After Paris Saint-Germain Handball and – for the first time – Aalborg Håndbold had qualified for the EHF FINAL4 Men 2021 on Wednesday, they were joined on Thursday by Barça and HBC Nantes.

With the line-up of four teams confirmed, the final weekend of the EHF Champions League is set to take place on 12 and 13 June in Cologne's LANXESS arena.

One major focus this year will be on a range of digital activations for Europe's handball fans, as the European Handball Federation regrets to announce that the EHF FINAL4 Men 2021 will have to be played without the presence of fans.

The EHF’s decision follows detailed consultations with its local partners as well as the respective health authorities in Cologne on possible medical protocols and safety concepts over the past months.

"With the current restrictions and measures in place in Germany and, in particular, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia to contain the spread of Covid-19, there is unfortunately no basis that fans will be able to attend the event," EHF President Michael Wiederer said.

"The EHF Finals Men 2021 in Mannheim this weekend will also be played without spectators. For the EHF FINAL4, we keep monitoring the situation and would be ready to re-evaluate should the situation change significantly. There is no doubt that we are really looking forward to the moment that fans can return to the arenas across Europe."

The draw for the semi-finals at the EHF FINAL4 Men will take place on Tuesday, 25 May at 11:00 CEST. 25 TV partners have already confirmed to broadcast the draw, with all other territories being covered by a live stream the EHF’s OTT platform, EHFTV.

Experience the EHF FINAL4 Men from home 

With no possibility for spectators to be present in the stands of LANXESS arena, the European Handball Federation and its marketing arm, EHF Marketing GmbH, have a come up with a range of activations to give the fans the best possible experience in their living rooms.

Fans can say hello to their favourite players and peek behind the scenes of the event with one of the limited EHFFINAL4@HOME packages for the ultimate handball experience.

Gold, silver and premium packages cater for any budget and all contain a fantastic array of EHF FINAL4 merchandise and goods that ensure fans enjoy the climax to the European handball season in the best way possible.

On Friday (11 June) as well as on Saturday and Sunday, a five-episode fan show, including three-time EHF Champions League winner Dominik Klein, offering exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes content will be produced directly from LANXESS arena and broadcast on EHFTV as well as on the EHF’s new Twitch channel.

The event’s official magazine will also be available in a digital format for the first time and offers its readers plenty of exclusive content they will not be able to get anywhere else.