2019–20 EHF Cup explained

EHF Cup
Year:2019–20
Sport:Handball
End Date:
Teams:64 (qualification stage)
16 (group stage)
Website:eurohandball.com
Champions:Cancelled
Top Scorer: Mohammad Sanad
(49 goals)
Previous:2018–19
Next:2020–21

The 2019–20 EHF Cup was the 39th edition of the EHF Cup, the second most important European handball club competition organised by the European Handball Federation (EHF), and the seventh edition since the merger with the EHF Cup Winners' Cup.[1] On 24 April 2020 EHF announced that EHF Cup would be cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Team allocation

Teams

Third qualifying round
SC Magdeburg Rhein-Neckar Löwen Chambéry Savoie Mont-Blanc MT Melsungen
HBC Nantes Bjerringbro-Silkeborg Liberbank Cuenca Grundfos Tatabánya KC
Gwardia Opole Metalurg Skopje Füchse Berlin USAM Nîmes Gard
TTH Holstebro BM Logroño La Rioja Balatonfüredi KSE RK Nexe
Second qualifying round
NMC Górnik Zabrze RK Gorenje Velenje SCM Politehnica Timișoara Wacker Thun
SKA Minsk ØIF Arendal Elite Selfoss
HC Butel Skopje PAUC Handball Skjern Håndbold CB Ademar León
KS Azoty-Puławy RK Pelister SL Benfica
First qualifying round
RK Dubrava RD Ribnica HC Dobrogea Sud Constanța Maccabi Rishon LeZion
FH Hafnarfjordur Spartak Moscow SSK Talent M.A.T.Plzeň ZTR Zaporizhia
RK Vojvodina HC Achilles Bocholt Alpla HC Hard
KRAS/Volendam KH BESA Famgas Handball Esch Beşiktaş Aygaz
Põlva Serviti Dragūnas Klaipėda SSV Bozen Loacker London GD
B.S.B. Batumi RK Lovćen RK Borac m:tel Swieqi Phoenix Handball Club
RK Metaloplastika HC Visé BM CIP Travel Antalyaspo A.Ş. RK Poreč
HK Malmö Pfadi Winterthur Haukar Handball SG Handball West Wien

Round and draw dates

The schedule of the competition was as follows (all draws were held at the EHF headquarters in Vienna, Austria).[2] [3]

PhaseRoundDraw dateFirst legSecond leg
QualificationFirst qualifying round16 July 201931 August-1 September 20197-8 September 2019
Second qualifying round5–6 October 201912–13 October 2019
Third qualifying round15 October 201916–17 November 201923–24 November 2019
Group stageMatchday 128 November 20198–9 February 2020
Matchday 215–16 February 2020
Matchday 322–23 February 2019
Matchday 429 February–1 March 2020
Matchday 521–22 March 2020
Matchday 628–29 March 2020
Knockout phaseQuarter-finals31 March 202025–26 April 20202–3 May 2020
Final four5 May 202023–24 May 2020

Qualification stage

The qualification stage consists of three rounds, which will be played as two-legged ties using a home-and-away system. In the draws for each round, teams are allocated into two pots, with teams from Pot 1 facing teams from Pot 2. The winners of each pairing (highlighted in bold) will qualify for the following round.

For each round, teams listed first will play the first leg at home. In some cases, teams agree to play both matches at the same venue.

Round 1

A total of 32 teams entered the draw for the first qualification round, which was held on Tuesday, 16 July 2019.[4] The draw seeding pots were composed as follows:

width=50%Pot 1 width=50%Pot 2

The first legs were played on 31 August–1 September and the second legs were played on 7–8 September 2019. Some teams agreed to play both matches in the same venue.[5]

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Notes:

1 Both legs were hosted by KH BESA Famgas.

2 Both legs were hosted by Maccabi Rishon LeZion.

3 Both legs were hosted by ZTR Zaporizhia.

4 Both legs were hosted by Beşiktaş Aygaz.

5 Both legs were hosted by Handball Esch.

6 Both legs were hosted by RK Vojvodina.

7 Both legs were hosted by RK Dubrava.

Round 2

The first legs were played on 5–6 October and the second legs were played on 12–13 October 2019. Some teams agreed to play both matches in the same venue.[6]

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Notes:

1 Both legs were hosted by Talent M.A.T. Plzeň.

2 Both legs were hosted by SL Benfica.

3 A penalty shootout – which lasted nine shots for each team – was necessary to determine the winner of the tie between ALPLA HC Hard and Skjern Handbold. ALPLA HC Hard won 9–8.

