LEN Women's Champions League explained

LEN Champions League Women
Current Season:	2023–24 LEN Women's Champions League
Sport:	Water polo
Founded:	1987
Levels:	1st Tier (Europe)
Continent:	Europe
Country:	LEN members
Most Champs:	Orizzonte Catania (8 titles)
Website:	len.eu
President:	Gianni Lonzi

The LEN Women's Champions League, formerly known as LEN European Cup (from 1987 to 1999), LEN Champions Cup (from 1999 to 2013) and LEN Euroleague Women (2014 to 2022), is the premier competition for women's water polo clubs of Europe and takes place every year. It is organized by the Ligue Européenne de Natation (LEN) and was created in 1987 as .

History

Created in 1987 as the women's water polo clubs continental competition, contested amongst the national champions of the European countries, it has been played under the following names:^[1]

LEN European Cup (1987–1999)
LEN Champions Cup (1999–2013)
LEN Euro League Women (2014–2022)
LEN Champions League Women (since 2023)

Format

Over the years, different formats have been used in the competition, either Round-robin or Knockout or both combined (round-robin at early stages and knockout at final stages).Since the 2007–08 season, the competition has been played in four stages (qualification round, preliminary round, quarter final round and final four).

Title holders

1987–88: Donk Gouda
1988–89: Donk Gouda
1989–90: Nereus
1990–91: Donk Gouda
1991–92: Brandenburg
1992–93: Szentes
1993–94: Orizzonte Catania
1994–95: Nereus
1995–96: Nereus
1996–97: SKIF Moscow
1997–98: Orizzonte Catania
1998–99: SKIF Moscow
1999–00: Glyfada
2000–01: Orizzonte Catania
2001–02: Orizzonte Catania
2002–03: Glyfada
2003–04: Orizzonte Catania
2004–05: Orizzonte Catania
2005–06: Orizzonte Catania
2006–07: Fiorentina
2007–08: Orizzonte Catania
2008–09: Vouliagmeni
2009–10: Vouliagmeni
2010–11: Astralpool Sabadell
2011–12: Pro Recco
2012–13: Astralpool Sabadell
2013–14: Astralpool Sabadell
2014–15: Olympiacos
2015–16: Astralpool Sabadell
2016–17: Kinef Kirishi
2017–18: Kinef Kirishi
2018–19: Astralpool Sabadell
2019–20: Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21: Olympiacos
2021–22: Olympiacos
2022–23: Astralpool Sabadell
2023–24: Astralpool Sabadell

Finals

Year	Finalists			Semi-finalists
Year	width=15%	Champion	width=10%	Score	width=15%	Runner-up	width=15%	Third place	width=15%	Fourth place
1987–88 Details	Donk Gouda	15–10	Dauphins Créteil	Szentes	Volturno
1988–89 Details	Donk Gouda	Round-robin (14–12)	Vasutas	Volturno	SU Neukölln
1989–90 Details	Nereus	21–6 / 11–6	Vasutas	SU Neukölln	Volturno
1990–91 Details	Donk Gouda	8–6	Volturno	SU Neukölln	Szentes
1991–92 Details	Brandenburg	12–8	Uralochka Zlatoust	Vasutas	Dauphins Créteil
1992–93 Details	Szentes	6–5	Orizzonte Catania	Donk Gouda	Uralochka Zlatoust
1993–94 Details	Orizzonte Catania	6–3	Nereus	Vasutas	Vouliagmeni
1994–95 Details	Nereus	7–7 (9–8 a.e.t.)	Orizzonte Catania	Szentes	Nancy
1995–96 Details	Nereus	8–7 (a.e.t.)	SKIF Moscow	Orizzonte Catania	Olympiacos
1996–97 Details	SKIF Moscow	7–6	Nereus	Orizzonte Catania	Mediterrani
1997–98 Details	Orizzonte Catania	7–6 (a.e.t.)	SKIF Moscow	Nereus	Szentes
1998–99 Details	SKIF Moscow	8–6	Donk Gouda	Orizzonte Catania	BEAC
1999–00 Details	Glyfada	7–5	SKIF Moscow	Szentes	Orizzonte Catania
2000–01 Details	Orizzonte Catania	Round-robin (12–6)	Glyfada	Uralochka Zlatoust	Szentes
2001–02 Details	Orizzonte Catania	Round-robin (6–6)	Uralochka Zlatoust	Glyfada	Dunaújváros
2002–03 Details	Glyfada	Round-robin (6–4)	Dunaújváros	Uralochka Zlatoust	Orizzonte Catania
2003–04 Details	Orizzonte Catania	Round-robin (6–4)	Glyfada	Dunaújváros	Vouliagmeni
2004–05 Details	Orizzonte Catania	Round-robin (6–5)	Kinef Kirishi	Dunaújváros	Blau-Weiss Bochum
2005–06 Details	Orizzonte Catania	Round-robin (14–11)	Kinef Kirishi	Dunaújváros	Vouliagmeni
2006–07 Details	Fiorentina	Round-robin (12–10)	Kinef Kirishi	Glyfada	Uralochka Zlatoust
2007–08 Details	Orizzonte Catania	11–11 (14–13 a.e.t.)	Vouliagmeni	Fiorentina	ZVL
2008–09 Details	Vouliagmeni	12–9	Orizzonte Catania	Kinef Kirishi	Honvéd
2009–10 Details	Vouliagmeni	10–7	Kinef Kirishi	Orizzonte Catania	Olympiacos
2010–11 Details	Astralpool Sabadell	13–8	Orizzonte Catania	Olympiacos	Kinef Kirishi
2011–12 Details	Pro Recco	8–7	Vouliagmeni	Kinef Kirishi	Orizzonte Catania
2012–13 Details	Astralpool Sabadell	13–11	Kinef Kirishi	Vouliagmeni	Eger
2013–14 Details	Astralpool Sabadell	19–10	Vouliagmeni	Orizzonte Catania	Imperia
2014–15 Details	Olympiacos	10–9	Astralpool Sabadell	Kinef Kirishi
2015–16 Details	Astralpool Sabadell	11–8		Kinef Kirishi	Olympiacos
2016–17 Details^[2]	Kinef Kirishi	7–6	Olympiacos	Astralpool Sabadell	Mataró
2017–18 Details^[3]	Kinef Kirishi	8–8 (5–4 p.s.o.)	Astralpool Sabadell	Ekipe Orizzonte
2018–19 Details	Astralpool Sabadell	13–11	Olympiacos	Vouliagmeni
2019–20 Details	Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
2020–21 Details	Olympiacos	7–6	Dunaújváros		Uralochka Zlatoust
2021–22 Details	Olympiacos	11–7	Astralpool Sabadell
2022–23 Details	Astralpool Sabadell	9–8	Assolim Mataró		Dunaújváros
2023–24 Details	Astralpool Sabadell	16–10	Olympiacos		Assolim Mataró

