WOMEN’S EHF Cup group phase pots announced

Following the last games of the WOMEN’S EHF Cup qualification rounds as well as the DELO WOMEN’S EHF Champions League group matches on Sunday, all participants for the EHF Cup group phase are now known – and 16 teams are set for the draw at the EHF Office in Vienna on Thursday 21 November at 11:00 CET. The draw will determine the four groups for the next stage. 

The 12 successful teams from the EHF Cup qualification rounds have joined the four bottom-ranked teams from the Champions League group matches: HC Podravka Vegeta, MKS Perla Lublin, SG BBM Bietigheim, DHK Banik Most. 

The four Champions League group matches participants make up Pot 1 for the draw. Defending EHF Cup champions Siófok KC Hungary are seeded in Pot 2.

There will be a country protection rule applied in the draw, preventing two teams from the same country meeting in the group phase.

The first round of the group phase is scheduled for 4-5 January and the last round will take place on 8-9 February. Only the top two teams from each group will make it to the quarter-finals.

The WOMEN'S EHF Cup is played in a group phase format, after the old EHF Cup merged with the Cup Winners' Cup before the 2016/17 season. The EHF Cup will transform into the European Handball League following the current season.

The detailed rundown of the draw will be published in due time, before Thursday.

WOMEN’S EHF Cup group phase pots:
Pot 1
CRO     HC Podravka Vegeta
CZE      DHK Banik Most
GER     SG BBM Bietigheim
POL      MKS Lublin S.A.

Pot 2
DEN     Herning-Ikast Handbold
HUN     ÉRD
HUN     Siófok KC Hungary
TUR     Kastamonu Belediyesi GSK

Pot 3
GER     Thüringer HC
ROU     CSM Corona Brasov
ROU     Magura Cisnadie
RUS     Handball Club Lada

Pot 4
DEN     Kobenhavn Handball
DEN     Odense Håndbold
HUN     DVSC Schaeffler
NOR     Storhamar Handball Elite