EHF Champions League
2023–24
Tournament information
SportHandball
Dates13 September 2023–9 June 2024
Teams16
Websiteehfcl.com
Tournament statistics
Matches played80
Goals scored4698 (58.73 per match)
Attendance349,423 (4,368 per match)
Top scorer(s)Denmark Emil Wernsdorf Madsen(67 goals)

The 2023–24 EHF Champions League is the 64th edition of Europe's premier club handball tournament, running from 13 September 2023 to 9 June 2024. SC Magdeburg are the reigning champions.

Format

The tournament will run using the same format as the previous three seasons. The competition begins with a group stage featuring sixteen teams divided into two groups. Matches are played in a double round-robin system with home-and-away fixtures, fourteen in total for each team. In Groups A and B, the top two teams automatically qualify for the quarter-finals, with teams ranked 3rd to 6th entering the playoff round.

The knockout stage includes four rounds: the playoffs, quarter-finals, and a final-four tournament comprising two semifinals and the final. In the playoffs, eight teams are paired against each other in two-legged home-and-away matches (third-placed in group A plays sixth-placed group B; fourth-placed group A plays fifth-placed group B, etc.). The four aggregate winners of the playoffs advance to the quarterfinals, joining the top-two teams of Groups A and B. The eight quarterfinalist teams are paired against each other in two-legged home-and-away matches, with the four aggregate winners qualifying to the final-four tournament.

In the final four tournament, the semifinals and the final are played as single matches at a pre-selected host venue.

Rankings

This season, the EHF decided to make separate rankings for each club competition.[1]

  • Associations 1–9 can have their league champion qualify for the Group Stage and apply for a wildcards.
  • The Association that won the past season's EHF European League can have their league champion and runner up qualify for the Group Stage but cannot apply for a wildcard.
  • Associations below the top 9 can only have their league champion apply for a Wildcard.

Teams

20 teams applied for a place, with ten having a fixed place.[3] The final list was announced in June 20, 2023.[4][5]

The fixed place for Russia is vacant since the country and its clubs are currently not admitted to participate in the EHF competitions due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[6]

Participating teams
Denmark GOG Håndbold (1st) France Paris Saint-Germain (1st) Spain Barcelona (1st) Germany THW Kiel (1st)
Germany SC Magdeburg (2nd) Hungary Telekom Veszprém (1st) North Macedonia RK Eurofarm Pelister (1st) Poland Industria Kielce (1st)
Portugal FC Porto (1st) Slovenia Celje Pivovarna Laško (1st) Croatia RK Zagreb (1st) WC Denmark Aalborg Håndbold (1st) WC
France Montpellier Handball (2nd) WC Hungary OTP Bank - Pick Szeged (2nd) WC Norway Kolstad Håndball (1st) WC Poland Orlen Wisła Płock (2nd) WC
  • WC Accepted wildcards
Wildcard rejection
Portugal Sporting CP (2nd) Romania Dinamo București (1st) Switzerland Kadetten Schaffhausen (1st) Sweden IFK Kristianstad (1st)

Draw

The draw took place on 27 June 2023.[4][7][8]

Group stage

Location of teams of the 2023–24 EHF Champions League group stage.
Red: Group A; Blue: Group B.

The 16 teams were drawn into four groups of four. Teams from the same national association could not be drawn into the same group.

In the group stage, teams were ranked according to points (2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). After completion of the group stage, if two or more teams have scored the same number of points, the ranking will be determined as follows:

  1. Highest number of points in matches between the teams directly involved;
  2. Superior goal difference in matches between the teams directly involved;
  3. Highest number of goals scored in matches between the teams directly involved;
  4. Superior goal difference in all matches of the group;
  5. Highest number of plus goals in all matches of the group;
  6. Drawing of Lots

A total of 11 national associations will be represented in the group stage. North Macedonia are the only returnees, after Vardar 1961 was disqualified last season. Kolstad Håndball are the only debutants.

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification THW AAL KIE PAR SZE ZAG KOL PEL
1 Germany THW Kiel 10 7 1 2 284 271 +13 15 Quarterfinals — 18–27 35–31 26–24 35–32 6 Mar 26–25 22 Feb
2 Denmark Aalborg Håndbold 10 5 2 3 299 271 +28 12 27–27 — 6 Mar 30–32 21 Feb 15 Feb 27–25 38–23
3 Poland Industria Kielce 10 5 2 3 285 273 +12 12 Playoffs 14 Feb 31–34 — 30–29 27–27 28–24 29 Feb 35–25
4 France Paris Saint-Germain 10 5 1 4 302 300 +2 11 28–34 33–30 22 Feb — 6 Mar 35–31 28–28 31–26
5 Hungary OTP Bank - Pick Szeged 10 5 1 4 286 291 −5 11 28 Feb 34–27 26–25 13 Sep — 27–26 15 Feb 34–26
6 Croatia RK Zagreb 10 4 2 4 267 257 +10 10 14 Sep 30–30 22–22 29 Feb 30–25 — 31–20 27–18
7 Norway Kolstad Håndball 10 4 1 5 284 280 +4 9 34–30 18–29 30–34 36–31 37–24 21 Feb — 6 Mar
8 North Macedonia RK Eurofarm Pelister (E) 10 0 0 10 230 294 −64 0 20–23 28 Feb 21–24 14 Feb 27–28 22–23 22–31 —
Updated to match(es) played on 7 December 2023. Source: EHF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(E) Eliminated

