EHF Champions League
The Champions League is the highest European Cup Competition for Handball - club teams . It is organized by the European Handball Federation (EHF). The winners of the EHF Champions League can due to the low value of the points club European Championship described as the best club team in Europe or the world. The IHF Club World Championship is also hardly noticed by the big clubs and therefore only attended by youth teams or not at all.
history
Men
In 1957 the European Cup of National Champions in handball was held for the first time. In the first year, only selections from individual cities took part in the competition, not individual club teams. Since the second edition in 1959, only club teams have taken part in the competition. The first title won the city selection of the Czechoslovak capital Prague .
An annual event did not take place until the mid-1960s. In 1958, 1961 and 1964 the competition was suspended because a handball world championship was played in those years . In 1969 the competition was canceled because a number of teams protested against the occupation of Czechoslovakia . The men's competition has been held annually since 1970.
Until the beginning of the 1980s, German teams dominated the cup competition. Both clubs from the GDR and from the Federal Republic of Germany were able to win the highest trophy in European club handball. In 1970 and 1979 there were “German-German” finals. The VfL Gummersbach advanced at this time with five title wins the most successful club in the competition.
From the mid-80s, teams from Eastern European countries such as the USSR and Yugoslavia dominated the competition. In 1994, the European Champions League was renamed the EHF Champions League. From this point on, the supremacy of the Spanish teams began, which were able to triumph in all eight European Cup competitions from 1994 to 2001. FC Barcelona alone was able to secure the trophy five times in a row from 1996 to 2000 in addition to 1991 and replaced VfL Gummersbach as the record winner in this competition with a total of six triumphs. In 2015, the Catalans won their ninth title.
Andrei Xepkin , David Barrufet and Xavier O'Callaghan have won the most single player titles. A total of seven times were Xepkin between 1996 and 2007, Barrufet and O'Callaghan between 1991 and 2005 winners in the European Cup and the Champions League.
Women
The European Cup for Women was first held in 1961 and has been held annually since then.
At the beginning of the seventies the supremacy of the Soviet team from Spartak Kiev began , which was to last a total of 20 years. Spartak made it into the final 15 times, leaving the floor as the winner 13 times. In 1989 the women from Kiev lost their last final so far against the Austrian representative Hypo Niederösterreich , over whom they had triumphed the two years before.
The defeat of Spartak Kiev against the team from Austria also heralded a changing of the guard in European club handball. While the star of the Soviet teams was beginning to die out, the women from Maria Enzersdorf, Austria, were able to reach the semi-finals in the following nine competitions up to the year 2000 - and apart from 1997 and 1999 also the final. With a total of eight cup triumphs, Hypo Niederösterreich shaped this European Cup competition in the nineties just as clearly as Spartak Kiev had done in previous years.
Although Danish teams in particular have recently won the EHF Champions League, now more teams than ever before have the potential to win the highest of the European club competitions.
marketing
The change of name to EHF Champions League in 1994 was mainly for economic and marketing reasons. In 2008, the EHF transferred all advertising, trademark and media rights of the Champions League to its subsidiary, EHF Marketing GmbH , which grants or sells these rights to third parties.
In the run-up to the 2006/2007 season, the EHF signed a television contract with the European special interest broadcaster Eurosport . The contract contained the transmission rights to all EHF Champions League games, which could also be sold to third parties. The games were broadcast on both the free-to-air Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 on pay TV. The contract was extended by 4 years in 2009 and another year in 2012. So far only a few games have been broadcast in the third programs in Germany. In Germany, games with German participation have been broadcast by the pay-TV channel Sky since the 2014/15 season. This has now secured the broadcasting rights until the 2019/20 season. Games without German participation are offered as a free live stream on skysport.de .
The clubs with home rights can keep all the spectator income from their home games, unlike other cup games, in which the spectator income is split 50:50 between the two clubs.
All games, from the first group phase to the final, are played on a uniform floor from the French company Gerflor . The participating clubs can buy these or borrow them from the EHF for home games. The ball is also the same in all games. It is a handball made by Select from Denmark.
