| LEN Champions League | |
| Year: | 2024–25 |
| Sport: | Water polo |
| Start Date: | |
| End Date: | 1 June 2025 |
| Teams: | Competition proper: 16 Total: 30 (from 13 countries) |
| Website: | Official website |
| Matches: | 108 |
| Previous: | 2023–24 |
| Next: | 2025–26 |
The 2024–25 LEN Champions League is the 62nd edition of the newly renamed European Aquatics's premier competition for men's water polo clubs. FTC-Telekom are the defending champions.
After one qualification round, sixteen teams will qualify for the group stage. Four groups of four will be played., with the top two in each group will make the quarter-finals round (also a group stage). The team that finish third and fourth will compete in the 2024–25 LEN Euro Cup knockout stage. The remaining eight teams in the quarter-finals round will play a further six matches, with the top two in each group making the final four.[1] [2]
The top 11 best ranked countries in the new rankings are allowed to have their national champion go directly into the main round, as long as they meet requirements.[3]
| Rank | Association | Points | Teams | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Italy | 110,260 | align=center rowspan=6 | 3 |
| 2 |  Hungary | 84,492.5 | ||
| 3 |  Spain | 71,732.5 | ||
| 4 |  Serbia | 69,815 | ||
| 5 | Greece | 68,857.5 | ||
| 6 | Croatia | 57,210 | ||
| 7 |  France | 45,620 | align=center rowspan=2 | 2 |
| 8 | Germany | 33,042.5 | ||
| 9 |  Romania | 17,087.5 | align=center rowspan=1 | 3 |
| 10 |  Montenegro | 14,977.5 | 2 | |
| 11 |  Georgia | 12,407.5 | 1 | |
| 12 |  Turkey | 7,245 | ||
| 13 |  Russia | 5,162.5 | 0 | |
| 14 | Switzerland | 3,685 | ||
| 15 | Netherlands | 3,280 |
| Rank | Association | Points | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 |  Slovakia | 3,180 | 0 |
| 17 | Portugal | 2,972.5 | |
| 18 | Slovenia | 2,960 | |
| 19 |  Lithuania | 1,877.5 | |
| 20 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1,790 | 1 |
| 21 |  Great Britain | 1,720 | 0 |
| 22 |  Belgium | 1,310 | |
| 23 |  Malta | 1,310 | |
| 24 |  Israel | 860 | |
| 25 | Denmark | 560 | |
| 26 |  Finland | 560 | |
| 27 | 370 | ||
| 28 |  Cyprus | 370 | |
| 29 |  Poland | 317.5 | |
Alongside the 11 domestic champions, the defending champions also get a spot in the main round. In the event that the Champions League defending champions won their national league, the runners-up of the national league will take the vacant spot. In this season, as FTC-Telekom are the reigning champions, Hungary's spot was given to the Hungarian runners-up, A-Híd Vasas Plaket. After the abrupt withdrawal of the Italian champions, Pro Recco, due to financial reasons,[4] [5] RN Savona, who placed second, takes their place in the Main round.[6] Also, despite finishing fourth, CC Ortigia took Italy's third spot in the tournament.[7] Croatia also saw a team withdrawing with Primorje EB Rijeka, who placed third, giving up their spot. The replacement was HAVK Mladost Zagreb, who finished fourth.[8]
| Jadran Split (1st) | width=240px | CN Marseille (1st) | width=240px | Dinamo Tbilisi (1st) | width=240px | Waspo'98 Hannover (1st) |
| Olympiacos Piraeus (1st) | FTC-Telekom CL (1st) | A-Híd Vasas Plaket (2nd) | RN Savona (2nd) | |||
| Primorac Kotor (1st) | Steaua București (1st) | Novi Beograd (1st) | Zodiac Atlètic-Barceloneta (1st) |
| VK Banja Luka (1st) | width=240px | Jug AO Dubrovnik (2nd) | width=240px | HAVK Mladost Zagreb (4th) | width=240px | Pays d'Aix Natation (3rd) |
| Spandau 04 (2nd) | NC Vouliagmeni (2nd) | AC PAOK (3rd) | BVSC-Zugló (3rd) | |||
| AN Brescia (3rd) | CC Ortigia (4th) | Jadran Herceg Novi (2nd) | CSM Oradea (2nd) | |||
| Dinamo București (3rd) | Radnički Kragujevac (2nd) | VK Šabac (3rd) | Astrapool Sabadell (2nd) | |||
| CN Barcelona (3rd) | Enka Istanbul (1st) | |||||
| Phase | Round | Round date |
|---|---|---|
| Qualification round | 12–15 September 2024 | |
| Main round | Matchday 1 | 8–9 October 2024 |
| Matchday 2 | 15–16 October 2024 | |
| Matchday 3 | 29–30 October 2024 | |
| Matchday 4 | 12–13 November 2024 | |
| Matchday 5 | 19–20 November 2024 | |
| Matchday 6 | 3–4 December 2024 | |
| Quarter-finals round | Matchday 1 | 4–5 February 2025 |
| Matchday 2 | 25–26 February 2025 | |
| Matchday 3 | 18–19 March 2025 | |
| Matchday 4 | 1–2 April 2025 | |
| Matchday 5 | 22–23 April 2025 | |
| Matchday 6 | 13–14 May 2025 | |
| Final Four | Semifinals | 30 May 2025 |
| Final | 1 June 2025 |
See main article: 2024–25 LEN Champions League qualification round. The group winners qualify for the main round, while everyone else drops down to the Euro Cup qualifiers.
The draw was on 13 August 2024 in Zagreb, Croatia.[9] H indicates which clubs is hosting a group. Teams in bold advanced to the main round.
| width=25% | Pot 1 | width=25% | Pot 2 | width=25% | Pot 3 | width=25% | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AN Brescia Jug AO Dubrovnik (H) NC Vouliagmeni Astrapool Sabadell (H) | Spandau 04 CC Ortigia CN Barcelona Radnički Kragujevac (H) | VK Šabac Jadran Herceg Novi CSM Oradea (H) HAVK Mladost Zagreb BVSC-Zugló | Enka Istanbul Pays d'Aix Natation VK Banja Luka Dinamo București AC PAOK |
12–15 September 2024, Dubrovnik, Croatia
13–15 September 2024, Kragujevac, Serbia
12–15 September 2024, Oradea, Romania
13–15 September 2024, Sabadell, Spain
See main article: 2024–25 LEN Champions League main round.
The top two from each group make the quarter-finals round. The bottom two from each group drops down to the Euro Cup eighth-finals.
Teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 2 points for a penalty shootout win, 1 point for a penalty shootout loss, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings:
This season, 11 of the 16 clubs from last season are present. RN Savona return to the Champions League for the first time in 18 years. For the first time since 2010–11, Primorac Kotor will participate. After 13 years away, A-Híd Vasas Plaket qualified. Waspo'98 Hannover comes back after a one season absence. Of the teams who progressed from qualification, Radnički Kragujevac and CSM Oradea return after being absent for three and eleven years respectively.
For the first time ever, Romania will be represented by two clubs in the group stage, while Montenegro will boast two clubs in the group stage for the first time since 2011–12. Overall, a total of 11 countries are present in the group stage.
On 18 January 2024, the final four was held in the capital of Malta, Valletta, at the National Pool Complex.[10] [11] [12]