La Rioja beat Pelister in Bitola by seven goals

The new EHF European League started with a slap in the face for Eurofarm Pelister. Spain's Logroño La Rioja conquered Bitola 31:24, and were already 16:8 up at half-time - the job was done before the break. In Group G, the surprise came from Poland's Gdańsk, who won away at Gummersbach 38:34. Otherwise the region got off to a good start: Nexe, Izviđač and Slovan all won their opening matches. With 16 goals conceded in 30 minutes in front of their own fans, how far can Pelister go in Europe?

Pelister bounce back 34:21 at Butel and take top spot

The domestic league is a completely different story. Eurofarm Pelister won 34:21 away at Butel, even though they led only 14:12 at half-time - in the second half Lino Červar's defence conceded just nine goals. Top scorer was Filip Kuzmanovski with eight goals, and new signing, French centre back Sadou Ntanzi, made his debut with three. Ntanzi, 26, is a product of the PSG academy, with whom he won four French titles, and last season he won the European League with Melsungen. Having played one game more, Pelister have 9 points and lead Vardar and Alkaloid, who have 8 each, and the Vardar - Ohrid derby is being played today. Will Ntanzi's title-winning past show in Europe too, and not just at Butel?

Vardar women return to Europe after five years - with a defeat in Italy

The ŽRK Vardar women's team are competing in Europe again after a five-year break, but they lost the first leg of the EHF European Cup round of 64 away at Italy's Brixen 32:29. Vardar led 16:15 at half-time, but the hosts turned it around in the second half. Top scorers were Laškoska, Todorovska and Trifunovska with four goals each. The return leg is today at 6pm, again in Brixen, with Vardar the home side in name only. A three-goal deficit isn't much, but when you play both matches in someone else's hall, home advantage exists only on paper.

Budućnost have a new coach, but still no points in the Champions League

After the international break, the women's EHF Champions League continues with round four. Montenegro's Budućnost still have no points after three rounds, and new coach Maja Savić leads the team in her second match - on Sunday at 2pm away at Esbjerg, one of the five teams yet to lose. The game of the round is today in Hungary, where FTC host CSM Bucharest: two clubs that swapped scorers this summer, so Elizabeth Omoregie is now FTC's top scorer with 18 goals, while Daria Dmitrieva went the other way. Champions Metz play Nykøbing, and Győr face Gloria Bistrița. For Budućnost, the trip to Denmark is a test of how quickly a bad run can be turned around.

The EHF plans European Handball Games and a fund for clubs

EHF President Michael Wiederer has announced changes even before the new men's Champions League format has been played out in full. Clubs that drop into the European League after the group stage face long breaks without matches, which he calls a serious economic problem, so a format is being sought to shorten that idle time, as well as the break before the Final4 in Cologne. An investment fund is also being set up: 30 percent of any surplus will go towards developing the competitions, while 80 percent of revenue will continue to go back to the clubs, and the first measures could apply from the 2027/28 season. The biggest news is the European Handball Games, scheduled for the second half of September 2030. It sounds ambitious - but how much of that money and glamour will make it to halls like the one in Bitola?