Naming rights
In September 2010, EHF Marketing GmbH awarded the naming rights to the men's EHF Champions League for three years to the Velux Group , in December 2012 the contract was extended for a further three years until 2016 and again in June 2015 for another 5 years until 2020; Since the beginning of the group phase in 2010, the competition has therefore been called the VELUX EHF Men's Champions League . The final of the last four teams in Cologne has been held since 2011 under the name VELUX EHF FINAL4 .
mode
Currently (as of the 2008/09 season) there are usually 40 teams taking part in the competition, 24 of which are seeded for the first group stage. Another 16 teams play a qualifying round in the knockout system, from which the eight winners also qualify for the first group stage. The eight losers take part in the second round of the EHF Cup . Since the introduction of the Champions League system, the mode has been fundamentally reformed several times.
The mode has been fundamentally changed again since the 2015/16 season.
1993 to 2003
From 1993 to 2003, 32 teams took part in the competition. These were the national champions of the best 31 countries in the EHF country rankings and the respective defending champions. A group stage was embedded in several knockout rounds.
From the 1993/94 season to the 1995/96 season, a group stage with two groups of four was played after the round of 16, the winners of which then played the final. From 1996/97 up to and including the 1999/2000 season, after two knockout rounds, a group stage with four groups of four teams each took place instead of a round of 16. The two best in the group progressed to the quarter-finals, from which it continued in the knockout system.
In the 2000/2001 season, for the first time, the representatives of the seven best countries in the EHF country rankings (a 3-year rating) and the defending champions were set for the group stage, so that fewer teams took part in the previous rounds than before. Four groups of four teams each were played, from which two teams each qualified for the quarter-finals.
2003 to 2008
Since the 2003/04 season, 40 teams have been taking part in the Champions League, with a different number of teams from the 31 best-placed countries in the EHF country rankings (with the exception of Montenegro). The number of clubs a country is allowed to register depends on its position in the ranking list. The two countries in the first two places may register three teams, the four next best countries two teams each. The following 25 countries are entitled to a place in the Champions League. The defending champion is added to the contingent of his country and is in any case eligible for the group stage of the coming season.
After the qualifying round mentioned above, there is a group stage with eight groups of four teams, from which the two best teams qualify for the next round. The group third are eligible for the fourth round of the European Cup Winners' Cup , the group fourth are eliminated . Up until the 2006/07 season, this group stage was followed by the round of 16 of the knockout round with a return leg.
In the 2007/08 season, instead of the eighth and quarter-finals, a second group phase took place in which four groups of four teams were formed, the group winners of which qualified for the subsequent semi-finals, which, like the final, played with a return match has been.
Initially, the EHF was planning a Final Four tournament back then , but since this was supposed to take place in a neutral location, this project was not implemented due to pressure from the top European teams. The clubs feared high spectator losses and thus revenue losses.
It was also decided to introduce a second group phase for women. From 2007, the first group phase with four groups of four clubs will be followed by a second with two groups of four teams. The semi-finals and the final are played in a knockout system with a return leg. This was supposed to create harmony between men's and women's competition.
2008/09 season
For the 2008/09 season, the mode of the EHF Champions League was revised again.
40 teams were still eligible to participate, 24 of which were directly qualified for the first group stage. The remaining 16 teams played the remaining eight starting places in a qualifying round in the knockout system. The losing eight teams took part in the second round of the EHF Cup.
Group stage
The 32 qualified teams played the group stage in eight groups of four in the mode “everyone against everyone” with a return leg. The first and second from each group qualified for the main round and were placed in the same main round groups. The third in the group stage took part in the fourth round of the European Cup Winners' Cup, the fourth-placed were eliminated.
Main round
The main round was played in four groups of four in the same mode as in the first group stage. However, teams that had already played against each other in the group stage did not play against each other again. Here the results from the group phase were adopted and rated accordingly. The first and second in the group qualified for the next round.
Knockout round
The eight qualified teams from the main round determined the Champions League winner in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final. It was played in the knockout system with a return leg.
Since the 2009/10 season
The qualification is played in groups of three or four. There was also a wildcard group in which four teams took part, which, according to the EHF, should increase the level of play in the Champions League. The group leader in each group qualifies for the group stage. The teams that are eliminated take part in the 2nd or 3rd round of the EHF Cup, depending on their placement.
The number of teams competing in the group stage has been reduced from 32 to 24. In the group stage, the teams played in four groups of six teams each. Each team played an away game and a home game against each of its group opponents, so that each team had to play ten games. The best four teams in a group made it to the round of 16, the intermediate round was thus abolished again.
