German teams dominate pre-group matches power ranking

10. Fenix Toulouse (FRA)

The French side played the EHF European League in the 2021/22 season and reached the Last 16, losing to SL Benfica in that stage. Toulouse are now back in European cup handball after a three-year break, and they hope to do a good job.

Last season, Toulouse finished fourth in the French league, which was their best result since 1998. Serbian head coach Daniel Andjelkovic has been at the helm of the team since 2021, and his fellow countryman Nemanja Ilic, who joined the team in 2013 and a brief stint on loan at Barça, is still a key figure on the court. The summer signings, such as the experienced Spanish centre back Niko Mindegia, are expected to give more balance to the team and help them take some solid results.

9. Bjerringbro-Silkeborg (DEN)

The Danish team also played in the second-tier European competition last season, when they were eliminated by Dinamo Bucuresti in the play-offs. Finishing fourth in the domestic league allowed them to qualify for the EHF European League again, and they reached the group stage after defeating Hungary's FTC-Green Collect in the qualification 77:61 on aggregate.

Bjerringbro have a number of experienced Danish players in the squad, such as Rasmus Lauge, who won Olympic gold at Paris 2024 with the national team, and veterans Morten Olsen and Rene Toft Hansen. And while line player Thomas Solstad and left back William Bogojevic left the team over the summer, they were replaced by Anders Zachariassen and Nikolaj Læsø, who moved from fellow European League teams GOG and Porto, respectively.

8. VfL Gummersbach (GER)

The traditional German club, who were a European powerhouse in the 20th century, are participating in a continental club competition for the first time since the 2011/12 season. Sixth place in the Bundesliga last season secured them a spot in the EHF European League, and Gummersbach defeated Denmark's Mors-Thy Håndbold in the qualification to reach the group stage.

New signings such as Teitur Örn Einarsson, Kentin Mahe and Dominik Kuzmanovic are expected to further improve the team's quality, but Einarsson and captain Julian Köster will be out with injuries for the next few weeks, which is a blow for Gummerbach at the start of their long-awaited European campaign. But, although it will be hard for the German side to win their 14th continental trophy in history — mainly taken across pre-EHF competition structures, they certainly have the potential to go far. 

7. RK Nexe (CRO)

With a long-standing tradition of playing the second-tier continental club competition, the Croatian side have participated in every EHF European League Men season since the inaugural edition in 2020/21. Finishing fourth in the 2021/22 campaign was a highlight for Nexe, who went on to reach the quarter-final the following year and were eliminated by Rhein-Neckar Löwen in the play-offs last season.

The team from Nasice start their new European campaign without goalkeeper Dominik Kuzmanovic, who has joined fellow European League team Gummersbach, and playmaker Marko Bezjak, who moved to HC Erlangen after he was suspended for 12 months by the Croatian Handball Federation for an incident in a domestic match against RK Zagreb. However, the new signings Tin Lucin and Jure Dolenec should strengthen the back court, and Kresimir Kozina, who has returned to his home country after an 11-year spell in Austria and Germany, is an experienced line player, so Nexe hope for another successful campaign in Europe. 

6. FC Porto (POR)

For the first time since 2018, Porto did not become the Portuguese champions last season, losing the title to Sporting, and therefore failed to qualify for the Machineseeker EHF Champions League, in which they had been regular participants over the past five years.

Following that setback, head coach Carlos Resende was replaced by Magnus Andersson, who had already been at the helm of the team between 2018 and 2023 and led them to a number of domestic titles. With the Swedish coach in charge, Porto hope to do well both domestically and internationally, and, although the club parted ways with Nikolaj Laesø, Antonio Areia, Nikola Mitrevski and Diogo Branquinho, there are still quite a few experienced players in the squad.

When the team last played in the second-tier European competition, when it was still called the EHF Cup in the 2018/19 season, they reached the final tournament and ultimately finished third. Now, Porto hope their vast European experience will help them to at least emulate that result.

