The 2023–24 EHF European League is the 43rd season of Europe's secondary club handball tournament organised by European Handball Federation (EHF), and the 4th season since it was renamed from the EHF Cup to the EHF European League. This is the first season under the new revamped format. The defending champions are Füchse Berlin.
SG Flensburg-Handewitt won their second title after winning an all-German final against defending champions Füchse Berlin.
Format The tournament is divided in the following phases:
Qualification round: 10 teams will be drawn into 5 different home and away ties. The 5 winners will advance to the group stage.
Group stage: The 27 teams already qualified along with the 5 winners of the qualification round will be drawn into 8 groups of 4 teams each, where they will play in a double round-robin format. The top 2 teams in each group will progress to the main round. Teams from the same country can't be drawn into the same group.
Main round: The 16 group winners and runners-up will be placed in 4 groups of 4 teams each where they will play a single round-robin. The winners will advance directly to the quarterfinals, while 2nd and 3rd placed teams will qualify for the play-offs.
Play-offs: The 2nd and 3rd placed teams from each group in the main round will play in 4 different home and away ties. The winners will progress to the quarterfinals.
Quarter-finals: The main round group winners will face a play-off winner to determine who makes it to the European League finals.
EL finals: They will be played in a Final 4 format similar to the Champions League.
Rankings The rankings are based on the performances of each club from a respective country from a three-year period.This season, the EHF decided to make separate rankings for each club competition.
Associations 1–2 can have four clubs qualify. Associations 3–9 can have three clubs qualify. Associations 10–18 can have two clubs qualify. Associations below the top 18 are allowed to enter apply one club for a potential wildcard.
|-valign=top style="font-size:90%" | RankPlace distribution eurohandball.comAssociationAverage pointsTeams1 Germany129.3342 Portugal99.673 France78.67 24 Poland77.00 5 Denmark61.00 6 Croatia53.00 17 Sweden47.00 38 Switzerland46.00 29 Spain 45.33 310 Slovenia45.00211 North Macedonia 39.6712 Russia32,67013 Hungary31.33
RankAssociationAverage pointsTeams14 Austria31.33015 Slovakia 20.00116 Romania 18.00217 Greece17.33118 Norway 11.3319 Turkey9.00020 Finland8.6721 Belarus8.0022 Czech Republic7.6722 Ukraine 7.6724 Iceland7.0025 Belgium 7.0026 Serbia4.331
RankAssociationAverage pointsTeams26 Israel4.33028 Luxembourg 3.6729 Italy3.0030 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.00130 Estonia1.00030 Great Britain1.0030 Georgia1.0030 Lithuania1.0030 Montenegro1.00130 Malta1.00037 Kosovo0.3337 Netherlands0.3339 Everyone else0.00
Qualified teams The full list of teams qualified for each stage of the 2023–24 EHF European League was announced on 10 July 2023.
The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round: EL: European League title holders EC: European Cup title holders CW: Cup winners CR: Cup runners-up 4th, 5th, etc.: League position of the previous season
+Group stage Füchse Berlin (3rd)EL Sporting CP (2nd) HBC Nantes (3rd) REBI BM Cuenca (2nd) Górnik Zabrze (3rd) RK Nexe (2nd) Bjerringbro-Silkeborg (3rd) Kadetten Schaffhausen (1st) IFK Kristianstad (1st) HC Alkaloid (2nd) MOL-Tatabánya KC (3rd) RK Gorenje Velenje (2nd) MŠK Považská Bystrica (1st) Dinamo București (1st) AEK Athens (1st) Elverum Håndball (2nd) SG Flensburg-Handewitt (4th) SL Benfica (3rd) Chambéry Savoie MBH (4th) Logroño La Rioja (CR) Chrobry Głogów (4th) Skjern Håndbold (4th) HC Kriens-Luzern (2nd) IK Sävehof (2nd) RK Vojvodina (1st)EC WC RK Izviđač (1st) WC RK Lovćen (1st) WC
+Qualification round Rhein-Neckar Löwen (5th) ABC Braga (4th) Fraikin BM Granollers (3rd) Pfadi Winterthur (3rd) Ystads IF (3rd) Vardar 1961 (3rd) RK Trimo Trebnje (3rd) CSM Constanța (CW) TSV Hannover-Burgdorf (6th) Águas Santas Milaneza (5th)
WC Accepted Wildcard
Schedule All draws were held at the EHF headquarters in Vienna, Austria. Phase Round Draw date Round datehttps://www.eurohandball.com/media/2rtiwitv/ehfel_men_system_2023_24.pdfQualification round First leg 18 July 2023 26–27 August 2023 Second leg 2–3 September 2023Group stage Matchday 1 21 July 2023 17 October 2023 Matchday 2 24 October 2023 Matchday 3 14 November 2023 Matchday 4 21 November 2023 Matchday 5 28 November 2023 Matchday 6 5 December 2023Main Round Matchday 7 13 February 2024 Matchday 8 20 February 2024 Matchday 9 27 February 2024 Matchday 10 5 March 2024Play offs First leg no draw 26 March 2024 Second leg 2 April 2024Quarterfinals First leg no draw 23 April 2024 Second leg 30 April 2025Final four Semi-finals 3 May 2024 25 May 2024 Final and Third place game 26 May 2024
Draw The Draw took place on the 21 July 2023.Group phase draw eurohandball.com The only restriction was that clubs from the same country cannot be in the same group.
Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4 Füchse Berlin Sporting CP HBC Nantes REBI BM Cuenca Górnik Zabrze RK Nexe Bjerringbro-Silkeborg Kadetten Schaffhausen IFK Kristianstad HC Alkaloid MOL-Tatabánya KC RK Gorenje Velenje MŠK Považská Bystrica Dinamo București AEK Athens Elverum Håndball SG Flensburg-Handewitt SL Benfica Chambéry Savoie MBH Logroño La Rioja Chrobry Głogów Skjern Håndbold HC Kriens-Luzern IK Sävehof Play Off Winner 1 Play Off Winner 2 Play Off Winner 3 Play Off Winner 4 Play Off Winner 5 RK Vojvodina RK Izviđač RK Lovćen
Qualification round
The draw for the qualification round was conducted on 18 July 2023. The first legs will be held on 26–27 August 2023 while the second legs will be held on 2–3 September 2023.European League Men throws up exciting qualification ties EHF 18 July 2023
Group stage
The draw for the group stage was conducted on 21 July 2023 at the EHF office in Vienna.EHF European League Men groups to be revealed EHF 18 July 2023Revamped European League taking shape after group stage draw EHF 21 July 2023
In the group stage, teams were ranked according to points (2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). After completion of the group stage, if two or more teams have scored the same number of points, the ranking will be determined as follows:
TiebreakersHighest number of points in matches between the teams directly involved; Superior goal difference in matches between the teams directly involved; Highest number of goals scored in matches between the teams directly involved; Superior goal difference in all matches of the group; Highest number of plus goals in all matches of the group; Drawing of Lots
Group A
Group B
Group C
Group D
Group E
Group F
Group G
Group H
Main round In the main round, the remaining sixteen teams merge into four groups of four, where they play the teams they didn't play in the group stage. Points from the group stage against the teams that advanced with each other are carried over. At the end of the main round, The four group winners advance to the quarter-finals, while the 2nd and 3rd place teams qualify for the play-offs.
Group I
Group II
Group III
Group IV
Knockout stage In the playoffs, the eight teams ranked 2nd–3rd in Main round Groups I-IV play against each other in two-legged home-and-away matches. The four winning teams advance to the quarterfinals, where they are joined by the top teams of Main round Groups I-IV for another round of two-legged home-and-away matches. The four quarterfinal winners qualify for the final four tournament at the Barclays Arena in Hamburg, Germany.Final EXEC meeting in 2023 brings major decisions for 2024 EHF 18 December 2023
Playoffs Overview
Matches
Quarterfinals Overview
Matches
Final Four The final four will held at the Barclays Arena in Hamburg, Germany on 25 and 26 May 2024. The draw took place on 3 May 2024.
Bracket
Semifinals
Third place game
Final
Top goalscorers
Rank Player Club Goals1 Andrii Akimenko Dinamo București952 Niclas Kirkeløkke Rhein-Neckar Löwen943 Juri Knorr Rhein-Neckar Löwen914 Mathias Gidsel Füchse Berlin825 Lasse Andersson Füchse Berlin786 Jannik Kohlbacher Rhein-Neckar Löwen777 Francisco Costa Sporting CP72 Gustaf Wedberg IK Sävehof9 Óðinn Þór Ríkharðsson Kadetten Schaffhausen7110 Lasse Møller SG Flensburg-Handewitt69
See also 2023–24 EHF Champions League 2023–24 EHF European Cup 2023–24 Women's EHF Champions League 2023–24 Women's EHF European League 2023–24 Women's EHF European Cup
References