Round 3

A total of 32 teams entered the draw for the third qualification round, which was held on Tuesday, 15 October 2019.[7] The draw seeding pots were composed as follows:[8]

width=50%Pot 1 width=50%Pot 2

The first legs were played on 16–17 November and the second legs were played on 23–24 November 2019.[9]

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Group stage

See main article: article and 2019–20 EHF Cup group stage.

The draw of the EHF Cup group stage will take place on Thursday, 28 November 2019. The 16 teams allocated into four pots will be drawn into four groups of four teams.

In each group, teams play against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. The matchdays are 8–9 February, 15–16 February, 22–23 February, 29 February–1 March, 21–22 March and 28–29 March 2020.

On 25 March 2020, the EHF announced that no matches will be played before June due to the coronavirus pandemic.[10]

In the group stage, teams are ranked according to points (2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). After completion of the group stage, if two or more teams have scored the same number of points, the ranking will be determined as follows:

  1. Highest number of points in matches between the teams directly involved;
  2. Superior goal difference in matches between the teams directly involved;
  3. Highest number of goals scored in matches between the teams directly involved (or in the away match in case of a two-team tie);
  4. Superior goal difference in all matches of the group;
  5. Highest number of plus goals in all matches of the group;

If the ranking of one of these teams is determined, the above criteria are consecutively followed until the ranking of all teams is determined. If no ranking can be determined, a decision shall be obtained by EHF through drawing of lots.

During the group stage, only criteria 4–5 apply to determine the provisional ranking of teams.

Ranking of the second-placed teams

The top three second-placed teams will qualify to the quarter-finals. The ranking of the second-placed teams will be determined on the basis of the team's results in the group stage.

Knockout stage

Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-final pairings was scheduled to be held on Tuesday, 31 March, in the EHF headquarters in Vienna, but due to the postponed matches of the group stage, EHF will announce any further updates accordingly. On 24 April 2020 the matches were cancelled.[11]

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Final four

The eighth edition of the EHF Cup Finals in 2020 will be hosted by Füchse Berlin after the EHF Executive Committee decided to award the hosting rights to the German club at its meeting on 22 November 2019. The tournament was scheduled to take place at Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin, on 23 and 24 May 2020, but was rescheduled to 29 and 30 August 2020.[12] [13] On 24 April 2020 EHF announced that in agreement with the organizers, Füchse Berlin, the MEN’S EHF Cup Finals scheduled for 29 and 30 August are cancelled. The tournament will not be carried out.

Bracket

Semifinals

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Final

Top goalscorers

RankPlayerClubGoals[14]
1 Mohammad Sanad USAM Nîmes Gard49
2 Magnus Bramming TTH Holstebro44
Petar Đorđić S.L. Benfica

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Almost 50 clubs to learn their opponents in the EHF cup. European Handball Federation. 9 July 2019.
  2. Web site: European Cup draw to take place on 16 July. EHF European cup. 9 July 2019.
  3. Web site: Season overview. European Handball Federation. 9 July 2019.
  4. Web site: Besiktas face Sabac in the Men's EHF Cup qualification. European Handball Federation. 16 July 2019.
  5. News: EHF Cup round 1. 2019-07-12. 2019-07-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20190712000523/http://www.eurohandball.com/ec/00-03/ehfc/men/2019-20/round/1/Qualification%2BRound%2B1. dead.
  6. News: EHF Cup round 2. 2019-07-12. 2019-07-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20190712000524/http://www.eurohandball.com/ec/00-03/ehfc/men/2019-20/round/2/Qualification%2BRound%2B2. dead.
  7. News: Füchse handed tough draw in round 3. European Handball Federation. 15 October 2019.
  8. News: Füchse and Holstebro in pot 1 for last qualification draw. European Handball Federation. 14 October 2019. 14 October 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191014215140/http://www.eurohandball.com/article/033431. dead.
  9. News: EHF Cup round 3. 2019-07-12. 2019-07-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20190712000526/http://www.eurohandball.com/ec/00-03/ehfc/men/2019-20/round/2/Qualification%2BRound%2B3. dead.
  10. Web site: EHF presents feasibility study for potential re-start of European handball. 25 March 2020. eurohandball.com.
  11. Web site: Information on the future of the European handball season 2019/20. 24 April 2020. eurohandball.com.
  12. News: Two clubs bid to host the EHF Cup Finals 2020. European Handball Federation. 13 November 2019.
  13. News: EXEC awards the EHF Cup Finals 2020 to Berlin. European Handball Federation. 22 November 2019.
  14. Web site: Goalscorers . 2019-11-16 . 2019-11-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191123115358/http://eurohandball.com/ec/00-03/ehfc/men/2019-20/scorers . dead .