The 2025–26 EHF European League was the 45th season of Europe's secondary club handball tournament organised by European Handball Federation (EHF), and the 6th season since it was renamed from the EHF Cup to the EHF European League.
The defending champions are SG Flensburg-Handewitt, who were unable to repeat their success from the previous year. MT Melsungen won the EHF European League 2026, thus achieving their first major title in the club's history.
Format Qualification Round: 24 teams will be drawn into 12 different home and away ties. The 12 winners will advance to the group stage. Group Stage: The 20 teams already qualified along with the 12 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.
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.
RankPlace distribution for 2025/26 eurohandball.comAssociationAverage pointsTeams1 Germany145.6742 Portugal96.673 France79.33 34 Croatia 68.33 45 Denmark63.00 36 Switzerland59.67 37 Spain58.33 48 Sweden55.00 9 Poland46.33 210 Romania38.0011 Slovenia30.6712 North Macedonia 30,0013 Hungary29.33114 Iceland 28.502
RankAssociationAverage pointsTeams15 Russia25.00016 Ukraine22.5017 Slovakia 22.00118 Finland14.50019 Greece14.3320 Norway12.3121 Serbia10.6722 Bosnia and Herzegovina10.00022 Montenegro10.0024 Austria9.3325 Israel 0.5025 Turkey0.50N/A Czech Republic0.001N/A Everyone else0.000
Ranking facts Biggest riseTeam1 Romania1710 +72 Croatia64 +2 Denmark75 Slovenia1311 Iceland1614 Ukraine1816 Norway2220 Biggest fallTeam1 Austria1524 –92 Russia1015 –53 Poland59 –4 Turkey2125 New entries Bosnia and Herzegovina Montenegro Entries leaving Belarus Luxembourg
Qualified teams The full list of teams qualified for each stage of the 2024–25 EHF European League was announced on 8 July 2025.https://ehfel.eurohandball.com/men/2025-26/news/en/ehf-european-league-202526-seeding-set/List of teams
The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round: CW: Cup winners CR: Cup runners-up 1st, ..., 5th: League position of the previous season
Group stage MT Melsungen (3rd) THW Kiel (4th) SG Flensburg-Handewitt EL (5th) FC Porto (2nd) SL Benfica (3rd) Montpellier Handball (3rd) Fenix Toulouse (4th) RK Nexe (2nd) Fredericia HK (3rd) Kadetten Schaffhausen (1st) Fraikin BM Granollers (2nd) Abanca Ademar León (CR) IFK Kristianstad (2nd) AHC Potaissa Turda (2nd) RD LL Grosist Slovan (1st) HC Vardar 1961 (2nd) FTC-Green Collect (3rd) Knattspyrnufélagið Fram (1st) Tatran Prešov (1st)Qualification round Maritimo da Madeira Andebol SAD (4th) MRK Sesvete (3rd) MRK Čakovec (4th) MRK Dugo Selo (CRhttps://www.24sata.hr/sport/rukometna-bajka-dugog-sela-izborili-smo-prvu-ligu-europu-i-finale-kupa-cestitao-je-i-kuzma-1051944) Mors-Thy Håndbold (4th) SAH - Skanderborg (5th, CR) BSV Bern (2nd) HC Kriens-Luzern (3rd, CW) Bathco BM Torrelavega (3rd) Irudek Bidasoa Irún (4th) HK Malmö (3rd) HF Karlskrona (4th) IK Sävehof (5th) KGHM Chrobry Głogów (5th) CS Minaur Baia Mare (4th) RK Gorenje Velenje (2nd) HC Alkaloid EC (3rd) Stjarnan (CR) Elverum Håndball (1st) RK Partizan WC SPL (1st) HCB Karviná WC SPL (1st)
EL: European League title holders EC: European Cup title holders WC: Accepted Wildcard SPL: Special Play Off teams
Round and draw dates Schedule Phase Round Draw date Round dateScheduleQualification round First leg 15 July 2025 30–31 August 2025 Second leg 6–7 September 2025Group stage Matchday 1 18 July 2025 14 October 2025 Matchday 2 21 October 2025 Matchday 3 11 November 2025 Matchday 4 18 November 2025 Matchday 5 25 November 2025 Matchday 6 2 December 2025Main Round Matchday 7 17 February 2026 Matchday 8 24 February 2026 Matchday 9 3 March 2026 Matchday 10 10 March 2026Play offs First leg no draw 31 March 2026 Second leg 7 April 2026Quarterfinals First leg 28 April 2026 Second leg 5 May 2026Final four Semi-finals TBD 30 May 2026 Final and Third place game 31 May 2026
Qualification round
The draw for the qualification round was conducted on 15 July 2025 in Vienna, Austria. The eleven winners on aggregate advanced to the group stage. The first legs were held on 30 to 31 August 2025 while the second legs were held on 6–7 September 2025.
Special Qualification Play off Unlike the other Play offs, the losers of this tie will drop down to the European Cup.
Group stage
The draw for the group stage was conducted on 18 July 2025 at the EHF office in Vienna.
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 played in four groups of four. Teams were matched with two opponents they had not previously played against in the Group Stage, while points against the teams that advanced from the same group were carried over. At the end of the Main Round, the four group winners advanced to the Quarterfinals, while 2nd- and 3rd-placed teams from each group qualified for the Play-offs.
Group I
Group II
Group III
Group IV
Knockout stage In the play-offs, eight teams ranked 2nd and 3rd in Main Round Groups I through IV played against each other in home-and-away matches.
The four winning teams advanced to the Quarterfinals, where they wewre joined by winners of Main Round Groups I through IV for another round of home-and-away matches.
The four Quarterfinal winners qualified for the Final Four tournament.
Play-offs Overview
Matches
Quarterfinals Overview
Matches
Final Four The Final Four tournament was held at the Barclays Arena in Hamburg, Germany.
Bracket
Semifinals
Third place game
Final
Top goalscorers
Rank Player Club Goals1 Axel Månsson IFK Kristianstad982 Marko Grgić SG Flensburg-Handewitt843 Johannes Golla SG Flensburg-Handewitt804 Óðinn Þór Ríkharðsson Kadetten Schaffhausen745 Emil Jakobsen SG Flensburg-Handewitt726 Kevin Gulliksen Elverum Håndball697 Simon Pytlick SG Flensburg-Handewitt678 Tin Lučin RK Nexe669 Péter Lukács Elverum Håndball65 Jaka Malus HC Vardar 1961
Notes
See also 2025–26 EHF Champions League 2025–26 EHF European Cup 2025–26 Women's EHF Champions League 2025–26 Women's EHF European League 2025–26 Women's EHF European Cup
References
External links Official website