European Handball Hierarchy Resets as Expanded EHF European League Confirms 2026/27 Starting Grids

The starting grid for European club handball's most grueling marathon is officially set. On the heels of a massive structural reform, the European Handball Federation (EHF) has confirmed the final line-ups for the 2026/27 Men's and Women's EHF European Leagues, setting the stage for a season that will redefine the continent's second tier.

The men's competition, which throws off in September, will debut a radically altered format designed to maximize high-stakes matchups from day one. In a departure from previous years, the men's tournament has scrapped its qualification rounds entirely. Instead, 32 clubs will parachute directly into the group phase, divided into eight groups of four.[1]

The confirmed men's field is a gauntlet of domestic heavyweights and ambitious challengers. Traditional powers like Germany's SG Flensburg-Handewitt and VfL Gummersbach will line up alongside emerging forces such as North Macedonia's HC Eurofarm Pelister, Portugal's Sport Lisboa e Benfica, and Iceland's Valur.

But the true twist in the men's 2026/27 format arrives in the knockout stages. The top two teams from each of the eight European League groups will advance to the play-offs, where they will suddenly face a wave of elite reinforcements: the 12 teams that finish third and fourth in the EHF Champions League group phase will drop down into the European League play-offs.[1][2]

This cross-pollination ensures that the path to the EHF Finals in May 2027 will require European League stalwarts to topple Champions League-caliber rosters. Later in the tournament, the two fifth-placed teams from the Champions League main round will also parachute into the European League's Last 16, creating a relentless gauntlet for the trophy.[1][2]

On the women's side, the scale of the competition is even more sprawling. The EHF confirmed a massive 60-club field representing 29 different countries, all vying for a spot in the group stage that begins in January 2027.

Unlike the men's streamlined start, the women's tournament will feature a brutal autumn qualification process. Thirty-two teams will enter qualification round two in October, including heavy-hitters like Sweden's IK Sävehof, France's Brest Bretagne Handball, and Poland's MKS FunFloor Lublin. The 16 survivors will then advance to round three in November, where eight more waiting clubs will join the fray to battle for the final 12 group stage tickets.

Only four women's clubs have earned the luxury of a direct bye into the group phase: defending champions JDA Bourgogne Dijon, Germany's Thüringer HC, Denmark's Ikast Håndbold, and Hungary's DVSC Skyline. For the rest of the continent, the road to the May 2027 EHF Finals will require surviving multiple two-legged knockout ties before the new year even begins.

The draws to set these collision courses are imminent. The women's qualification round two ties will be drawn on July 14 in Vienna, followed closely by the highly anticipated men's group phase draw on July 17.

For clubs operating just below the Champions League stratosphere, the European League has become the ultimate proving ground. The 2026/27 season's expanded fields and integrated formats reflect a deliberate push by the EHF to elevate the commercial and competitive profile of the tournament, ensuring that every match carries heavy continental stakes.[1]