From the round of 16 onwards, the game will be played according to the knockout principle. The semi-finals and finals are played in a final four tournament, so in these two rounds the decision is made in a single game. The Final Four was initially announced every year, so various hall providers had the opportunity to bring the event into their arena. The venue for the Final Four has been the Lanxess Arena in Cologne since the 2009/10 season . On November 14, 2011 the EHF announced that the Final Four will take place in the Lanxess Arena in Cologne until 2014. On December 14, 2013, the EHF announced the extension of the event in Cologne for a further two years until 2016. On March 27, 2015, the agreement that ended in 2016 was extended by four years until 2020. On December 11, 2018, the EHF confirmed Cologne as the venue until 2024.
Group stage since the 2015/16 season
The group stage was redesigned for the 2015/16 season. There is now a dichotomy: the better-rated clubs play in two groups of eight (A and B), the lower-rated clubs in two groups of six (C and D), each in the round trip. A total of 28 teams are now taking part in the competition. The winners of groups A and B qualify directly for the quarter-finals. The second to sixth placed in groups A and B, as well as the two teams determined in a cross-comparison of the first and second placed in groups C and D contest the round of 16.
Decision in the event of a tie
If, after all group matches in the preliminary round or main round, two or more teams are tied, the final placements will be determined in a certain order. First, the direct comparison of the teams with the same points against each other is included. The team that has achieved the most points in a direct comparison will receive the highest position. If there is a tie here too, the best goal difference decides and, should this be the same for several teams, the total number of goals thrown in direct comparison, which team receives which position. Only if the parameters of the direct comparison do not result in a decision is the goal difference of all games against the group opponents and then the number of goals thrown in the group games used to make the decision. For the main round, it is possible that the placement in the preliminary round or the number of points achieved in the preliminary round is decisive.
In the event that a decision has still not been made, the EHF will set a drawing of lots.
Bonuses
As the 2007 Champions League winner, THW Kiel received total prize money of 515,000 euros. The reform of the Champions League for the 2007/2008 season also contained a new prize money regulation. So far, prize money has only been paid out for advancement, from the 2007/2008 season onwards, points bonuses have been distributed for the first time from the second group phase. This should prevent teams that have already been eliminated from competing with a B team. The total amount of the prize money was also increased again. In 2008, the winner was able to raise a total of 100,000 euros more than in previous years.
The prize money will be distributed as follows:
| round | Prize money for achieving | Bonus for a tie | Bonus for a win |
|---|---|---|---|
| first group stage | 15,000 euros | - | - |
| second group stage | 15,000 euros | 7,500 euros | 15,000 euros |
| Quarter finals | 20,000 euros | 10,000 euros | 20,000 euros |
| Semifinals | 40,000 euros | 15,000 euros | 30,000 euros |
| final | 45,000 euros | 20,000 euros | 40,000 euros |
| victory | 150,000 euros | - | - |
If the Champions League winner wins all games from the second group stage, the breakdown is as follows:
- 15,000 euros from the first group stage
- 75,000 euros from the second group phase (15,000 + 60,000 points bonus)
- 60,000 euros from the quarter-finals (20,000 + 10,000 per point)
- 100,000 euros from the semi-finals
- 125,000 euros from the final
- 150,000 euros for the win
Cup
The EHF Champions League trophy is a challenge cup. The winning team can keep it for a year, but must give it back to the EHF before the finals of the following season. In return, the club receives a replica of the cup. If a team wins the Champions League for the fifth time or three times in a row, it can keep the trophy. The trophy weighs exactly 7.86 kg, making it the heaviest trophy in its sport. It consists of 46% bronze and 52% steel.
Attendees
The number of participants that a nation is allowed to place in the EHF Champions League results from the EHF ranking list . The better the nation is ranked, the more teams are eligible for the Champions League.
- The two associations placed first receive 2 starting places each (a total of 4 starting places)
- The associations of places 3–27 receive 1 starting place each (a total of 24 starting places)
- From position 28, the associations do not receive a starting place in the Champions League
Most successful nations
For a list of the most successful women's and men's club teams, see the list of the EHF Champions League finals .
