Playing times set for early EHF Champions League rounds

Last year's runners-up in both competitions will get things underway. On the women's side, FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria host Metz Handball in the Erd Arena on Saturday 9 September at 16:00 CEST; while in the men's tournament, Barlinek Industria Kielce welcome Aalborg Håndbold on Wednesday 13 September at 18:45 CEST.

The 10,000-seater Sud de France Arena will play host to an EHF Champions League match for the first time in 18 months on Wednesday 13 September at 20:45 CEST when 2018 champions Montpellier HB make their return to the competition. They host record champions, last season's third-placed side Barça, in the first round.

Barça's first home match will be a repeat of the 2022/23 semi-final against eventual winners SC Magdeburg, set to be played at the Palau Blaugrana at 20:45 CEST on Thursday 21 September.

Orlen Wisla Plock earned their place in last season's play-offs with a one-goal win against FC Porto in the last group phase match of the season. The two sides meet again in round 1 of the new season, again in Porto, at 20:45 CEST on Thursday 14 September.

Champions League debutants Kolstad Handball of Norway are due to play their first home match on Thursday 21 September at 18:45 CEST against Kielce at the 8,600-seater Trondheim Spektrum.

Round 1 of the EHF Champions League Women sees a Scandinavian derby between the reigning EHF European League Women champions Ikast Handbold and Champions League title-holders Vipers Kristiansand. Ikast host the match at the IBF Arena on Saturday 9 September at 16:00 CEST.

The repeat of the 2023 final between Vipers and FTC takes place in Norway on Saturday 16 September at 18:00 CEST, in round 2.

The Audi Arena in Györ should be full on Saturday 16 September at 16:00 CEST, when Györi Audi ETO KC welcome fellow Hungarians DVSC Schaeffler. 

Meanwhile handball fans in Bucharest have plenty to look forward to in the first three rounds - particularly in round 3. CSM Bucuresti host Odense Håndbold at 18:00 CEST on Saturday 9 September and Györ at 16:00 CEST on Sunday 24 September. Local rivals CS Rapid Bucuresti play Champions League newcomers MKS Zaglebie Lubin at 16:00 CEST on Saturday 16 September, and follow up with a second consecutive home match against Ikast at 16:00 CEST on Saturday 23 September.

For the full Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2023/24 match schedule, click here. For the EHF Champions League Women, click here. 

Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2023/24

Round 1

Wednesday 13 September 2023

18:45 CEST: Barlinek Industria Kielce vs Aalborg Håndbold / HC Eurofarm Pelister vs Kolstad Handball
20:45 CEST: Montpellier HB vs Barça / GOG vs RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko

Thursday 14 September 2023

18:45 CEST: OTP-Bank Pick Szeged vs Paris Saint-Germain HB
20:45 CEST: FC Porto vs Orlen Wisla Plock / SC Magdeburg vs Telekom Veszprém HC

Time TBC: HC Zagreb vs THW Kiel

Round 2

Wednesday 20 September 2023

18:45 CEST: RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs FC Porto / Orlen Wisla Plock vs GOG 
20:45 CEST: Aalborg Håndbold vs HC Eurofarm Pelister

Thursday 21 September 2023

18:45 CEST: Paris Saint-Germain HB vs HC Zagreb / THW Kiel vs OTP-Bank Pick Szeged / Kolstad Handball vs Barlinek Industria Kielce
20:45 CEST: Telekom Veszprém vs Montpellier HB / Barça vs SC Magdeburg

Round 3

Wednesday 27 September 2023

18:45 CEST: OTP-Bank Pick Szeged vs Aalborg Håndbold / Barlinek Industria Kielce vs Paris Saint-Germain HB
20:45 CEST: SC Magdeburg vs RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko

Thursday 28 September 2023

18:45 CEST: HC Zagreb vs Kolstad Handball / GOG vs Telekom Veszprém HC
20:45 CEST: HC Eurofarm Pelister vs THW Kiel / FC Porto vs Barça / Montpellier HB vs Orlen Wisla Plock

Round 4

Wednesday 11 October 2023

18:45 CEST: RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs Montpellier HB / Telekom Veszprém HC vs FC Porto
20:45 CEST: THW Kiel vs Barlinek Industria Kielce 

Thursday 12 October 2023

18:45 CEST: HC Zagreb vs Aalborg Håndbold / Kolstad Handball vs OTP-Bank Pick Szeged
20:45 CEST: Paris Saint-Germain HB vs HC Eurofarm Pelister / Orlen Wisla Plock vs SC Magdeburg / Barça vs GOG

EHF Champions League Women 2023/24

Round 1

Saturday 9 September

16:00 CEST: FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria vs Metz Handball / Ikast Handbold vs Vipers Kristiansand
18:00 CEST: CSM Bucuresti vs Odense Håndbold / DVSC Schaeffler vs IK Sävehof / MKS Zaglebie Lubin vs Krim Mercator Ljubljana

Sunday 10 September

14:00 CEST: WHC Buducnost BEMAX vs SG BBM Bietigheim
16:00 CEST: Brest Bretagne Handball vs Györi Audi ETO KC / Team Esbjerg vs CS Rapid Bucuresti

Round 2

Saturday 16 September

16:00 CEST: Györi Audi ETO KC vs DVSC Schaeffler / IK Sävehof vs Brest Bretagne Handball / CS Rapid Bucuresti vs MKS Zaglebie Lubin
18:00 CEST: Odense Håndbold vs WHC Buducnost BEMAX / Vipers Kristiansand vs FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria

Sunday 17 September

14:00 CEST: Krim Mercator Ljubljana vs Team Esbjerg / SG BBM Bietigheim vs CSM Bucuresti
16:00 CEST: Metz Handball vs Ikast Handbold

Round 3

Saturday 23 September

16:00 CEST: DVSC Schaeffler vs SG BBM Bietigheim / CS Rapid Bucuresti vs Ikast Handbold 
18:00 CEST: Team Esbjerg vs Metz Handball / MKS Zaglebie Lubin vs Vipers Kristiansand / Krim Mercator Ljubljana vs FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria

Sunday 24 September

14:00 CEST: WHC Buducnost BEMAX vs IK Sävehof 
16:00 CEST: CSM Bucuresti vs Györi Audi ETO KC / Brest Bretagne Handball vs Odense Håndbold 

Round 4

Saturday 30 September

16:00 CEST: Odense Håndbold vs DVSC Schaeffler 
18:00 CEST: Metz Handball vs MKS Zaglebie Lubin / Vipers Kristiansand vs Team Esbjerg / FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria vs CS Rapid Bucuresti

Sunday 1 October

14:00 CEST: IK Sävehof vs CSM Bucuresti / SG BBM Bietigheim vs Brest Bretagne Handball 
16:00 CEST: Györi Audi ETO KC vs WHC Buducnost BEMAX / Ikast Handball vs Krim Mercator Ljubljana

Photos © Axel Heimken & Uros Hocevar / kolektiff