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification BAR MAG VES MON GOG PLO POR CEL
1 Spain Barça (T) 10 9 0 1 341 287 +54 18 Quarterfinals — 32–20 36–41 7 Mar 38–30 32–25 22 Feb 39–30
2 Germany SC Magdeburg (T) 10 8 0 2 315 279 +36 16 29 Feb — 28–33 28–24 35–27 15 Feb 37–33 39–23
3 Hungary Telekom Veszprém (T) 10 7 0 3 350 318 +32 14 Playoffs 30–31 7 Mar — 33–31 22 Feb 28–21 44–34 41–31
4 France Montpellier Handball 10 5 0 5 293 282 +11 10 25–30 25–28 29 Feb — 36–25 30–28 35–24 14 Feb
5 Denmark GOG Håndbold 10 5 0 5 309 319 −10 10 14 Feb 25–32 36–30 32–27 — 28 Feb 35–27 38–36
6 Poland Orlen Wisła Płock 10 3 0 7 271 280 −9 6 25–28 26–28 37–30 21 Feb 26–30 — 7 Mar 30–25
7 Portugal FC Porto 10 3 0 7 290 341 −51 6 30–38 31–40 15 Feb 25–29 32–31 24–23 — 28 Feb
8 Slovenia Celje Pivovarna Laško 10 0 0 10 292 355 −63 0 31–37 21 Feb 33–40 29–31 7 Mar 25–30 29–30 —
Updated to match(es) played on 7 December 2023. Source: EHF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(T) Qualified, but not yet for the particular phase indicated

Knockout stage

Playoffs

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
B6 M1 A3 27–28 Mar 3–4 Apr
A6 M2 B3 27–28 Mar 3–4 Apr
B5 M3 A4 27–28 Mar 3–4 Apr
A5 M4 B4 27–28 Mar 3–4 Apr

Quarterfinals

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
M4 – A1 24–25 Apr 1–2 May
M3 – B1 24–25 Apr 1–2 May
M2 – A2 24–25 Apr 1–2 May
M1 – B2 24–25 Apr 1–2 May

Final four

The final four will be held at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany on 8 and 9 June 2024.

Bracket

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
8 June
 
 
 
 
9 June
 
 
 
 
 
8 June
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Third place
 
 
9 June
 
 
 
 
 
 

Final

9 June 2024 WSF1 v WSF2 Lanxess Arena, Cologne

Top goalscorers

As of 7 December 2023
Rank Player Club Goals[9]
1 Denmark Emil Wernsdorf Madsen Denmark GOG Håndbold 67
2 Slovenia Mitja Janc Slovenia Celje Pivovarna Laško 65
3 France Dika Mem Spain Barça 59
Norway Sander Sagosen Norway Kolstad Håndball
5 Sweden Niclas Ekberg Germany THW Kiel 57
Croatia Mario Šoštarić Hungary OTP Bank - Pick Szeged
7 Iceland Sigvaldi Guðjónsson Norway Kolstad Håndball 56
Poland Kamil Syprzak France Paris Saint-Germain
9 Denmark Aaron Mensing Denmark GOG Håndbold 55
10 Sweden Sebastian Karlsson France Montpellier Handball 54

See also

References

  1. ↑ "EHF improves club competitions ranking system". eurohandball.com. 27 September 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ "20 clubs registered for EHF Champions League Men 2023/24". eurohandball.com. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Teams set for EHF Champions League season 2023/24". eurohandball.com. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  5. ↑ "EHF hat Wildcards vergeben: Diese Mannschaften spielen 2023/24 in der Handball Champions League". handball-world.news. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  6. ↑ "EHF Court of Handball rejects Russia appeal against ban". insidethegames.biz. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  7. ↑ "Pots announced ahead EHF CL Men group phase draw". eurohandball.com. 23 June 2023.
  8. ↑ "Exciting group phase awaits after EHF Champions League Men draw". eurohandball.com. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  9. ↑ Goalscorers
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