The start of the EHF European Cup Women 2021/22 season will see the return of one of biggest heavyweights in women’s handball over the past decade: WHC Vardar.

The Macedonian side were EHF FINAL4 participants in five consecutive seasons (2014-18) and reached the final two times, in 2017 and 2018, losing to Györi Audi ETO KC in extra time on both occasions.

However, in 2018 the club was reorganised, putting an emphasis on bringing up youth players and refraining from playing international matches.

But after a three-year absence, Vardar return to the continental stage on Saturday, when they will face KHF Prishtina in Kosovo in the first leg of qualification round 2 of the European Cup.

• the competition starts already on Thursday and Friday, when ZRK Mlinotest Adjovscina will host Kristianstad Handboll from Sweden in a double-header in Slovenia
• nine more double-headers are scheduled for the weekend, as well as six first-leg encounters
• both legs of the tie IUVENTA Michalovce vs RK Hadzici Interlogistic on Saturday and Sunday will be streamed live on EHFTV
• nine other double-headers will be played next weekend, between 22 and 24 October
• title holders Costa del Sol Malaga from Spain, previously playing as Rincon Fertilidad Malaga, will enter the competition in qualification round 3 alongside six other teams

Portuguese barrier for Rocasa

While Malaga will join the race later, fellow Spanish team Rocasa Gran Canaria, 2016 and 2019 Challenge Cup winners, are among the teams who begin the competition in round 2. Their first opponents are A.R.C. Alpendorada from neighbouring country Portugal. The first leg of this Iberian derby will take place on Saturday in Spain.

Photo: WHC Vardar website