The DELO EHF Champions League 2021/22 season will start with a true clash of titans right in the very first round.

Vipers Kristiansand will open their title defence in the weekend of 11/12 September with a trip to the team they dethroned in May – five-time champions Györi Audi ETO KC.

With only seven weeks to go until the DELO EHF Champions League 2021/22 throws off, the schedule for the first 10 playing rounds has now been confirmed.

Like last season, Saturdays and Sundays remain the official playing days for the competition. The exact playing dates and throw-off times for each of the group phase matches will be announced shortly.

Round 1 features several intriguing pairings

The Hungarian-Norwegian duel between Györ and Vipers in group B is the standout highlight of round 1, which features several more intriguing pairings, including 2021 runners-up Brest Bretagne Handball travelling to 2019 finalists Rostov-Don in group A.

There is another Russian-French meeting in the opening weekend: coming off a stunning debut season that saw them go all the way to the DELO EHF FINAL4 2021, CSKA face a tricky opener with a trip to Metz Handball in group B.

Also in group B, Kastamonu Belediyesi GSK, including four top signings arriving from BEMAX Buducnost, will be eager to start their maiden EHF Champions League season in Turkey with a home game against Danish champions Odense Håndbold.

The complete overview of the two groups and the schedule for the opening 10 rounds can be found here.