European Champions League (ECL) is the seasonal table tennis competition for the highest ranked European club teams and is regarded as the most important international club competition in Europe. It is organised by the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) and replaced the European Club Cup of Champions (ECCC), the previous prominent club competition, since the 1998/99 season. Originally there was only a men's competition; a women's competition was introduced in the 2005/06 season. The competition starts in September and the champions are usually determined in May in recent years.
German club Borussia Düsseldorf is the most successful club in the history of the men's competition, having won the competition seven times and being the runners-up three times, while Belgian club La Villette Charleroi and Russian club Fakel Gazprom both have won five titles.
In the women's competition, TTC Berlin Eastside from Germany has won the league five times, making it the most successful club.
History The Men's Champions League was first organised in the 1998/99 season, with the aim to replace the European Club Cup of Champions, the previous highest level European club competition held since 1960/61 season. In the second season (99/00), the playing system was changed. The maximum number of games had been reduced from seven to five, and the double had been cancelled, with the aim of having a better presentation on TV and more excitement for the spectators. The competition came into a new era in 2005/06, when the Women's Champions League started with eight clubs and the men's league was expanded from 8 to 16 clubs, enabling a greater number of nations to participate. These changes were undertaken in the hopes of making table tennis more popular in a European level as well as motivating the coming generation. However, the number of teams in the women's competition decreased from eight to six in season 09/10.
In season 10/11, because of the Great Recession, there were just four teams entering the women's competition, a number lower than the previous year (there were six teams in season 09/10). As a result, the women's competition was suspended for one year. The men's competition was also affected, causing the number of teams to decrease from 16 to 14.ETTU suspended Women’s European Champions League
The women's competition resumed in season 11/12, with six teams entering the competition.Women’s ECL is back: Austrian ambitions The number of teams in the men's competition was also restored to 16.The draw for 2011-2012 Men’s European Champions League
Qualification Only teams from any top National Leagues have the right to enter in the competition.
For the men's competition, the 4 semi-finalists of the previous year are automatically included in the competition. The remaining 12 places are filled by the 12 teams with the highest total number of ranking points for their three best ranked players on the current world ranking, with only one "foreign player" being considered.
For the women's league, the previous year's two finalists compete in the competition with the six teams with the highest total number of ranking points for their three best ranked players, also with only one "foreign player" being considered.
Moreover, there is a limitation on the number of clubs from the same nations. Not more than 4 or 3 clubs, men's and women's respectively, from the same association are entitled the right to enter in the competition. In the men's competition, if the semi-finalists of the previous year came from the same association and a 5th team has the highest ranking points, the ranking of the final national team championships would decide on the qualification.
Format The league is completed in two stages. The first stage is the group round robin matches while the second stage is the straight 2-leg knock-out stage.
For the men's league, the 16 teams are divided into four groups within which they play round robin matches. The four teams with the highest ranking points will be seeded and play in the four groups respectively. During the group stage, 2 match points are awarded for a win, 1 for a loss and 0 for a loss in a not played or unfinished match, and the ranking order is determined by the numbers of match points gained.
If two or more teams have gained the same number of match points, their relative position are determined by the results only of the matches between them, taking successively the numbers of match points, the ratios of wins to losses in individual matches, games and points, as far as it is necessary to resolve the order. Lot is used to determine the position if teams are equal in all of the above criteria.
The top two teams in each group qualified for the knock-out stage. Those eight teams would play in a single knock-out system, with quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals, to determine the winner of the competition. At any stages two legs, home and away, are played for each tie, and teams win the tie if they win both legs. If each team wins one leg, the result is determined by aggregate score first in individual matches, then in games and finally in points.
The women's competition is held in similar format, with the exception that the six teams are divided into two groups and the two teams with the highest ranking points would be the seeds.
Playing system The competition is played under the new Swaythling Cup system (best of 5 singles). A team consists of 3 players selected from those nominated for the event. The opposite teams play 5 single matches with the match order A v X, B v Y, C v Z, A v Y, B v X. The team match will end if one of the teams has won 3 matches.
