All is set for the group phase draw in the EHF European League Women 2021/22 after 12 teams from the final qualification round last weekend have joined the four directly seeded for the group phase. Les Neptunes de Nantes, the reigning winners of the competition’s premiere season, are seeded in Pot 2 as a total of 16 teams from nine countries are lined up for the core phase of the season.
The group phase draw will take place at the EHF office in Vienna on Thursday at 11:00 CET and will be streamed live on the Home of Handball Facebook page.
France and Romania both boast three teams in the group phase, followed by Denmark, Hungary and Norway with two sides each. Croatia, Germany, Poland and Russia all have one outfit in contention.
Pot 1 consists of the four teams that avoided the qualification – Hungary’s Motherson Mosonmagyarovari KC, CS Minaur Baia Mare from Romania, Handball Club Lada of Russia and Denmark’s Viborg HK, the three-time EHF Champions League winners.
Country protection will apply to the draw, which means that two teams from the same country cannot end up in the same group. Therefore, the drawing of the lots will have to be adjusted and some teams allocated. The detailed rundown can be found further down on this page.
The first round is scheduled for 8/9 January and the group phase will conclude on 20 February, with the top-two teams from each group making their way to the quarter-finals.
Pot 1
Viborg HK (DEN)
Motherson Mosonmagyarovari KC (HUN)
CS Minaur Baia Mare (ROU)
Handball Club Lada (RUS)
Pot 2
Les Neptunes de Nantes (FRA)
Váci NKSE (HUN)
Sola HK (NOR)
Magura Cisnadie (ROU)
Pot 3
Herning-Ikast Håndbold (DEN)
ES Besancon Feminin (FRA)
MKS Zaglebie Lubin (POL)
SCM Ramnicu Valcea (ROU)
Pot 4
HC Lokomotiva Zagreb (CRO)
Chambray Touraine Handball (FRA)
SG BBM Bietigheim (GER)
Storhamar Handball Elite (NOR)
Step-by-step draw procedure:
Step 1: A team from Pot 1 will be drawn into Row 1 (4 times).
Step 2: Váci NKSE from Pot 2 will be drawn into Row 2 while the group with Mosonmagyarovár will not be among their possible groups.
Step 3a: If Váci NKSE end up in a group with Baia Mare, the remaining teams (Cisnadie/ROU, Nantes/FRA, Sola/NOR) will be drawn into three remaining spots in Row 2.
OR
Step 3b: If Váci NKSE end up in a different group than the one with Baia Mare, then Cisnadie will be drawn into Row 2 while the group with Baia Mare will not be among their possible groups.
Step 4: Nantes/FRA and Sola/NOR will be drawn into two remaining positions in Row 2.
Step 5: SCM Ramnicu Valcea from Pot 3 will be drawn into Row 3 while the groups with Baia Mare and Cisnadie will not be among their possible groups.
Step 6a: If Valcea end up in a group with Viborg HK, then Herning-Ikast from Row 3 will be drawn into three remaining spots in Row 3.
OR
Step 6b: If Valcea end up in a different group than the one with Viborg, then Herning-Ikast will be drawn into Row 4 while the group with Viborg will not be among their possible groups.
Step 7a: If Valcea or Herning-Ikast end up in a group with Nantes, then Besancon and Lubin from Row 3 will be drawn into two remaining spots in Row 3.
OR
Step 7b: If Valcea or Herning-Ikast end up in a different group than the one with Nantes, then Lubin from Row 3 will have to be allocated into the group with Nantes and Besancon into the last remaining group in Row 3.
Step 8: Chambray Touraine from Pot 4 will be drawn into Row 4 while the groups with Nantes and Besancon will not be among their possible groups.
Step 9a: If Chambray end up in a group with Sola, then the remaining teams (Storhamar, Bietigheim and Lokomotiva) from Row 4 will be drawn into three remaining spots in Row 4.
OR
Step 9b: If Chambray end up in a different group than the one with Sola, then Storhamar from Pot 4 will be drawn into Row 4 while the group with Sola will not be among their possible groups. Consequently, Bietigheim and Zagreb from Pot 4 will be drawn into two remaining groups in Row 4.
