The 2024–25 EHF Champions League was the 65th edition of Europe's premier club handball tournament, running from 11 September 2024 to 15 June 2025.
FC Barcelona were the defending champions. SC Magdeburg won the final against Füchse Berlin to win their fifth title.
Format The tournament used the same format as the previous three seasons. The competition began with a group stage featuring sixteen teams divided into two groups. Matches were played in a double round-robin system with home-and-away fixtures, fourteen in total for each team. In Groups A and B, the top two teams automatically qualified for the quarter-finals, with teams ranked third to sixth entered the playoff round.
The knockout stage included four rounds: the playoffs, quarter-finals, and a final-four tournament comprising two semifinals and the final. In the playoffs, eight teams were paired against each other in two-legged home-and-away matches (third-placed in group A played sixth-placed group B; fourth-placed group A played fifth-placed group B, etc.). The four aggregate winners of the playoffs advanced to the quarterfinals, joining the top-two teams of Groups A and B. The eight quarterfinalist teams were paired against each other in two-legged home-and-away matches, with the four aggregate winners qualifying to the final-four tournament.
In the final four tournament, the semifinals and the final were played as single matches at a pre-selected host venue.
Rankings Ten of the sixteen teams competing in the group stage were determined through the EHF association ranking for the 2024–25 season, based on the results of the three previous seasons. The remaining six places were awarded as wildcards. Associations ranked 1–9 had their league champion qualify for the group stage and could apply their league runner-up for a wildcard. The best-ranked association in the EHF European League could had its league champion and runner-up qualify for the group stage, but could not apply for a wildcard. Associations ranked outside the top nine could only had their league champion apply for a wildcard.
RankAssociationAverage pointsTeams1 Spain217,0012 Germany170.0023 Poland156.674 France140.335 Denmark137.006 Hungary124.337 Belarus69.50 08 Portugal61.67 1
RankAssociationAverage pointsTeams9 Norway 57.00 110 Ukraine57.00011 Romania56.50112 Slovenia52.00013 North Macedonia50.33114 Croatia44.001536 associations0.000
Teams The first nine teams were revealed on 7 June 2024. The teams who applied for a wildcard were announced on 13 June 2024. On 21 June, the final list was announced.
Aalborg Håndbold (1st) Paris Saint-Germain (1st) Barcelona (1st) SC Magdeburg (1st) Füchse Berlin (2nd) One Veszprém (1st) Kolstad Håndball (1st) Orlen Wisła Płock (1st) Sporting CP (1st) RK Zagreb (1st)WC HBC Nantes (2nd)WC OTP Bank – Pick Szeged (2nd)WC RK Eurofarm Pelister (1st)WC Industria Kielce (2nd)WC CS Dinamo București (1st)WC Fredericia HK (2nd)WC
Rejected upgrades CD Bidasoa Irun (2nd) Elverum Håndball (2nd) FC Porto (2nd) Kadetten Schaffhausen (1st) HT Tatran Prešov (1st)
Draw The draw was held on 27 June 2024.
Group stage
The 16 teams were drawn into two groups of eight. Teams from the same national association could not be drawn into the same group.
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:
Highest number of points in matches between the teams directly involved; Superior goal difference in matches between the teams directly involved; Highest number of goals scored in matches between the teams directly involved; Superior goal difference in all matches of the group; Highest number of plus goals in all matches of the group; Drawing of Lots
A total of 11 national associations were represented in the group stage, with the only difference being that Romania replace Slovenia. Fredericia HK returned for the first time in 40 years. Sporting CP came back after five years.
Group A
Group B
Knockout stage
Playoffs
Quarterfinals
Final four The final four was held at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany on 14 and 15 June 2025.
Bracket
Final
Top goalscorers Rank Player Club Goals1 Mathias Gidsel Füchse Berlin1352 Mario Šoštarić OTP Bank - Pick Szeged1303 Lasse Andersson Füchse Berlin1154 Martim Costa Sporting CP1055 Kamil Syprzak Paris Saint-Germain1046 Aymeric Minne HBC Nantes88 Valero Rivera Folch HBC Nantes8 Filip Kuzmanovski RK Eurofarm Pelister879 Tim Freihöfer Füchse Berlin8210 Francisco Costa Sporting CP79 Nedim Remili One Veszprém Ómar Ingi Magnússon SC Magdeburg Awards
The All-star team of the Champions League 2024/25
Position Player Goalkeeper Emil Nielsen (Barça) Right wing Mario Šoštarić (OTP Bank-PICK Szeged) Right back Mathias Gidsel (Füchse Berlin) Centre back Gísli Þorgeir Kristjánsson (SC Magdeburg) Left back Felix Claar (SC Magdeburg) Left wing Emil Jakobsen (SG Flensburg-Handewitt) Pivot Ludovic Fabregas (One Veszprém HC) Final four MVP Gísli Þorgeir Kristjánsson (SC Magdeburg) Best defender Magnus Saugstrup (SC Magdeburg)
Final four MVP: Gísli Þorgeir Kristjánsson
See also 2024–25 EHF European League 2024–25 EHF European Cup 2024–25 Women's EHF Champions League 2024–25 Women's EHF European League 2024–25 Women's EHF European Cup
References
External links Official website