EHF European League Women group phase set for electrifying start

HIGHLIGHT MATCHES

GROUP A

Larvik (NOR) vs CS Minaur Baia Mare (ROU)

Saturday 10 January, 18:00 CET

• the illustrious Norwegian club is back in the EHF European League group phase for the second consecutive season after defeating their domestic rivals, Molde Elite, in qualification round 3 (66:56)
• Henrik Signell's squad is sitting at the top of Norway's domestic league, as they are the only undefeated team in the competition this season
• the clubs met on four occasions in the EHF Champions League in the past, with Larvik coming out on top each time — most recently in 2015
• unlike Larvik, who have already played and won a couple of matches this calendar year, CS Minaur Baia Mare's trip to Norway will be their first match in 2026
• the Romanian club secured a return in the EHF European League group stage after a three-year absence by mounting an impressive comeback in the second leg (54:49) against HH Elite in qualification round 3
• João Ferreira Florêncio's squad experienced a subpar first half of the season in Romania's top tier and recorded five wins and five defeats, sitting in the bottom half of the table

Motherson Mosonmagyarovari KC (HUN) vs Thüringer HC (GER)

Sunday 11 January, 16:00 CET

• the Hungarian side is one of the ever-present clubs in the EHF European League group phase, as they have featured in each of the past four seasons
• Dragan Adžic’s squad cruised past O.F.N. Ionias in qualification round 2 (63:36) to book a ticket to this phase of the competition
• Motherson Mosonmagyarovari KC boast an experienced international squad, with players from no less than seven different nations, and the likes of Barbara Arenhart and Laetitia Quist as key players
• this is the first competitive meeting between the sides
• Thüringer HC are the reigning EHF European League champions, featuring last season's EHF Finals Women MVP Johanna Reichert
• the German club played three away matches in Bundesliga after the 2025 IHF World Championship break and came out victorious in all three, with two of them in 2026

IN OTHER MATCHES

GROUP B

HSG Blomberg-Lippe (GER) vs Chambray Touraine Handball (FRA)
Sunday 11 January, 16:00 CET

Nykøbing Falster Håndbold (DEN) vs MOL Esztergom (HUN)
Sunday 11 January, 18:00 CET

GROUP C

VfL Oldenburg (GER) vs HC Lokomotiva Zagreb (CRO)
Saturday 10 January, 16:00 CET

CS Rapid Bucuresti (ROU) vs Tertnes Bergen (NOR)
Sunday 11 January, 14:00 CET

GROUP D

Viborg HK (DEN) vs KGHM MKS Zaglebie Lubin (POL)
Saturday 10 January, 18:00 CET

CSM Corona Brasov (ROU) vs JDA Bourgogne Dijon Handball (FRA)
Sunday 11 January, 18:00 CET

Photos © Paweł Andrachiewicz (main), Ovidiu Dragomir, Marco Wolf, Fredrik Aremyr (in-text)