New Format in the Champions League - 24 Teams, Six Groups

The EHF Champions League is entering a new era. The draw set the group stage in an expanded format with 24 teams spread across six groups, and the season begins on 9 and 10 September 2026. Title holders and record winners Barcelona are in Group E against Montpellier, Dinamo Bucharest and Aarhus. Füchse Berlin, finalists in the last two seasons, open the competition against Veszprém, Porto and Partizan in Group A. The Balkans once again have a representative on the big stage - now let's see whether it will be more than a bit part.

EHF Names the Best - Season Awards Handed Out

The season in European handball has officially got its names. EHF announced the winners of the best-player awards and the all-star team of 2025/26, along with the best young players of the year. Lists like these always say more than the trophies - they show where power in the sport is shifting and which generations are coming. German, Spanish and French clubs again fill the list, while the Balkans watch from the outside and count how many of their own names reached the top.

Gidsel and a Peak That Knows No Pause

When it comes to the best wing of his generation, one name keeps coming up - Mathias Gidsel. The Danish ace remains the benchmark for everything elite handball is today, and his moves regularly end up among the most-watched of the season. While some players fight for a place in the lineup, others are already redefining the game. The difference between good and untouchable in handball is rarely in the strength - more often it's in the head.

Mitrevski Among the TOP 3 Assists in the Champions League

Goalkeepers rarely make it into the assist statistics - unless they're called Nikola Mitrevski. The Macedonian keeper of Eurofarm Pelister landed among the TOP 3 passers of the EHF Champions League, with a precise long throw that ended in a goal at the other end. A goalkeeper's assist in Europe's strongest competition isn't an everyday thing - it's a move that demands both reading of the game and daring. Another reminder that the best of Macedonian handball is still being written on the court, not in the corridors.

Mihajlovic Loyal to RK Butel Skopje

At a time when every signature is for sale, one piece of news sounds almost old-fashioned - Dejan Mihajlovic stays at RK Butel Skopje. No auction, no flight to a richer club, just loyalty to the environment he comes from. In domestic handball, where budgets are small and departures frequent, a player who consciously chooses to stay is worth as much as a whole transfer. Sometimes the biggest move is not to budge from the place that's building you.