Vardar are out after a one-goal defeat in Płock, while Ohrid are the top favourites in the European Cup

Vardar's European dream ends in Płock

RK Vardar will not play in the EHF Champions League main round. The 33:32 defeat at Płock in the fourth round of the group phase knocked them out of the race in Group B, where only Nantes, Płock and Melsungen still have a chance. A one-goal margin in Poland was enough to end the race, leaving matches with nothing at stake until the end of the group. For a club that lifted the European title twice, in 2017 and 2019, this is an uncomfortably early exit. The question isn't whether Vardar can compete with Płock - they nearly did - it's why, after just four rounds, they have nothing left to play for.

Barcelona count their 20th straight win

While Vardar head out, Barcelona don't know what losing is. The away win at Dinamo Bucharest is their 20th in a row in the EHF Champions League and an early ticket to the main round. The Romanians played without Victor Iturriza: the EHF Court of Handball banned him for one match over his disqualification in the first game against Barcelona, calling the move "reckless and extremely dangerous". Also through to the main round are Füchse Berlin, carried by Tim Freihöfer with 15 goals in Porto, and Sporting, where the Costa brothers scored 14 goals against Pick Szeged. The big surprise is Denmark's Aarhus, who beat Montpellier for the second time in a row, this time with the first away win in their Champions League history.

Celje and Zagreb out, Veszprém put ten past Partizan

It's not just Vardar. In Group C, Aalborg and Paris have already secured their main-round places, so Celje and Zagreb have no chance of going further. Veszprém recorded their fourth win from four games, 38:28 at home against Partizan. The only regional bright spot came from the EHF European League: Croatia's Nexe won away at Elverum, with the winning goal from a penalty in the final minutes scored by Tin Lučin, who finished with nine. The Balkans once filled Europe's final stages - now many of its clubs see their elite season end in the groups.

EHF: Ohrid are favourites number one in the European Cup

The European Handball Federation has ranked the participants in the EHF European Cup, and top of the list are the title holders - GRK Ohrid. Behind them are Switzerland's BSV Bern and Romania's Potaissa Turda, with RK Alkaloid, champions of the 2024/25 season, in fourth. Two Macedonian clubs in the top four, in a second round entered by 64 teams from 32 countries. Ohrid, who beat Hungary's Tatabánya in last year's final, open their campaign with a double home tie against Spor Toto next weekend. The favourites' tag makes nice reading - but last year Ohrid earned it on the court, not on a list.

Horiha gets the green light: a new left back for Lazarov

Ukrainian left back Dmytro Horiha (29) has been cleared by the International Handball Federation to play for Macedonia. The former Vardar player, who got a Macedonian passport two years ago, now plays for Hungary's Pick Szeged. He is the first naturalised player since Kiril Lazarov became head coach, and is expected to be in the squad for the EHF EURO 2028 qualifiers against Luxembourg, Sweden and Greece. "Macedonia made me feel at home. This is a huge responsibility, a new challenge and a new chapter that I accept with great pride and gratitude," Horiha said. Lazarov describes him as a long-range shooter who can play both ways and has a winning mentality. Naturalisation is an old Balkan recipe - this time, at least, the player wore the Vardar shirt first and only then put on the national team's.