Neptunes de Nantes, the winners of the competition’s premiere season in 2020/21, are seeded in Pot 3 as a total of 16 teams from seven countries are lined up for the core phase of the season.
The group phase draw will take place at the EHF office in Vienna on Thursday 15 December at 11:00 CET and will be streamed live on YouTube.
Hungary boast the maximum of four teams in the group phase, followed by France and Norway with three sides each. Denmark and Germany have both two clubs on the starting grid, while Croatia and Romania are both represented by one outfit in contention.
Pot 1 consists of the four teams that avoided the qualification – Ikast Handbold of Denmark, Paris 92 of France, DVSC Schaeffler of Hungary, and Molde Elite of Norway.
Country protection will apply to the draw, which means that two teams from the same country cannot end up in the same group. Therefore, the drawing of the lots will have to be adjusted and some teams allocated.
The first round is scheduled for 7/8 January and the group phase will conclude on 19 February, with the top-two teams from each group making their way to the quarter-finals.
Pot 1
Ikast Handbold (DEN)
Paris 92 (FRA)
DVSC Schaeffler (HUN)
Molde Elite (NOR)
Pot 2
Nykøbing Falster Håndbold (DEN)
ES Besancon Feminin (FRA)
Motherson Mosonmagyarovari KC (HUN)
Praktiker-Vác (HUN)
Pot 3
Neptunes de Nantes (FRA)
BV Borussia 09 Dortmund (GER)
Sola HK (NOR)
SCM Ramnicu Valcea (ROU)
Pot 4
HC Podravka Vegeta (CRO)
Thüringer HC (GER)
Siófok KC (HUN)
Fana (NOR)
Draw procedure
- STEP 1: The four teams from Pot 1 are drawn into the four Row 1 positions
- STEP 2: Mosonmagyarovár and Vác from Pot 2 are drawn into two out of three possible groups in Row 2 in order to avoid a group with DVSC
- STEP 3A: If both groups of Ikast AND Paris are occupied by Mosonmagyarovár and Vác in Row 2, then Nykøbing and Besancon from Pot 2 are drawn into the two remaining positions in Row 2
- STEP 3B: If one of the groups with Ikast or Paris remains open, then Nykøbing and Besancon from Pot 2 are allocated the only two possible positions in Row 2, in order to avoid Ikast and Paris respectively
- STEP 4: Nantes from Pot 3 are drawn into one out of two possible groups in Row 3 in order to avoid groups with Paris and Besancon
- STEP 5A: If Nantes are in a group with Molde, then the three remaining teams from Pot 3 (Sola, Borussia and Valcea) are drawn into three remaining positions in Row 3
- STEP 5B: If the group with Molde is open, then Sola from Pot 3 are first drawn into one of the two possible groups in Row 3 in order to avoid Molde, and only then the two remaining teams (Borussia and Valcea) from Pot 3 are drawn into the two remaining positions in Row 3
- STEP 6: Siófok from Pot 4 are allocated the only possible position in Row 4 in order to avoid the groups with DVSC, Mosonmagyarovár and Vác
- STEP 7A: If Siófok ends up in a group with either Molde or Sola, then Fana from Pot 4 are drawn into one of the two possible positions in Row 4
- STEP 7B: If both groups with Molde and Sola remain open, then Fana are allocated the only possible position in Row 4 in order to avoid the groups with Molde and Sola
- STEP 8A: If either Siófok or Fana are in the group with Borussia, then Thüringer HC and Podravka from Pot 4 are drawn into the two remaining positions in Row 4
- STEP 8B: If the group with Borussia remains open, then both Thüringer HC and Podravka are allocated the only possible positions in Row 4 in order for Thüringer HC to avoid the group with Borussia
