2023–24 EHF European League explained

EHF European League
Year:2023–24
Sport:Handball
Teams:10 (qualification stage)
32 (group stage)
Website:ehfel.com
Champions:
(2nd title)
Runners-Up1: Füchse Berlin
Matches:148
Goals:7,530 (50.88 per match)
Top Scorer: Andrii Akimenko
(95 goals)
Mvp: Emil Jakobsen[1]
Previous:2022–23
Next:2024–25

The 2023–24 EHF European League is the 43rd season of Europe's secondary club handball tournament organised by European Handball Federation (EHF), and the 4th season since it was renamed from the EHF Cup to the EHF European League. This is the first season under the new revamped format. The defending champions are Füchse Berlin.

SG Flensburg-Handewitt won their second title after winning an all-German final against defending champions Füchse Berlin.[2]

Format

The tournament is divided in the following phases:[3]

Rankings

The rankings are based on the performances of each club from a respective country from a three year period.This season, the EHF decided to make separate rankings for each club competition.[4]

|-valign=top style="font-size:90%"|

Rank[5] AssociationAverage pointsTeams
1 Germany129.33align=center rowspan=24
2 Portugal99.67
3 France78.67 align=center rowspan=32
4 Poland77.00
5 Denmark61.00
6 Croatia53.00 align=center rowspan=11
7 Sweden47.00 3
8 Switzerland46.00 2
945.33 3
10 Slovenia45.002
1139.67
12 Russia32,670
13 Hungary31.33
RankAssociationAverage pointsTeams
14 Austria31.330
1520.001
1618.002
17 Greece17.331
1811.332
19 Turkey9.000
20 Finland8.67
21 Belarus8.00
22 Czech Republic7.67
227.67
24 Iceland7.00
257.00
26 Serbia4.33align=center rowspan=11
RankAssociationAverage pointsTeams
26 Israel4.330
283.67
29 Italy3.00
301.00align=center rowspan=11
30 Estonia1.000
30 Great Britain1.00
30 Georgia1.00
30 Lithuania1.00
30 Montenegro1.00align=center rowspan=11
30 Malta1.000
37 Kosovo0.33
37 Netherlands0.33
39 Everyone else0.00

Qualified teams

The full list of teams qualified for each stage of the 2023–24 EHF European League was announced on 10 July 2023.[6]

The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:

width=220px
Füchse Berlin (3rd)ELwidth=220px Sporting CP (2nd)width=220px HBC Nantes (3rd)width=220px REBI BM Cuenca (2nd)
Górnik Zabrze (3rd) RK Nexe (2nd) Bjerringbro-Silkeborg (3rd) Kadetten Schaffhausen (1st)
IFK Kristianstad (1st) HC Alkaloid (2nd) MOL-Tatabánya KC (3rd) RK Gorenje Velenje (2nd)
MŠK Považská Bystrica (1st) Dinamo București (1st) AEK Athens (1st) Elverum Håndball (2nd)
SG Flensburg-Handewitt (4th) SL Benfica (3rd) Chambéry Savoie MBH (4th) Logroño La Rioja (CR)
Chrobry Głogów (4th) Skjern Håndbold (4th) HC Kriens-Luzern (2nd) IK Sävehof (2nd)
RK Vojvodina (1st)EC WC RK Izviđač (1st) WC RK Lovćen (1st) WC
width=220px
Rhein-Neckar Löwen (5th)width=220px ABC Braga (4th)width=220px Fraikin BM Granollers (3rd)width=220px Pfadi Winterthur (3rd)
Ystads IF (3rd) Vardar 1961 (3rd) RK Trimo Trebnje (3rd) CSM Constanța (CW)
TSV Hannover-Burgdorf (6th) Águas Santas Milaneza (5th)

Schedule

All draws were held at the EHF headquarters in Vienna, Austria.

Phase Round Draw date Round date[7]
Qualification round First leg 18 July 2023 26–27 August 2023
Second leg 2–3 September 2023
Group stage Matchday 1 21 July 2023 17 October 2023
Matchday 2 24 October 2023
Matchday 3 14 November 2023
Matchday 4 21 November 2023
Matchday 5 28 November 2023
Matchday 6 5 December 2023
Main Round Matchday 7 13 February 2024
Matchday 8 20 February 2024
Matchday 9 27 February 2024
Matchday 10 5 March 2024
Play offs First leg no draw 26 March 2024
Second leg 2 April 2024
Quarterfinals First leg no draw 23 April 2024
Second leg 30 April 2025
Final four Semi-finals 3 May 2024[8] 25 May 2024
Final and Third place game 26 May 2024

Draw

The Draw took place on the 21 July 2023.[9] The only restriction was that clubs from the same country cannot be in the same group.

