It’s going to be international again! The European Handball Federation today drew the groups for the EHF Champions League 2026/27. SC Magdeburg will face familiar opponents.
24 clubs will compete against each other in Europe’s highest competition in the coming season – eight more than last season. Initially, the clubs will start in six groups of four. The top two then qualify for the main round, while the third and fourth-placed teams continue the season in the EHF European League.
SC Magdeburg will start in Group F against Industria Kielce from Poland, Kolstad Handball from Norway and HC Kriens-Luzern from Switzerland. The group stage begins on 9/10 September 2026 and exact dates and ticket information will be communicated via the known channels in due course.
“This is an attractive group. With Kielce, we are directly facing a very renowned team, and Kolstad has also made a name for itself in Norway. In addition, Lucerne is new to the competition and will certainly try to cause surprises with Andy Schmid as coach,” Marc-Henrik Schmedt, Managing Director of Handball Magdeburg GmbH, assesses the group. “We’re looking forward to the preliminary round and the entire Champions League. The first goal is to reach the main round and then of course we want to go back to Cologne. But there is a long way to go.”
In the main round, the new format provides for two groups of six. The best four will then advance to the quarterfinals. For fifth place, they will then continue in the EHF European League, the bottom of the group will be eliminated.
The semi-finals and final will be played as usual at the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 in Cologne. This will take place on June 12 and 13, 2027 in the LANXESS arena.
All groups and further information about the competition can be found on the EHF website.