Composition of teams A club may nominate up to 8 players for the entire event, within which there can be a maximum of 2 foreign players. Only 1 foreign player can play in each team match and only players who have participated in at least 50% of the group matches are eligible to play the second stage. Reserve players being present in the hall would be considered as participants of the match, if confirmed on the result sheet by the referee.
Each player can only play for one club in a season. This regulation also applies to players taking part in any other team competition on the national level under the authority of an ITTF member association, except commitments for their national team.
Finals
Men full results: https://tt-wiki.info/champions-league-herren/
Women full results: https://tt-wiki.info/champions-league-damen/ Men’s Champions League YearChampionsScoreRunner-up1998/1999 Caen TTC 3:4 4:3 (20:18) Borussia Düsseldorf1999/2000 Borussia Düsseldorf 3:0 3:0 Niederösterreich 2000/2001 Royal Villette Charleroi 3:0 3:2 Niederösterreich 2001/2002 Royal Villette Charleroi 3:2 3:1 Niederösterreich2002/2003 Royal Villette Charleroi 3:1 3:2 Zugbrücke Grenzau2003/2004 Royal Villette Charleroi 3:1 3:1 Zugbrücke Grenzau2004/2005 RE-BAU Gönnern 1:3 3:1 (18:13) Royal Villette Charleroi2005/2006 RE-BAU Gönnern 2:3 3:1 Royal Villette Charleroi2006/2007 Royal Villette Charleroi 3:1 3:2 Niederösterreich2007/2008 Niederösterreich 3:0 3:2 Royal Villette Charleroi2008/2009 Borussia Düsseldorf 2:3 3:0 Liebherr Ochsenhausen2009/2010 Borussia Düsseldorf 1:3 3:0 Royal Villette Charleroi2010/2011 Borussia Düsseldorf 3:0 1:3 GAZPROM Fakel Orenburg2011/2012 Gazprom Orenburg 3:0 3:2 UMMC Ekaterinburg2012/2013 Gazprom Orenburg 3:1 1:3 (315:311) Chartres2013/2014 Pontoise-Cergy 3:1 1:3 (18:16) Gazprom Orenburg2014/2015 Gazprom Orenburg 1:3 3:0 Borussia Düsseldorf2015/2016 Pontoise-Cergy 1:3 3:1(15:14) Eslövs AI BTK2016/2017 Fakel Gazprom 3:0 3:2 Borussia Düsseldorf2017/2018 Borussia Düsseldorf 3:2 3:1 Fakel Gazprom2018/2019 Fakel Gazprom 3:2 3:2 TTSC UMMC2019/2020Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2020/2021 Borussia Düsseldorf 3:1 FC Saarbrücken 2021/2022 Borussia Düsseldorf AwardedAfter reaching the Final, Borussia Düsseldorf was declared 2021–22 champions after another two Russian semifinal teams were disqualified due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. none 2022/2023 FC Saarbrücken 2:3 3:2 2:1 Borussia Düsseldorf 2023/2024 FC Saarbrücken 3:2 Borussia Düsseldorf 2024/2025 FC Saarbrücken 3:1 Borussia Düsseldorf 2025/2026 FC Saarbrücken 3:2 Alliance Nîmes-Montpellier
Women’s Champions League YearChampionsScoreRunner-up2005/2006 TT Castel Goffredo 3:23:2 TTC Langweid 2006/2007 TT Castel Goffredo 3:23:2 MF Services Heerlen2007/2008 MF Services Heerlen 3:1Kroppach unavailable to play FSV Kroppach 2008/2009 Linz AG Froschberg 2:33:1 FSV Kroppach 2009/2010 MF Services Heerlen 3:13:0 Linz AG Froschberg2010/2011CancelledOwing to the Great Recession, only four teams entered the competition. As too few teams participated, the women's competition was suspended for a year.2011/2012 Berlin Eastside 3:22:3(19–18) Ströck2012/2013 Linz AG Froschberg 3:13:2 