EHF Champions League Women returns with fierce rivalries
The EHF Champions League Women is back this weekend, bringing another season of fierce battles and the chase for Europe's biggest prize. 16 of the continent's best step onto the stage, with promising clashes, familiar rivalries, and sky-high ambitions right from the start.
Györi Audi ETO KC, who won the last two editions of the top flight, start their title defence with an away match at BV Borussia Dortmund. Group A also features the Match of the Week, a duel between Team Esbjerg and Metz Handball, who faced off in the bronze medal match in the EHF FINAL4 in the two previous seasons.
In group B, it's almost a Danish derby: EHF FINAL4 Women 2025 runners-up Odense Håndbold meet FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria under new coach Jesper Jensen. Debutants Sola HK aim for a dream start in Croatia, while Brest Bretagne Handball and Ikast Håndbold look to make the home advantage count.
It will be nice to start the Champions League season. We have a very difficult task in the first match. I have seen some of Gloria Bistrita's pre-season matches, they look very strong. We are looking forward to the match in a nice atmosphere. Gloria have a fantastic audience.
Of course I'm looking forward to the start of the Champions League. I know Dortmund are really good, I know some of the players, so yeah, it's special to go back also to Dortmund, and I'm really looking forward to playing against them. Yeah, I think we have to run back and be good in defence and just play our game.
We are excited to begin the Champions League campaign, and it begins with a difficult match against Metz. We have an advantage being and our home court, but it is one of the best teams in all of Europe. We expect it to be a tough but also a fun match.
An incredible first match for us, kicking off our European campaign against the club that finished third in the last competition and has once again strengthened its squad, with a roster that could see them return to the EHF FINAL4. It will be an incredible test for us at the start of the year to see where we stand in terms of our level of play. We will have to give 100% of what we can do if we want to succeed there.
Buducnost is a serious opponent, a very experienced team, they have been playing in the Champions League for years. This is our second season in the top league, we are happy to be here. We want to profit a lot from the Champions League and from this match as well. If we play well, we have a chance to get points, and that is our goal.
I think this game could be the Match of the Week. It's a rematch of the quarter-final last year, which went down to the last second. Now it's a Danish coach against a Danish team, with amazing support from our fans in Érd. There are so many stories within the story.
Starting off the season with a victory would mean a lot for us as a team, but we know the season is long, and therefore it's important that we play at our top level in every game. We're going to do everything to create the best possible start for ourselves.
We now have a challenge ahead of us after seven weeks of preparation. I hope we will show a good performance and good games. It will be difficult to repeat last year's result, and in a group that is similar in strength. However, there are no weak teams in the Champions League, but very good and excellent ones.
We’re incredibly excited for our first match in the EHF Champions League. This is a dream come true for our club, our players, our staff and everyone who has been part of our journey. We know we’ll be underdogs in every game we play, and we embrace that role with humility and determination.
First Champions League match! We’re at home and of course we want to carry on from our league performance on Wednesday. It will be a great clash. We want to keep the same mindset and the same defensive intensity we showed in Wednesday’s match in order to have a truly complete week.
We can’t wait for the matches to begin, because we train for these games, to show what we can do, to fight, and to gain experience. I really can’t wait! The older players gave us great advice; we must not be afraid, we must stay focused, believe in ourselves, and together we can achieve all the goals we set.
It will be a physically demanding match and they put a lot of physicality into their game, both defensively and offensively, where they come up with some tough duels and have a really tough defence. We have to see if we can open it up with quick feet, among other things. Then we also have to tune our defence up to the highest level, so that we can hold the tough duels and shooters that are coming.
