Magdeburg to host EHF Cup Finals 2018

The sixth edition of the EHF Cup Finals in 2018 will be hosted by SC Magdeburg after the EHF Executive Committee decided to award the hosting rights to the German club at its meeting on 16 December in Hamburg.

The awarding is subject to the club reaching a final agreement with the EHF's marketing subsidiary, EHF Marketing GmbH.

The tournament will take place on 19 and 20 May 2018 with the competitions' four best teams descending on the GETEC-Arena - Bördelandhalle in Magdeburg, Germany, which has a capacity of 7,100.
 
The first edition of the tournament took place in Nantes, France, which also hosted the tournament in 2016. In 2014 and 2015 Füchse Berlin staged the final tournament in the Max-Schmeling Halle in Berlin and the last edition in 2017 was hosted by the back-to-back defending champions Frisch Auf Göppingen.

Bids were also received from Frisch Auf Göppingen (GER) and Bjerringbro-Silkeborg (DEN).

SC Magdeburg reached the group phase courtesy of the narrowest of margins (53:52) in the third qualification round tie against HC Dobrogea Sud Constanta from Romania.

In the group phase, which will commence on 10/11 February, they will also meet SKA Minsk from Belarus and Slovakian champions Tatran Presov.

Impact on quarter-finals
 
As the new hosts are playing in this season’s group phase it will also have an impact on the playing system in the quarter-finals.
 
If Magdeburg win their group or finish among the best three second ranked teams after the group phase, they will be directly qualified for the final tournament and only three quarter-finals will be played.
 
If the reigning holders finish as the worst second ranked team, they will have to play the quarter-finals and there will be four quarter-final pairings.
 
If Magdeburg finish on the third or fourth position in their Group A, they will be eliminated from the competition. They will still stage the EHF Cup Finals for the four quarter-finals winners as neutral organisers.