2025–26 EHF European Cup

EHF European Cup
2025–26
Tournament information
SportHandball
Dates6 September 2025–May 2026
Teams73
Websiteehfec.com

The 2025–26 EHF European Cup is the 29th season of Europe's tertiary club handball tournament organised by the European Handball Federation (EHF), and the 6th season since it was renamed from the Challenge Cup to the EHF European Cup.[1]

The defending champions are RK Alkaloid, who won their first title in the previous season.[2]

Format

The tournament is played in a knockout format. Ties were played in a home-and-away format. Finalists played a total of seven rounds (Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, Last 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals and the Final).

Rankings

Rankings for the following federations were based on performances of clubs from each respective country during the most recent three-year period.

Rank[3] Association Average points Teams
1 Norway 47.67 2
2 Serbia 36.00 3
3 Greece 33.67 5
4 Czech Republic 28.00 2
5 Belarus 28.00 0
6 Italy 17.67 4
7 Austria 17.00 4
8 Turkey 16.00 5
9 Luxembourg 14.00 4
10 Bosnia and Herzegovina 13.67 5
11 Israel 12.67 2
12 Cyprus 12.33 3
13 Estonia 11.00 3
14 Kosovo 10.33 3
15 Netherlands 10.00 1
16 Belgium 9.67 1
17 Faroe Islands 8.33 2
18 Latvia 8.33 1
19 Lithuania 7.33 3
20 Montenegro 4.33 2
21 Azerbaijan 4.00 2
N/A Great Britain 0.00 1

For the following federations the number of spots in the EHF European Cup depended on the number spots in the other two European competitions.

Association Average points Teams
23 Romania 48.50 2
24 Hungary 45.00 2
25 Iceland 35.33 1
26 Russia 31.00 0
27 Sweden 30.00 0
28 Slovenia 25.33 2
29 Croatia 25.00 0
30 Switzerland 22.00 1
31 Slovakia 20.67 1
32 Finland 11.67 1
33 Ukraine 8.33 1
34 North Macedonia 8.00 3

Qualified teams

The full list of teams qualified for each stage of the 2025–26 EHF European Cup was announced on 8 July 2025.[1][4]

Notes in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:

  • EC: European Cup title holders
  • CW: Cup winners
  • CR: Cup runners-up
  • 2nd, 3rd, etc.: League position of the previous season
Round 2
Förthof UHK Krems (2nd) Handball Tirol (5th, CW) HC Fivers WAT Margareten (4th) Kur
HC Baki Sezoens Achilles Bocholt (2nd) RK Izviđač (1st) RK Konjuh Živinice (2nd)
RK Leotar (3rd) Sabbianco Anorthosis Famagusta A.C. European University Cyprus HCB Karviná (1st)[a]
HC Dukla Prague (3rd) SKKP Handball Brno (4th) Põlva Serviti (1st) Viljandi HC (3rd)
H71 St.Í.F BK-46 (1st, CW) Olympiacos SFP (1st)
Diomidis Argous (3rd) Bianco Monte Drama (4th) Oxford University Handball Club MOL Tatabánya KC (4th)
Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar (6th) Holon Yuvalim HC Maccabi Tel Aviv Pallamano Conversano
Cassano Magnago HC Teamnetwork Albatro Siracusa KH Rahoveci KH Kastrioti
ZRHK Tenax Dobele Dragūnas Klaipėda (1st) VHC Šviesa Red Boys Differdange (1st)
HC Berchem (2nd) RK Lovćen (1st) RK Budvanska rivijera (7th, CW) HV KRAS/Volendam
GRK Ohrid (4th) GRK Tikveš (5th) Runar Sandefjord (3rd) Nærbø IL (5th)
HC Buzău (3rd) RK Vojvodina (2nd) HC Metaloplastika Elixir (3rd) HC Dinamo Pančevo (4th)
MŠK Považská Bystrica (2nd) RK Trimo Trebnje (3rd) RK Celje Pivovarna Laško (4th) HSC Suhr Aarau (5th)
Beşiktaş JK (1st, CW) Nilüfer BSK (2nd) HC Motor (1st)
Round 1
roomz JAGS Vöslau (8th, CR) RK Vogošća (6th) RK Sloga Doboj (4th) Parnassos Strovolou
Mistra (2nd) AC PAOK (5th) ESN Vrilissia (8th, CR) Balatonfüredi KSE (5th)
Raimond Sassari KH Besa Famgas Granitas-Karys (2nd) HB Dudelange (3rd)
Handball Esch (4th) HC Butel Skopje (6th) CSM Constanța (5th) Beykoz BLD SK (4th, CR)
Spor Toto SK (5th) Depsaş Enerji AS SK (3rd)
  1. ^ As the losing team of the special European League play-off, HCB Karviná dropped down to the European Cup.

