35 clubs eye a place in the new season

Less than two weeks after HC Vardar lifted their second VELUX EHF Champions League trophy, the first step towards the final roster of clubs for the 2019/20 season has been made after the deadline for the registration has passed.



In total 35 teams from 21 countries are vying for a place in the new season after they all submitted their application before the deadline on 12 June. Registration of clubs does not equal participation, and the final list of all participants will only be confirmed by the EHF Executive Committee on Friday 21 June.



The confirmation by the EHF EXEC is based on an evaluation of the registered clubs divided into eight different criteria: venue, TV, ranking in the domestic league, spectators, performance in past EHF club competitions, sponsoring potential, implementation of duties and regulations, and media.



Based on the EHF ranking list 20 teams (all national champions) have handed in their registrations. Only the national champions of seven countries (Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Israel, Netherlands, Serbia and Turkey) did not apply.



In addition, 15 clubs eligible to enter the EHF Cup have submitted their requests for a Champions League upgrade via their national federations.



Draw dates confirmed



The draw of possible qualification tournaments will take place on Wednesday 26 June at the EHF Office in Vienna, while the group phase draw will be held on Thursday 27 June in the Erste Campus, also in the Austrian capital.



The VELUX EHF Champions League 2019/20 will be played in the same mode as the previous three seasons with 28 teams of the group phase split into four groups: Group A and B will consist of eight teams each, while Group C and D will both have six teams.



Teams registered based on the EHF Ranking list (20):

BLR - HC Meshkov Brest

CRO – HC PPD Zagreb

DEN – Aalborg Handbold

ESP – Barça

FIN – Cocks

FRA – Paris Saint-Germain Handball

GER – SG Flensburg-Handewitt

HUN – Telekom Veszprém HC

ISL – Selfoss

MKD – HC Vardar

NOR – Elverum Håndball

POL – PGE VIVE Kielce

POR – FC Porto Sofarma

ROU – CS Dinamo Bucuresti

RUS – Chekhovskie Medvedi

SLO – RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko

SUI – Kadetten Schaffhausen

SVK – Tatran Presov

SWE – IK Sävehof

UKR – HC Motor Zaporozhye



Further registrations for a place in the CL (15)

DEN – GOG

ESP – Bidasoa Irun

FRA – Montpellier HB

FRA – HBC Nantes

FRA – Chambery Savoie Montblanc Handball

GER – THW Kiel

GER – SC Magdeburg

HUN – MOL-Pick Szeged

LUX – Handball Esch

MKD – HC Eurofarm Rabotnik

MKD – HC Metalurg

NOR – OIF Arendal Elite

POL – Orlen Wisla Plock

POR – Sporting Clube Portugal

SWE – IFK Kristianstad