Vardar begin the Champions League away at Melsungen

The Macedonian handball champions RK Vardar have learned their schedule for the new season in the group stage of the Champions League. Vardar are placed in Group „B" and start with an away game at Germany's Melsungen. In the group they face rivals from France, Germany and Poland - no easy match anywhere, exactly the kind of competition a champion wants in front of them. For Macedonian basketball and football, the European stage is often a story of survival; in handball, Vardar have long known what it means to play with the best. Now it's a matter of turning that knowledge into points.

Jaka Malus in the EHF European League team of the season

A big recognition for Vardar and for their Slovenian centre back Jaka Malus - he has been named in the team of last season in the EHF European League. In other words, the best centre back of that competition wears the shirt of a Macedonian club. That's no small thing: individual awards at a European level are a rare currency for clubs from our region. With his performances, Malus has shown that Vardar still attract and keep players who can measure up to stronger leagues, rather than just serving as a stepping stone towards them.

The Champions League is growing: from 16 to 24 teams

Europe's strongest club handball competition is entering a new era. The 2026/27 season brings an expansion from 16 to 24 participants and a new competition format. More teams means more matches, more money and more room for clubs from smaller leagues - ours among them. On paper, that's good news for the region; in practice, expansions often feed the richest, while the smaller ones just fill out the schedule. Whether a bigger league brings a bigger chance for Vardar, or just more matches against richer opponents - the court will show.

Gidsel: every time on the court I get a new idea

The Danish ace Mathias Gidsel, one of the best handball players in the world today, has stayed true to his style - a game that surprises even himself. „Every time I'm on a handball court I get new ideas," he says. Behind that simple sentence hides exactly what makes him special: creativity you can't learn from a tactics board. In a sport increasingly played by system and pattern, a player who improvises and still wins is a rarity. Gidsel is a reminder that even in the most organised team sport, the genius of one individual can still change the game.

Recognition for the rankings too: where our handball stands

The EHF has published the new club rankings, a measure that determines who starts where and how much weight they carry in the European draws. For the region, such lists are more than statistics - they decide whether a club will be a seed or will have to fight its way through the harder part of the bracket. Vardar, as a regular participant in the Champions League, remain the most recognisable Macedonian name on that map. The question for our handball isn't whether we have a club at a European level - it's how long we can hold on to that place when the money goes to where there's already the most of it.