Vardar returns to the Champions League - after four years of waiting

The EHF officially confirmed it: the handball players of Vardar 1961 will play in the Champions League again. After nearly a four-year absence, the new Macedonian champion got a wild card for Europe's most elite club competition, so Macedonia once again has a representative among the best. The group-stage draw is set for 26 June, when Vardar will learn its rivals. The return to the CL is more than a sporting event - it's a reminder of the time when Vardar was a name respected across Europe. The question now isn't whether it will play, but whether the club has the capacity to once again be something more than a participant making up the numbers.

The Champions League grows to 24 teams - more places, more chances for the Balkans

From next season, the men's Champions League expands from 16 to 24 teams, split into six groups of four, with a double round-robin system. Among the fixed participants are giants like Barcelona, PSG, Magdeburg, Veszprém and Kiel, and the EHF approved 13 of 16 upgrade requests - among them Vardar's. For Balkan handball the expansion is good news: more places mean more room for clubs from our region to prove themselves against the elite. A bigger door doesn't guarantee success, but at least it gives a chance to those who previously had nowhere to enter.

Manaskov's goal named the most beautiful of the season - a masterpiece with a signature

The EHF confirmed that the spectacular goal by Macedonian handball ace Dejan Manaskov was chosen as the most beautiful of last season's Champions League. A recognition that doesn't come often and isn't given easily - the competition is made up of the best handball players on the planet. When a Macedonian name stands at the top of such a list, it's not just personal glory, but proof that talent from our region can shine on the biggest stage. Such moments are rare, and that's exactly why they deserve to be marked out loud.

Jankulovska has left for France - another of ours in the foreign elite

Macedonian international Jankulovska took the step many young players dream of - she signed for a French club and is continuing her career in one of the strongest women's handball leagues in Europe. French women's handball is home to internationals and clubs that regularly fight for European trophies, so the move is clear progress. For Macedonian women's handball, every player who breaks into a foreign elite is both an inspiration and a reminder that the talent is there - the only question is whether the system at home knows how to keep and develop it before it leaves.

EHF Team of the Season - Barcelona and Füchse share everything

The EHF announced the men's Team of the Season 2026, and the dominance of the two finalists is obvious: four players from Barcelona and three from Füchse Berlin. Among those selected are big names like Mathias Gidsel (Füchse), Domen Makuc and goalkeeper Emil Nielsen (Barcelona). As many as four of the eight are from the Danish national team - proof of how much Scandinavian handball holds Europe in its hands. The most valuable player is chosen precisely on 26 June, at the draw ceremony. The list is a mirror of where the centre of world handball is today - and that's not in the Balkans, at least for now.