Men
| rank | nation | last title | title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |
 Germany (also as GDR ) |
2013/14 | 19th |
| 2. |
 Spain
|
2014/15 | 15th |
| 3. |
.svg){kind=small} Romania
|
1976/77 | 3 |
 Czechoslovakia
|
1983/84 | 3 | |
 Belarus (as USSR ) |
1989/90 | 3 | |
 Croatia (also called Yugoslavia ).svg){kind=small} |
1992/93 | 3 | |
| 7th |
 Serbia (as Yugoslavia ) |
1985/86 | 2 |
 Russia (as USSR ) |
1987/88 | 2 | |
 France
|
2017/18 | 2 | |
 North Macedonia
|
2018/19 | 2 | |
| 11. |
 Sweden
|
1958/59 | 1 |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina (as Yugoslavia ) |
1975/76 | 1 | |
 Hungary
|
1981/82 | 1 | |
 Slovenia
|
2003/04 | 1 | |
 Poland
|
2015/16 | 1 |
Women
| rank | nation | last title | title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |
 Ukraine (as USSR ) |
1987/88 | 13 |
| 2. |
 Austria
|
1999/00 | 8th |
| 3. |
 Denmark
|
2009/10 | 7th |
 Hungary
|
2018/19 | 7th | |
| 5. |
Germany (also as GDR ) |
1990/91 | 4th |
| 6th |
 Lithuania (as USSR ) |
1967/68 | 3 |
|
Serbia (as Yugoslavia ) |
1983/84 | 3 | |
 Romania
|
2015/16 | 3 | |
| 9. |
Slovenia
|
2002/03 | 2 |
|
Russia (also called USSR ) |
2007/08 | 2 | |
 Montenegro
|
2014/15 | 2 | |
| 12. |
Czechoslovakia
|
1961/62 | 1 |
|
Croatia
|
1995/96 | 1 | |
|
Spain
|
1996/97 | 1 | |
|
North Macedonia
|
2001/02 | 1 | |
 Norway
|
2010/11 | 1 |
Most successful players
So far, 13 players have won the European Champion Clubs' Cup or the EHF Champions League at least five times. Four players managed to do this with three different clubs. Active players are marked in bold .
| title | nation | player | societies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7th |
|
Andrei Xepkin |
FC Barcelona (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2005) THW Kiel (2007) |
| 7th |
|
David Barrufet | FC Barcelona (1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2005) |
| 7th |
|
Xavier O'Callaghan | FC Barcelona (1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2005) |
| 6th |
|
Tomas Svensson |
Bidasoa Irún (1995) FC Barcelona (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000) |
| 6th |
|
Enric Masip | FC Barcelona (1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000) |
| 6th |
|
Antonio Carlos Ortega | FC Barcelona (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2005) |
| 6th |
|
Iñaki Urdangarin | FC Barcelona (1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000) |
| 6th |
|
Siarhei Rutenka |
Celje Pivovarna Lasko (2004) BM Ciudad Real (2006, 2008, 2009) FC Barcelona (2011, 2015) |
| 5 |
|
Mateo Garralda |
Teka Santander (1994) FC Barcelona (1997, 1998, 1999) Portland San Antonio (2001) |
| 5 |
|
José Javier Hombrados |
Teka Santander (1994) Portland San Antonio (2001) BM Ciudad Real (2006, 2008, 2009) |
| 5 |
|
Mikhail Yakimovich |
SKA Minsk (1987, 1989, 1990) Teka Santander (1994) Portland San Antonio (2001) |
| 5 |
|
Patrik Ćavar |
RK Zagreb (1992, 1993) FC Barcelona (1998, 1999, 2000) |
| 5 |
|
Rafael Guijosa | FC Barcelona (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000) |
Most successful trainer
So far, five coaches have won the EHF Champions League more than once. The record holder is the Spaniard Valero Rivera , who won the Champions League five times with FC Barcelona and the 1991 European Cup. Talant Dujshebaev and Roberto García Parrondo are the only coaches who have also won the Champions League as players.
