reached this stage after stopping in qualification twice — in 2020/21 and 2021/22 —, the same as their German opponents VfL Oldenburg, whose journey ended in qualification of the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons. CS Rapid Bucuresti are at their first appearance in the competition after playing in the top-fligt three times in a row, and the Romanian side completes the group alongside former Challenge Cup winners HC Lokomotiva Zagreb.
Last but not least, CSM Corona Brasov will have a difficult challenge in their maiden EHF European League campaign, as they share group D with three more experienced sides. Runners-up in 2021/22, Viborg HK aim for a return to the top, while JDA Bourgogne Dijon Handball also have high hopes for the upcoming season after clinching bronze at the EHF Finals 2025. The line-up is completed by Polish side KGHM MKS Zaglebie Lubin, who are currently at their fourth group phase appearance in the competition.
The country protection rule applied to the draw, so no teams from the same nation could end up in the same group.
The group phase consists of six rounds, which will be played between 10/11 January and 21/22 February 2025. The top two teams from each group advance to the quarter-finals in March 2026, while the EHF Finals Women 2026 is sheduled for 16/17 May 2026.
