A magnificent season is over, on to the next one

The European club season 2018/19 is now over and although handball fans have to wait 99 days for the beginning of next season’s VELUX EHF Champions League Group Phase, preparations for the new season have already begun. Regulations have been released, playing systems confirmed and important dates set.

Creation of the starting line-up

Member federations of the EHF have to register their clubs eligible to take part in the European top flight by Wednesday 12 June. For the last time before the competition system’s reform, the VELUX EHF Champions League 2019/20 will be played in the same mode as this season with 28 teams.

As always the distribution of places is a result of the EHF Ranking List which is a summary of the results in all three EHF club competitions of the seasons 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18. The 2018/19 season is not considered for the EHF Ranking List, but it will be considered for the seeding of the new participants in the various competitions of 2019/20. The procedure for the awarding of additional places and upgrades from the EHF Cup to the VELUX EHF Champions League remains unchanged.

The EHF has approved a list of criteria that will be used as a tool to define - on the one hand, the awarding of upgrades for those federations who will ask for it - and on the other hand the decision regarding the distribution of teams into Groups A or B (8 teams each) respectively C or D (6 teams each). The criteria list consists of eight different fields (venue, TV, ranking in the domestic league, spectators, performance in past EHF club competitions, sponsoring potential, implementation of duties and regulations and new media).

By Tuesday 25 June, based on these criteria the EHF Executive Committee will decide all upgrade requests and confirm 16 teams for Groups A and B and remaining teams for Groups C and D and optionally for qualification tournament(s), whose winner(s) will join the group phase in C and/or D.

2019/20 season – important dates

• 12 Jun 2019 - deadline for all national federations to submit their requests for upgrades in the VELUX EHF Champions League 2019/20

• 25 Jun 2019 - the final list of participants for Groups A&B, Groups C&D and qualification tournament(s) to be confirmed by the EHF EXEC

• 26 Jun 2019 - Qualification draw

• 27 Jun 2019 - Group Phase draw

• 30 Aug – 1 Sep 2019 - Qualification tournament(s)

• 11–15 Sep 2019 - Group Phase Round 1

• 27 Nov – 1 Dec 2019 - Group Phase Round 10 (last round in 2019, last in Groups C&D)

• 5–9 Feb 2020 - Group Phase Round 11 (first in 2020)

• 19 Feb – 1 Mar 2020 - Groups C&D knockout phase

• 26 Feb – 1 Mar 2020 - Group Phase Round 14 (last round in Groups A&B)

• 18 – 29 Mar 2020 - Last 16

• 25 Apr – 3 May 2020 - Quarter-finals

• 5 May 2020 - VELUX EHF FINAL4 Draw

• 30–31 May 2020 - VELUX EHF FINAL4 2020