5. GOG (DEN)

In 2022 and 2023, the team from Gudme won the Danish league, but after head coach Nicolej Krickau left for SG Flensburg-Handewitt in 2023, GOG had a turbulent season, finishing third in the 2023/24 domestic championship. Krickau's successor Ian Marco Fog was replaced by his assistant Mikkel Voigt in September 2023, and in the new season, the Danish side has a new coach, Kasper Christensen, who previously worked with the women's team at Ikast Håndbold.

There are quite a lot of changes in GOG's squad, as important players like Emil Madsen, Aaron Mensing, Anders Zachariassen and Tobias Thulin left the team, and it will be not easy to replace them. However, there are some quality signings, such as the Norwegian centre back Tobias Grøndahl and the Swedish goalkeeper Peter Johannesson, so Gudme should stay competitive and be aiming high in the EHF European League Men.

4. MT Melsungen (GER)

Their previous participation in a European club competition dates to the 2020/21 season, when they were eliminated by Bjerringbro-Silkeborg in qualification round 1. However, Melsungen have improved since then. Coached by Roberto Garcia Parrondo, who has been in charge since 2021, they finished fifth in the last Bundesliga season.

The core of the team has not changed much, as the Montenegrin goalkeeper Nebojsa Simic, Latvian right back Dainis Kristopans and the German international Timo Kastening are still expected to play important roles. While another right back Ivan Martinovic left for domestic rivals Rhein-Neckar Löwen, Melsungen have signed Aaron Mensing, Alexandre Cavalcanti and Mohamed Darmoul, who should further strengthen the back court.

In the qualification round of the EHF European League, Melsungen proved too strong for Norway's Elverum Håndball, winning the tie 64:54 on aggregate, and now Garcia Parrondo's team hope to go far in the tournament.

3. Montpellier Handball (FRA)

Since 2018/19, the French outfit have been strictly alternating between seasons in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League and the EHF European League Men. Last season, Montpellier reached the quarter-finals of the continental top flight. Now, they will play in the lower tier after finishing third in their domestic league.

A new era in Montpellier's history has started, as Patrice Canayer, who was at the helm for 30 years and led the team to two EHF Champions League titles, in 2003 and 2018, stepped down and was replaced by Érick Mathé. It will be exciting to see how one of the top French clubs will evolve with the new coach, but it should also be noted that there have been no major changes in the squad: left back Marko Panic left for Wisla Plock, and Djordje Cikusa, who plays the same position, joined Montpellier from Barça. 

2. THW Kiel (GER)

Last season, the four-time winners of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League did a better job internationally than domestically, as they finished third in the continental top flight and fourth in the Bundesliga. So, for the first time since 2018/19, the record German champions will not participate in Europe's premier club competition.

So far, Kiel have not played the EHF European League, but they had a lot of experience in the second-tier European club competition, having won the EHF Cup four times. The team coached by Filip Jicha are determined to fight for the trophy again, and, despite some injuries, they have the potential to claim the title. Germany goalkeeper Andreas Wolff, whose move from Kielce beat the transfer world record in handball (1.6 million euro), has already established himself at Kiel, shining in the Bundesliga games early in the season. Dane Emil Madsen — the top scorer of the EHF Champions League 2022/23 — and Hungarian Bence Imre are two other important signings made by the club to improve the game.

1. SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER)

In the first season with Danish head coach Nicolej Krickau, the German side won their sixth European trophy and the first one since 2014, as they defeated domestic rivals Füchse Berlin in the final match of the EHF European League Men 2023/24. As Flensburg finished third in the German league, they will once again play in the second-tier European club competition — and will definitely try to win another title.

Over the summer, there were some changes in the team roster, as Boris Zivkovic and Einarsson left the club, while Danish right back Niclas Kirkeløkke joined Flensburg from Rhein-Neckar Löwen, making it four 2024 Olympic champions in Flensburg's squad, the other three being Simon Pytlick, Lukas Jörgensen and Emil Jakobsen. With an excellent attack, solid defence and good goalkeepers, the team looks very well-balanced and will be hard for any rival to beat. 

Photos © Uros Hocevar/kolektiff; Jan Gregorc; Lau Nielsen; Sascha Klahn