| title | nation | Trainer | societies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 |
|
Valero Rivera | FC Barcelona (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000) |
| 4th |
|
Talant Dujshebaev |
BM Ciudad Real (2006, 2008, 2009) KS Kielce (2016) |
| 3 |
|
Alfreð Gíslason |
SC Magdeburg (2002) THW Kiel (2010, 2012) |
| 2 |
|
Xavier Pascual Fuertes | FC Barcelona (2011, 2015) |
| 2 |
|
Patrice Canayer | Montpellier HB (2003, 2018) |
| 1 |
|
Javier García Cuesta | Teka Santander (1994) |
| 1 |
|
Julián Ruiz | Bidasoa Irún (1995) |
| 1 |
|
Francisco Equísoain | Portland San Antonio (2001) |
| 1 |
|
Miro Požun | Celje Pivovarna Laško (2004) |
| 1 |
|
Francesc Espar | FC Barcelona (2005) |
| 1 |
|
Zvonimir Serdarušić | THW Kiel (2007) |
| 1 |
|
Martin Schwalb | HSV Hamburg (2013) |
| 1 |
|
Ljubomir Vranjes | SG Flensburg-Handewitt (2014) |
| 1 |
|
Raúl González | RK Vardar Skopje (2017) |
| 1 |
|
Roberto García Parrondo | RK Vardar Skopje (2019) |
Top scorer since 1993/94
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See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Michael Long: Eurosport signs four-year Champions League handball deal. In: sportspromedia.com. SportsPro Media, June 9, 2009, accessed February 20, 2019 .
- ↑ James Emmett: Eurosport keeps German rights to EHF Champions League. In: sportspromedia.com. SportsPro Media, September 19, 2013, accessed February 20, 2019 .
- ^ Sascha Staat: Now official: Velux EHF Champions League on Sky. In: handball-world.news. September 12, 2014, accessed February 20, 2019 .
- ↑ EHF Champions League - an overview of the livestreams. In: sport.sky.de. Sky Sport, accessed February 20, 2019 .
- ↑ SELECT is the official ball supplier of the European Handball Federation (EHF). In: derbystar.de. Derbystar Sportartikelfabrik, July 4, 2016, accessed on February 20, 2019 .
- ↑ VELUX remains the title sponsor of the Champions League until 2016. In: handball-world.com. February 28, 2012, accessed July 21, 2013 .
- ↑ Velux extends contract with handball premier class. Press release. Velux, June 2015, accessed February 20, 2019 .
- ↑ The VELUX Group to become title sponsor. European Handball Federation , September 7, 2010, accessed September 7, 2010 .
- ↑ Cologne to stage EHF CL Final Four
- ↑ VELUX EHF FINAL4 will remain in Cologne until 2014
- ↑ VELUX EHF FINAL4 will remain in Cologne until 2016
- ↑ VELUX EHF FINAL4 will remain in Cologne until 2020
- ↑ EHF FINAL4 Cologne will remain the venue until 2024
Men:
1956/57 |
1957/58 |
1958/59 |
1959/60 |
1960/61 |
1961/62 |
1962/63 |
1963/64 |
1964/65 |
1965/66 |
1966/67 |
1967/68 |
1968/69 |
1969/70 |
1970/71 |
1971/72 |
1972/73 |
1973/74 |
1974/75 |
1975/76 |
1976/77 |
1977/78 |
1978/79 |
1979/80 |
1980/81 |
1981/82 |
1982/83 |
1983/84 |
1984/85 |
1985/86 |
1986/87 |
1987/88 |
1988/89 |
1989/90 |
1990/91 |
1991/92 |
1992/93 |
1993/94 |
1994/95 |
1995/96 |
1996/97 |
1997/98 |
1998/99 |
1999/2000 |
2000/01 |
2001/02 |
2002/03 |
2003/04 |
2004/05 |
2005/06 |
2006/07 |
2007/08 |
2008/09 |
2009/10 |
2010/11 |
2011/12 |
2012/13 |
2013/14 |
2014/15 |
2015/16 |
2016/17 |
2017/18 |
2018/19 |
2019/20
Women:
1960/61 |
1961/62 |
1962/63 |
1963/64 |
1964/65 |
1965/66 |
1966/67 |
1967/68 |
1968/69 |
1969/70 |
1970/71 |
1971/72 |
1972/73 |
1973/74 |
1974/75 |
1975/76 |
1976/77 |
1977/78 |
1978/79 |
1979/80 |
1980/81 |
1981/82 |
1982/83 |
1983/84 |
1984/85 |
1985/86 |
1986/87 |
1987/88 |
1988/89 |
1989/90 |
1990/91 |
1991/92 |
1992/93 |
1993/94 |
1994/95 |
1995/96 |
1996/97 |
1997/98 |
1998/99 |
1999/2000 |
2000/01 |
2001/02 |
2002/03 |
2003/04 |
2004/05 |
2005/06 |
2006/07 |
2007/08 |
2008/09 |
2009/10 |
2010/11 |
2011/12 |
2012/13 |
2013/14 |
2014/15 |
2015/16 |
2016/17 |
2017/18 |
2018/19 |
2019/20