The 2026–27 Women's EHF Champions League is the 34th edition of Europe's premier club handball tournament, running from 5 September 2026 to 30 May 2027.
Format The tournament will use the same format as the previous seasons. The competition begins with a group stage featuring sixteen teams divided into two groups. Matches will be 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 enter the playoff round.
The knockout stage include four rounds: the playoffs, quarter-finals, and a final-four tournament comprising two semifinals and the final. In the playoffs, eight teams will be 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 will be 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 will be played as single matches at a pre-selected host venue.
Rankings The rankings are based on the performances from the three most recent seasons.
Associations 1–9 have their league champion qualify for the group stage and apply up to two wildcards. The best-ranked association in the Women's EHF European League can have its league champion and runner-up qualified for the group stage and can apply for one wildcard. Associations below the top 9 have their league champion apply for a wildcard..
RankAssociationAverage pointsTeams1 Hungary227.6712 Denmark169.0013 France145.3324 Norway142.2315 Romania114.3316 Germany110.6717 Slovenia78.0018 Croatia52.0019 Montenegro46.331
RankAssociationAverage pointsTeams10 Turkey29.00011 Sweden26.00012 Poland26.00013 Czech Republic26.00014 All other associations0.000
Teams 17 teams applied for a place, with ten having a fixed place. The full list was announced on 22 June 2026.
Győri Audi ETO KC (1st) Storhamar HE (2nd) Team Esbjerg (1st) HSG Blomberg-Lippe (1st) Brest Bretagne Handball (1st) CS Gloria Bistrița (1st) RK Krim OTP Group Mercator (1st) OTP Group Budućnost (1st) Metz Handball (2nd) HC Podravka Vegeta (1st) Odense Håndbold (2nd) U Nykøbing Falster (3rd) U Borussia Dortmund (2nd) U FTC-Toyota Kovács (2nd) U Sola HK (1st) U CSM București (2nd) U U Confirmed upgrades
Rejected upgrades Molde Elite (3rd)
Draw The draw took place on 26 June 2026.
Group stage
Group A
Group B
Knockout stage
Playoffs
Quarterfinals
Final four
The final four will be held at the MVM Dome in Budapest, Hungary on 29 and 30 May 2027.
Bracket
Final
Top goalscorers
Rank Player Club Goals1 Henny Reistad Team Esbjerg382 Clara Lerby Nykøbing Falster353 Nieke Kühne HSG Blomberg-Lippe28 Katarina Pandza HC Podravka Vegeta5 Emilie Hovden Győri Audi ETO KC25 Valeriia Maslova CSM București Tjaša Stanko Győri Audi ETO KC Mia Svele Nykøbing Falster9 Tamara Horacek Brest Bretagne Handball24 Đurđina Jauković OTP Group Budućnost Elizabeth Omoregie FTC-Toyota Kovács
See also 2026–27 EHF Champions League 2026–27 EHF European League 2026–27 EHF European Cup 2026–27 Women's EHF European League 2026–27 Women's EHF European Cup
References
External links Official website