Qualifying rounds

Round 1

A total of 18 teams played in the first round. First leg matches were held on 6 and 7 September 2025, while second leg matches took place on 13 and 14 September 2025. The draw was on 15 July 2025.[5]

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
HB Dudelange 56–55 HC Butel Skopje 27–31 29–24
roomz JAGS Vöslau 62–46 Mistra 31–23 31–23
Beykoz BLD SK 38–85 Balatonfüredi KSE 18–42 20–43
RK Sloga Doboj 74–54 Granitas-Karys 37–21 37–33
Handball Esch 73–75 RK Vogošća 42–31 31–44
ESN Vrilissia 44–60 AC PAOK 20–27 24–33
KH Besa Famgas 67–64 Depsaş Enerji AS SK 39–34 28–30
Spor Toto SK 70–78 Raimond Sassari 32–36 38–42
CSM Constanța 73–46 Parnassos Strovolou 39–22 34–24

Round 2

A total of 64 teams played in the first round. First leg matches were held on 11 and 12 October 2025, while second leg matches took place on 18 and 19 October 2025.[6]

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
KH Rahoveci 61–86 HB Dudelange 34–41 27–45
VHC Šviesa 55–51 HC Motor 31–25 24–26
Pallamano Conversano 47–56 SKKP Handball Brno 20–25 27–31
Beşiktaş JK 54–41 GRK Tikveš 31–20 23–21
HC Dinamo Pančevo 54–60 HCB Karviná 29–27 25–33
HC Baki 32–82 GRK Ohrid 11–44 21–38
RK Lovćen 55–58 Bianco Monte Drama 32–27 23–31
RK Sloga Doboj 74–65 ZRHK Tenax Dobele 41–31 33–34
Handball Tirol 59–56 Dragūnas Klaipėda 29–27 30–29
Balatonfüredi KSE 81–39 Kur 42–19 39–20
Raimond Sassari 69–61 MŠK Považská Bystrica 34–26 35–35
HC Metaloplastika Elixir 56–58 HSC Suhr Aarau 28–30 28–28
Teamnetwork Albatro Siracusa 53–72 Olympiacos SFP 28–34 25–38
HV KRAS/Volendam 57–58 Cassano Magnago HC 28–29 29–29
Förthof UHK Krems 58–59 HC Fivers WAT Margareten 31–27 27–32
Sezoens Achilles Bocholt 57–75 RK Celje Pivovarna Laško 27–31 30–44
Viljandi HC 55–89 Runar Sandefjord 26–45 29–44
RK Izviđač 72–51 KH Besa Famgas 40–19 32–32
A.C. European University Cyprus 44–64 Pölva Serviti 23–31 21–33
CSM Constanța 58–70 HC Dukla Prague 27–37 31–33
Nærbø IL 59–63 MOL Tatabánya KC 32–30 27–33
roomz JAGS Vöslau 49–62 RK Trimo Trebnje 28–32 21–30
RK Vogošća 62–69 BK-46 30–40 32–29
RK Konjuh Živinice 56–54 H71 36–28 20–26
St.Í.F 48–72 RK Vojvodina 27–38 21–34
Diomidis Argous 60–60 7–8 PS RK Budvanska rivijera 28–30 32–30
Red Boys Differdange 60–54 KH Kastrioti 31–28 29–26
Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar 57–60 Nilüfer BSK 23–31 34–29
AC PAOK 60–56 Holon Yuvalim HC 31–31 29–25
HC Buzău 89–51 RK Leotar 46–21 43–30
HC Berchem 77–48 Oxford University HC 34–27 43–21
Maccabi Tel Aviv 60–53 Sabbianco Anorthosis Famagusta 38–28 22–25

Round 3

A total of 32 teams played in the third round. First leg matches were held on 15 and 16 November 2025, while second leg matches took place on 22 and 23 November 2025.[7]

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Raimond Sassari 56–64 RK Konjuh Živinice 28–36 28–28
Pölva Serviti 55–58 BK-46 28–27 27–31
GRK Ohrid 79–37 RK Sloga Doboj 37–19 42–18
Bianco Monte Drama 50–58 HC Dukla Prague 20–27 30–31
RK Vojvodina 66–69 RK Celje Pivovarna Laško 34–32 32–37
Beşiktaş JK 55–54 AC PAOK 30–25 25–29
MOL Tatabánya KC 67–58 HSC Suhr Aarau 40–33 27–25
Nilüfer BSK 69–63 Red Boys Differdange 35–29 34–34
HC Buzău 76–66 Maccabi Tel Aviv 36–33 40–33
SKKP Handball Brno 54–49 HC Berchem 27–25 27–24
HCB Karviná 76–65 Handball Tirol 43–25 33–40
HC Fivers WAT Margareten 60–66 Balatonfüredi KSE 31–34 29–32
Olympiacos SFP 54–46 Cassano Magnago HC 25–20 29–26
RK Budvanska rivijera 43–69 RK Trimo Trebnje 23–33 20–36
RK Izviđač 61–56 HB Dudelange 29–27 32–29
Runar Sandefjord 72–63 VHC Šviesa 36–30 36–33

Last 16

First leg matches will be held on 14 and 15 February 2026, while second leg matches will take place on 21 and 22 February 2026.[8]

Results

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Olympiacos SFP – BK-46 – –
RK Izviđač – RK Trimo Trebnje – –
GRK Ohrid – HC Dukla Prague – –
SKKP Handball Brno – Nilüfer BSK – –
HCB Karviná – Balatonfüredi KSE – –
MOL Tatabánya KC – Runar Sandefjord – –
RK Celje Pivovarna Laško – Beşiktaş – –
RK Konjuh Živinice – HC Buzău – –

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Seeding for EHF European Cup 2025/26 finalised". EHF. 8 July 2025. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  2. ^ "RK Alkaloid EHF Cup 2024/2025 winners!". Handball Planet. 5 June 2025. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  3. ^ Place distribution for the 2025/26 season eurohandball.com
  4. ^ Final MEC System 2025/26 season eurohandball.com
  5. ^ "2025−26 European Cup Round 1". EHF. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  6. ^ "2025−26 European Cup Round 2". EHF. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  7. ^ "2025−26 European Cup Round 3". EHF. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
  8. ^ "Handball: Draw for Last 16 in European Cup Men". ehfec.eurohandball.com. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
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