Eurofarm Pelister in Group G of the EHF European League: Gummersbach, Logroño and Gdańsk

The draw in Vienna set the group stage of the EHF European League for the 2026/27 season, and Bitola's Eurofarm Pelister landed in Group G, alongside Germany's Gummersbach, Spain's Logroño La Rioja and Poland's Wybrzeże Gdańsk. Thirty-two clubs are spread across eight groups, and the competition starts under a new format. The group stage runs from 29 September to 2 December, with the top two from each group advancing to the play-offs, where they are joined by the third and fourth-placed teams from the Champions League group stage. Pelister arrives after three consecutive Champions League campaigns, so this season is a step down in rank but not in difficulty - Gummersbach is a veteran of this competition. For Bitola, Group G looks navigable on paper. Harder groups have been navigated on paper too.

Čupić opened the marathon: Vardar returns to the Champions League after four years

Reigning Macedonian champions Vardar 1961 have begun pre-season at the renovated Rasadnik hall, and coach Ivan Čupić immediately placed the ambition where it belongs: defending the domestic double and returning to the elite after a four-year gap. In the Champions League group stage they face Melsungen, Nantes and Wisła Płock, with the main round as the target. „From today a new marathon begins, but it will certainly be harder than last season,” Čupić said, noting that defending a title is harder than winning one. The 20-man roster was assembled back in March, with a deliberate bet on young players - Milan Bomaštar, Mateo Faduil, Mohab Abdelhak, Leon Ljevar, Nikola Nečovski, Mario Ǵorčeski and Boban Popovski. Čupić does not boast: „I believe everyone has a 25 percent chance at the trophy.” A coach who publicly gives his rivals a quarter chance is either being honest or knows something the others will not admit.

Červar in Bitola: „This is where my career will end too”

Lino Červar has officially taken over at Eurofarm Pelister and immediately said what the Bitola crowd wanted to hear: „This is where my career will end too. I am glad to be in my second homeland.” The Croatian strategist also reached for history - back when he coached Umag in the first Yugoslav league he played against Pelister, and Pepi Manaskov, he says, was a serious problem for them then. He set the ambition plainly: a recognisable style, an identity and a fight for the title. „I am a little different, so we will work differently,” he announced. Pelister comes off a season without a single trophy, and pre-season brings friendlies against the Qatar national team and Slovenia's Krka. Straight after comes the regional league, with the first round in Ohrid. Červar has a name, but he also has little time - he admitted that himself.

Kuzmanovski stayed at Pelister despite foreign offers

Pelister captain Filip Kuzmanovski has, after lengthy consideration, extended his contract with the Bitola club, even though he had offers to move abroad over the summer. The Macedonian international will again work with Červar, the coach under whom he took his first senior steps at Metalurg more than a decade ago. „I am happy I stayed at my home club and in my city, among our favourite fans,” he said, adding that the team will look different - in attack and in defence. He is aware of what the decision carries: „The Pelister shirt brings responsibility and pressure, but I believe that will be extra motivation.” In a region where every good player leaves on the first decent offer, a captain who stays is a rarer event than a trophy. This year Pelister goes into the European League instead of the Champions League - and Kuzmanovski stayed exactly as the club dropped a rung.

Stoilov began his coaching career at Butel: a club betting on Macedonian talent

One of the greatest legends of Macedonian handball, Stojanče Stoilov, has officially begun his career as a head coach - RK Butel Skopje started pre-season under his leadership. While every eye is on the four domestic giants - Vardar, Eurofarm Pelister, Alkaloid and Ohrid - Butel chose something else: giving space to young Macedonian players. The board handed him a solid roster. The headline signing is experienced goalkeeper Gradimir Čanevski, returning after four seasons, with the goalkeeping trio completed by Marko Bogdanovski, arriving from Vardar along with right back Kristijan Stamenković. The young blood comes from David Avramovski, Toma Simonovski, Andrej Ǵorǵeski and Todor Aksentiev, and the club has also signed new multi-year deals with Bojan Spasovski, Dejan Mihajlović, Teodor Todeski, David Janevski, Marko Kaevski and Stefan Zengovski. They will build form at tournaments in Struga and Prilep, with the first league match on 5 or 6 September at home against Mladost Bogdanci, alongside a run in the EHF European Cup. A club that builds with local boys instead of buying - that is a move worth watching, however the table ends up.