EHF Champions League places to be decided in Krakow

Europe’s top teams will learn their EHF Champions League fate this weekend when the EHF Executive Committee meets on the fringes of the EHF EURO 2016 Final Tournament Draw in Krakow, Poland.

The meeting will decide which of the additional requests for entry to the VELUX EHF Champions League and Women's EHF Champions League will be accepted or denied, which teams will play qualification and also, in the case of the VELUX EHF Champions League, whether teams will be allocated into Groups A/B or C/D.

VELUX EHF Champions League

A total of 37 clubs have registered for a place in the VELUX EHF Champions League for the coming season.

25 of those registrations are from clubs with a fixed place in the competition according to the official European Cup Place Distribution for 2015/16.

These clubs are:

ALPLA HC Hard (AUT)
RK Borac m:tel (BIH)
HC Meshkov Brest (BLR)
HC PPD Zagreb (CRO)
KIF Kolding Kobenhavn (DEN)
FC Barcelona Lassa (ESP)
Naturhouse La Rioja (ESP)
Paris Saint Germain HB (FRA)
THW Kiel (GER)
Rhein-Neckar Löwen (GER)
MKB-MVM Veszprem (HUN)
HC Vardar (MKD)
OCI/Lions (NED)
Elverum Handball Herrer (NOR)
KS Vive Tauron Kielce (POL)
Futebol Clube do Porto (POR)
HCM Baia Mare (ROU)
Chekhovskie medvedi (RUS)
RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko (SLO)
Vojvodina (SRB)
Kadetten Schaffhausen (SUI)
Tatran Presov (SVK)
IFK Kristianstad (SWE)
Besiktas Jimnastik Kulubu (TUR)
HC Motor (UKR)

Clubs from four nations: Belgium, Greece, Israel and Luxembourg did not register for a place in the competition.

A total of 12 additional requests were received for a place in the competition, including:

RK Nexe (CRO)
Skjern Handbold (DEN)
Montpellier HB (FRA)
HBC Nantes (FRA)
Saint-Raphael Var HB (FRA)
SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER)
SC Magdeburg (GER)
MOL-Pick Szeged (HUN)
HC Metalurg (MKD)
Orlen Wisla Plock (POL)
RK Gorenje Velenje (SLO)
Alingsas HK (SWE)

At its meeting, the EHF Executive Committee will decide which of these additional teams will be accepted for the season 2015/16.

Additionally, it will be decided which teams will play in Groups A/B and C/D and which will need to play in qualification for a place in the VELUX EHF Champions League.

The Exec meeting will be preceded by the Consultation Group meeting, which will prepare a proposal for participation in the competition and the allocation of teams to Groups A or B (16 teams), respectively C or D (12 teams) or qualification matches.

The consultation group consisting of Leopold Kalin, Club Competitions Commission Chairman, Joan Marin, representing the clubs as President of Forum Club Handball together with the EHF and EHF Marketing representatives will assign points to all clubs based on a criteria system.

The criteria list focuses on eight different fields (venue, TV, ranking in the domestic league, spectators, performance in past EHF club competitions, sponsoring potential, implementation of duties and regulations and media).

Women’s EHF Champions League

The European Handball Federation has received 27 registrations from clubs for the Women’s EHF Champions League 2015/16.

20 of the registrations were from clubs with a place in the competition based on the official European Cup Place Distribution for 2015/16.

Hypo Niederösterreich (AUT)
HC BNTU-BelAZ Minsk Reg. (BLR)
HC Podravka Vegeta (CRO)
FC Midtjylland (DEN)
Team Esbjerg (DEN)
Fleury Loiret Handball (FRA)
Thüringer HC (GER)
FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria (HUN)
Györi Audi ETO KC (HUN)
HC Vardar (MKD)
Buducnost (MNE)
Sercodak Dalfsen (NED)
Larvik (NOR)
MKS Selgros Lublin (POL)
CSM Bucuresti (ROU)
Rostov-Don (RUS)
RK Krim Mercator (SLO)
WHC Radnicki Kragujevac (SRB)
IK Sävehof (SWE)
Ankara Yenimahalle BSK (TUR)

Seven additional requests were made:

Metz Handball (FRA)
Glassverket (NOR)
Vistal Gdynia (POL)
HCM Baia Mare (ROU)
HC Lada (RUS)
Muratpasa Belediyesi SK (TUR)
Indeco Conversano (ITA)

The EHF Executive Committee will decide which of the additional requests will be accepted or denied for the coming season as well as which teams will need to play in qualification.

Draw Event in Vienna

The VELUX EHF Champions League and Women's EHF Champions League Draw Event will take place in Vienna's first district on 26 June 2015 from 18:30 hrs.