Budaörsi2013/2014 Berlin Eastside 3:23:0 Fenerbahçe2014/2015 Fenerbahçe 3:23:1 Linz AG Froschberg2015/2016 Berlin Eastside 3:23:0 SPAR-Zamek Tarnobrzeg2016/2017 Berlin Eastside 2:33:1 Siarka ZOT Tarnobrzeg2017/2018 STK Dr. Časl 3:23:0 Bursa BB2018/2019 Enea Siarka Tarnobrzeg 3:23:2 STK Dr. Časl2019/2020Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.2020/2021 Berlin Eastside 3:2 Linz AG Froschberg2021/2022 Enea Siarkopol Tarnobrzeg 3:23:2 Berlin Eastside 2022/2023 Enea Siarkopol Tarnobrzeg 3:03:0 Metz TT 2023/2024 Enea Siarkopol Tarnobrzeg 3:23:1 ASRTT Étival 2024/2025 Berlin Eastside 3:12:3 Metz TT 2025/2026 Enea Siarkopol Tarnobrzeg 3:0 Metz TT
Statistics
Performance by club
Men's Champions League ClubWinnersYears wonYears runner-up Borussia Düsseldorf 7 6 1999, 2015, 2017, 2023, 2024, 2025 Royal Villette Charleroi 5 4 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010 TTC Fakel Gazprom 5 32012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 20192011, 2014, 2018 FC Saarbrücken 4 1 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 2021 TTV RE-BAU Gönnern 22005, 2006 AS Pontoise Cergy22014, 2016 SVS Niederösterreich1420082000, 2001, 2002, 2007 Caen Tennis de Table Club11999 TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau22003, 2004 UMMC Ekaterinburg22012, 2019 TTC Liebherr Ochsenhausen12009 Chartres ASTT12013 Eslövs AI BTK 1 2016 Alliance Nîmes-Montpellier TT 1 2026
Women's Champions League ClubWinnersYears wonYears runner-up TTC Berlin Eastside 6 1 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2025 2022 KTS Tarnobrzeg 5 22019, 2022, 2023, 2024, 20262016, 2017 Linz AG Froschberg232009, 20132010, 2015, 2021 MF Services Heerlen212007, 20102006 Sterilgarda TT Castelgoffredo22005, 2006 Fenerbahçe1120152014 Dr. Časl1120182019 Metz TT 32023, 2025, 2026 FSV Kroppach22008, 2009 Müllermilch Langweid12006 SVS Ströck12012 Budaörsi SC 12013 Bursa BB 12018 ASRTT Étival 12024
Performance by nation
Men's Champions League Nation Winners Winning Clubs Runners-Up Germany 13 10 Borussia Düsseldorf (7), FC Saarbrücken (4), TTV RE-BAU Gönnern (2) Borussia Düsseldorf (6), TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau (2), TTC Liebherr Ochsenhausen (1), FC Saarbrücken (1) Russia 5 5 TTC Fakel Gazprom (5) TTC Fakel Gazprom (3), UMMC Ekaterinburg (2) Belgium 5 4 Royal Villette Charleroi (5) Royal Villette Charleroi (4) France 3 2 Caen Tennis de Table Club (1), AS Pontoise Cergy (2) Chartres ASTT (1), Alliance Nîmes-Montpellier TT (1) Austria 1 4 SVS Niederösterreich (1) SVS Niederösterreich (4) Sweden 1 Eslövs AI BTK (1)
Women's Champions League Nation Winners Winning Clubs Runners-Up Germany 6 4 TTC Berlin Eastside (6) TTC Berlin Eastside (1), FSV Kroppach (2), Müllermilch Langweid (1) Poland 5 2 KTS Tarnobrzeg (5) KTS Tarnobrzeg (2) Austria 2 4 Linz AG Froschberg (2) Linz AG Froschberg (3), SVS Strock (1) Netherlands 2 1 MF Services Heerlen (2) MF Services Heerlen (1) Italy 2 Sterilgarda TT Castelgoffredo (2) Turkey 12 Fenerbahçe (1) Fenerbahçe (1), Bursa BB (1) Croatia 1 1 Dr. Časl (1) Dr. Časl (1) France 4 Metz TT (3), ASRTT Étival (1) Hungary 1 Budaörsi SC (1)
References
External links
the ranking of the european table tennis teams