34 clubs apply for a place in the new season

There are still almost three months to the opening throw-off of the new VELUX EHF Champions League season, but the first step towards the final 2018/19 roster of the clubs has been made after the deadline for the registration has passed.

In total 34 teams from 23 countries are vying for a place in the new season after they all submitted their application before the deadline on 5 June.

Registration of clubs does not equal the participation and the final list of all participants will only be confirmed at the EHF Executive Committee meeting on Monday 18 June in Glasgow, Scotland.

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 22 teams (20 national champions and the runners-up of Germany and Spain) have handed in their registrations.
In addition, 12 clubs eligible to enter the EHF Cup have submitted their requests for the Champions League upgrade via their national federations.

Draw dates confirmed

The draw of the qualification tournament(s) will take place on Wednesday 27 June at the EHF Office in Vienna, while the group phase draw will be held on Friday 29 June also in the Austrian capital.

The VELUX EHF Champions League 2018/19 will be played in the same mode as the previous two seasons with 28 teams of the group phase split in four groups. In Group A and B there will be eight teams each, while each in Group C and D only six teams will play.

Teams registered based on the EHF Ranking list (22):
BLR - HC Meshkov Brest
CRO - PPD Zagreb
DEN - Skjern Handbold
ESP - FC Barcelona Lassa
ESP - Ademar de Leon
FIN - Cocks
FRA - Paris Saint-Germain Handball
GER - SG Flensburg Handewitt
GER - Rhein-Neckar Löwen
HUN - MOL-Pick Szeged
MKD - HC Vardar
NOR - Elverum
POL - PGE Vive Kielce
POR - Sporting CP
ROU - CS Dinamo Bucuresti
RUS - Chekhovskie Medvedi
SLO - RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko
SUI - Wacker Thun
SVK - Tatran Presov
SWE - IFK Kristianstad
TUR - Besiktas MOGAZ HT
UKR - HC Motor Zaporozhye

Further registrations for a place in the CL (12)                                                            
AUT - Alpla HC Hard
BLR - SKA-Minsk
DEN - Bjerringbro-Silkeborg
FRA - Montpellier HB
FRA - HBC Nantes
GER - Füchse Berlin
HUN - Telekom Veszprem
ISR - Maccabi Srugo Rishon Lezion
MKD - HC Metalurg
NED - OCI/Lions
POL - Orlen Wisla Plock
SLO - RK Gorenje Velenje