A New Era for European Handball: Expanded 24-Team EHF Champions League Kicks Off

The wait is over. The 2026/27 EHF Champions League Men throws off on September 9 and 10, bringing a radically expanded format and a grueling new path to European handball's ultimate prize. For the first time since the general overhaul of continental club competitions prior to the 2020/21 season, the starting grid has grown from 16 to 24 teams. It is a massive structural shift that fundamentally alters the calculus for the continent's elite, turning the road to Cologne into an absolute gauntlet.[1][3]

Under the revamped structure, the 24 participating clubs are divided into six round-robin groups of four. It is a sprint from the opening whistle: teams will play just six matches in this initial phase—home and away against their three group opponents. Only the top two teams from each of the six groups will survive to advance to the main round, while the third- and fourth-placed squads will drop down to continue their continental campaigns in the EHF European League Men.[1][2][5]

The stakes are massive right out of the gate. Defending and record champions Barça will begin their title defense in Group E, facing off against Montpellier Handball, CS Dinamo Bucuresti, and Danish side SAH Aarhus. Meanwhile, Füchse Berlin, the runners-up in each of the last two seasons, have been drawn into a punishing Group A that includes Hungarian powerhouse One Veszprém HC, Portugal's FC Porto, and Serbian side RK Partizan AdmiralBet.[3][4]

Opening night promises immediate fireworks. On Wednesday, September 9, One Veszprém HC will host FC Porto, while Danish giants Aalborg Håndbold meet Paris Saint-Germain Handball in a clash of heavyweights. Elsewhere, HC Zagreb faces RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko, and Industria Kielce welcomes HC Kriens-Luzern. The following night, Barça steps onto the court against SAH Aarhus to officially launch their campaign for a repeat.[4]

For the 12 teams that survive the initial group phase sprint, the gauntlet only gets harder. The main round will consolidate the remaining contenders into two massive groups of six. Teams will carry over their results against the opponent that advanced alongside them, and then play eight more matches—home and away—against the other four teams in their new group. The top four teams from each main round group will then punch their tickets to the quarter-finals.[1][5]

This new four-phase system—group phase, main round, quarter-finals, and the EHF FINAL4 Men—levels the playing field in terms of endurance. Previously, top-seeded teams could skip the play-off round and reach the FINAL4 having played fewer matches than their rivals. Now, every team that steps onto the court in Cologne on June 12 and 13, 2027, will have played exactly 18 matches to get there: six in the group phase, eight in the main round, two in the quarter-finals, and two at the FINAL4 itself.[1]

The men's tournament is not the only marquee event throwing off this week. The EHF Champions League Women begins its own campaign on September 5 and 6, featuring 16 teams divided into two groups of eight. Defending champions Metz Handball open away against Storhamar Håndball Elite, while Borussia Dortmund faces a stiff early test against Denmark's Team Esbjerg. With domestic leagues like the German Daikin Handball-Bundesliga also underway, September is shaping up to be a monumental month for the sport globally.[4][6]

As the expanded field takes the court, the narrative shifts from familiar rivalries to unpredictable new matchups. The inclusion of 24 teams gives emerging domestic champions a rare spotlight, while the unforgiving group phase ensures that even the deepest rosters cannot afford a slow start. The road to Cologne has never been longer, and for the clubs chasing European glory, the margin for error has never been thinner.[1][2]