width=25%Pot 1width=25%Pot 2width=25%Pot 3width=25%Pot 4
Füchse Berlin
Sporting CP
HBC Nantes
REBI BM Cuenca
Górnik Zabrze
RK Nexe
Bjerringbro-Silkeborg
Kadetten Schaffhausen
IFK Kristianstad
HC Alkaloid
MOL-Tatabánya KC
RK Gorenje Velenje
MŠK Považská Bystrica
Dinamo București
AEK Athens
Elverum Håndball
SG Flensburg-Handewitt
SL Benfica
Chambéry Savoie MBH
Logroño La Rioja
Chrobry Głogów
Skjern Håndbold
HC Kriens-Luzern
IK Sävehof
Play Off Winner 1
Play Off Winner 2
Play Off Winner 3
Play Off Winner 4
Play Off Winner 5
RK Vojvodina
RK Izviđač
RK Lovćen

Qualification round

See main article: 2023–24 EHF European League Qualification Round. The draw for the qualification round was conducted on 18 July 2023. The first legs will be held on 26–27 August 2023 while the second legs will be held on 2–3 September 2023.[10] |}

Group stage

The draw for the group stage was conducted on 21 July 2023 at the EHF office in Vienna.[11] [12]

In the group stage, teams were 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:

width=100%Tiebreakers
  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;
  4. Superior goal difference in all matches of the group;
  5. Highest number of plus goals in all matches of the group;
  6. Drawing of Lots

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Group E

Group F

Group G

Group H

Main round

In the main round, the remaining sixteen teams merge into four groups of four, where they play the teams they didn't play in the group stage. Points from the group stage against the teams that advanced with each other are carried over. At the end of the main round, The four group winners advance to the quarter-finals, while the 2nd and 3rd place teams qualify for the play-offs.

Group I

Group II

Group III

Group IV

Knockout stage

In the playoffs, the eight teams ranked 2nd–3rd in Main round Groups I-IV play against each other in two-legged home-and-away matches. The four winning teams advance to the quarterfinals, where they are joined by the top teams of Main round Groups I-IV for another round of two-legged home-and-away matches. The four quarterfinal winners qualify for the final four tournament at the Barclays Arena in Hamburg, Germany.[13]

Playoffs

Overview

|}

Matches

------------

Quarterfinals

Overview

|}

Matches

------------

Final Four

The final four will held at the Barclays Arena in Hamburg, Germany on 25 and 26 May 2024.[14] The draw took place on 3 May 2024.

Bracket

Semifinals

----

Final

Top goalscorers

RankPlayerClubGoals[15]
1 Andrii Akimenko Dinamo București95
2 Niclas Kirkeløkke Rhein-Neckar Löwen94
3 Juri Knorr Rhein-Neckar Löwen91
4 Mathias Gidsel Füchse Berlin82
5 Lasse Andersson Füchse Berlin78
6 Jannik Kohlbacher Rhein-Neckar Löwen77
7 Francisco Costa Sporting CP72
Gustaf Wedberg IK Sävehof
9 Óðinn Þór Ríkharðsson Kadetten Schaffhausen71
10 Lasse Møller SG Flensburg-Handewitt69

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: MVP Emil Jakobsen: “Gold more important than individual award”. ehfel.eurohandball.com.
  2. Web site: Flensburg end 10-year European trophy drought. ehfel.eurohandball.com.
  3. Web site: EHF European League Men 2023/24 Format . . 20 July 2023.
  4. Web site: EHF improves club competitions ranking system. 27 September 2022. eurohandball.com. 9 January 2023. en.
  5. https://www.eurohandball.com/media/li0htc1s/new_placedistribution_final_men_23_24.pdf Place distribution
  6. Web site: EHF European League Men 2023/24 Seeding . . 20 July 2023.
  7. https://www.eurohandball.com/media/2rtiwitv/ehfel_men_system_2023_24.pdf
  8. https://ehfel.eurohandball.com/men/2023-24/news/en/four-teams-await-semi-final-draw-for-ehf-finals-men/
  9. https://ehfel.eurohandball.com/news/en/revamped-european-league-taking-shape-after-group-phase-draw/ Group phase draw
  10. https://ehfel.eurohandball.com/men/2023-24/news/en/european-league-men-draw-throws-up-exciting-qualification-ties/ European League Men throws up exciting qualification ties
  11. https://ehfel.eurohandball.com/news/en/ehf-european-league-men-groups-to-be-revealed/ EHF European League Men groups to be revealed
  12. https://ehfel.eurohandball.com/men/2023-24/news/en/revamped-european-league-taking-shape-after-group-phase-draw/ Revamped European League taking shape after group stage draw
  13. https://ehfel.eurohandball.com/men/2023-24/news/en/final-exec-meeting-in-2023-brings-major-decisions-for-2024/ Final EXEC meeting in 2023 brings major decisions for 2024
  14. Web site: Hamburg and Graz to host EHF Finals 2024. www.eurohandball.com.
  15. Web site: Player Stats. ehfel.eurohandball.com.