Four double-headers await in EHF European Cup Women start

14 of the 25 pairings will be decided in double-headers, with four of them taking place this weekend and 10 scheduled for next week. The 25 winners will join seven teams who were directly seeded for round 3, which will be drawn after the conclusion of the opening round. Icelandic side Valur, the current title holders, are playing in qualification round 2 of the EHF European League Women, so the path is set for a new champion this season.  

• 2023/24 champions ATTICGO Bm Elche from Spain are hoping to regain the trophy this season, as they begin their campaign against HC DAC Dunajská Streda from Slovakia, who were quarter-finalists in 2021/22 season
• the longest travel distance of those matches, played in different cities, is between AEK Athens HC in Greece and Selfoss from Iceland, while the Bosnian side OZRK Krajina Cazin has a short trip to the Croatian coast ahead, playing at ZRK Split 2010
• after a seven-year absence, the Polish side Energa Start Elblag are back on the European stage; they travel for a double-header to Trabzon Ortahisar BSK in Türkiye this weekend, with the return leg played on Monday 29 September
• Dutch side Westfriesland SEW start their 26th international season with a match against debutants ABC de Braga on Saturday; in the last four EHF European Cup seasons, Westfriesland always failed in rounds 2 or 3
• the first ticket to round 3 will already be handed over in Faroe Islands on Saturday, after the second leg of the double-header between hosts H71 and Cabooter Fortes Venlo from Netherlands
• the following two tickets will be secured on Sunday, in the duels between Handball Erice from Italy and Serbian side ZRK Zeleznicar Indija, as well as between Austrian team MADx WAT Atzgersdorf and Holon Yuvalim HC from Israel; in Erice, the season will be thrown off on Friday at 18:30 CEST

Will the Spanish dominance continue?

Three times in the previous five EHF European Cup Women, the trophy was raised by a Spanish team: ATTICGO Bm Elche in 2023/24, Rocasa Gran Canaria in 2021/22 and Malaga in 2020/21. Additionally, Gran Canaria also have two Challenge Cup titles in their collection, from 2016 and 2019.

Last year, EHF European Cup debutants Conservas Orbe Zendal Bm Porrino were the biggest surprise of the competition, making it to the final, where they were eventually defeated by Valur on aggregate. With 2022/23 runners-up Club Balonmán Atlético Guardes seeded for round 3 and the ambitious sides from Elche, Malaga and debutants Replasa Beti-Onak playing in round 2, a Spanish armada aims to go all the way.

Photos © BeRa Fotografia 2024 (main), MarekFoto (in-text)