Source: LEN (from 1987 to 2016).^[4]

Titles by club

width=5%	Rank	width=20%	Club	width=10%	Titles	width=10%	Runner-up	width=55%	Champion Years
align=center	1.	Orizzonte Catania	align=center	8	align=center	4	1993–94, 1997–98, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08
align=center	2.	Sabadell	align=center	7	align=center	3	2010–11, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2018–19, 2022–23, 2023–24
3.	Olympiacos	3	3	2014–15, 2020–21, 2021–22
4.	Nereus	3	2	1989–90, 1994–95, 1995–96
5.	Donk Gouda	3	1	1987–88, 1988–89, 1990–91
6.	Kinef Kirishi	2	5	2016–17, 2017–18
7.	SKIF Moscow	2	3	1996–97, 1998–99
align=center		Vouliagmeni	align=center	2	align=center	3	2008–09, 2009–10
align=center	9.	Glyfada	align=center	2	align=center	2	1999–00, 2002–03
align=center	10.	Brandenburg	align=center	1	align=center		1991–92
align=center		Szentes	align=center	1	align=center		1992–93
align=center		Fiorentina	align=center	1	align=center		2006–07
align=center		Pro Recco	align=center	1	align=center		2011–12
align=center	14.	Uralochka Zlatoust	align=center		align=center	2
align=center		Dunaújváros	align=center		align=center	2
align=center		Vasutas	align=center		align=center	2
align=center	17.	Dauphins Créteil	align=center		align=center	1
align=center		UVSE	align=center		align=center	1
align=center		Assolim Mataró	align=center		align=center	1
align=center		Volturno	align=center		align=center	1

Titles by nation

width=5%	Rank	width=20%	Country	width=10%	Titles	width=10%	Runners-up
align=center	1.		align=center	10	align=center	5
align=center	2.		align=center	7	align=center	8
align=center	3.		align=center	7	align=center	4
align=center	4.		align=center	7	align=center	3
align=center	5.		align=center	4	align=center	10
align=center	6.		align=center	1	align=center	5
align=center	7.		align=center		align=center	1

Most Titles

Incomplete list.

Players

bold - active players

Player	Titles	Clubs
Player	Titles		List
	7	1	Orizzonte Catania 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008
	7	1	Orizzonte Catania 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008
	7	1	Sabadell 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2023, 2024
	7	1	Sabadell 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2023, 2024
	7	1	Sabadell 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2023, 2024
	6	1	Orizzonte Catania 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008
	6	1	Orizzonte Catania 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008
	6	1	Orizzonte Catania 1994, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005
	5	1	Orizzonte Catania 1994, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004
	5	1	Orizzonte Catania 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008
	5	1	Sabadell 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019
	5	1	Sabadell 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019
	4	1	Sabadell 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016
	4	1	Sabadell 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016

Notes: Maddalena Musumeci played her whole career for Orizzonte Catania but was inactive in 2005.

Coaches

Coach	Titles	Clubs
Coach	Titles		List
	6	1	Orizzonte Catania 1994, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006
	3or4	1	Sabadell 2011(?), 2013, 2014, 2016
	3	1	Sabadell 2019, 2023, 2024

Notes and References

Web site: Euro League Women - Book of Champions 2017 . 47 (section 3.1 'Competition names') . https://web.archive.org/web/20201230031837/http://www.len.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Womens_Euro_League_2017.FINAL_.pdf . 2020-12-30 . dead . . 5 October 2018.
Web site: Euro League, Kirishi clinches the trophy on its 11th try . . 5 October 2018.
Web site: Kirishi retains title after shootout . . 5 October 2018.
Web site: Euro League Women - Book of Champions 2017 . 3-48 ('Summary of LEN European Cup Results') . . 5 October 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170517060924/http://www.len.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Womens_Euro_League_2017.FINAL_.pdf . 17 May 2017 . dead .