Vipers Kristiansand and Thüringer HC host EHF CL Qualification Tournaments

The European Handball Federation has confirmed the hosts for the Women's EHF Champions League Qualification Tournaments, with the first matches of the 2017/18 season being played in Germany and Norway.

Vipers Kristiansand, the runners-up in Norway's domestic championship, will host Group 1.

In the semi-final on 9 September they will face HC Gomel from Belarus. In the second semi-final, HC Podravka Vegeta, Croatian record champions and winners of the EHF Champions League in 1996, face Kastamonu Belediyesi GSK from Turkey.

The final and the match for third place take place on 10 September.

The Group 2 Qualification Tournament is hosted by Thüringer HC, the second-ranked team in the 2016/17 German Bundesliga season. They battle it out against Mecalia Atletico Guardes from Spain in the semi-final, while H 65 Höörs HK from Sweden meet Hypo Niederösterreich from Austria in the second semi-final.

The matches in the 'Wiedigsburghalle Nordhausen' also take place on 9 and 10 September.

The exact playing times for all matches in Group 1 and Group 2 will be communicated in due time.

The winners of the Group 1 tournament will join Buducnost, Metz Handball and SG BBM Bietigheim in Group D of the group matches.

The winners of Group 2 in the qualification face the 2016/17 season's finalists, HC Vardar, as well as Larvik and FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria in Group C.

The first games in the Women's EHF Champions League Group Matches this season will be played from 6 to 8 October.