11.11.2021, 01:00
24 teams seek group phase berth

ROUND 3 PREVIEW: Titleholders Nantes enter the race, playing Höörs in first leg of final qualification round this weekend

The EHF European League Women is entering qualification round 3 this weekend, with 12 ties determining the teams that will complete the line-up of the group phase.

Four teams have been seeded through to the group phase in January: Mosonmagyarovari KC (HUN), Viborg HK (DEN), CS Minaur Baia Mare (ROU), and Lada (RUS).

The remaining 12 spots will be decided this round, which does not include double-headers as all 12 matches this weekend are first-leg encounters. Nine matches are streamed live on EHFTV (schedule).

The second leg is scheduled for next weekend.

Titleholders Les Neptunes de Nantes are joining the race, starting their title defence at home against H 65 Höörs HK from Sweden on Sunday, six months after they won the inaugural EHF Finals Women 2021 in Baia Mare.

• former EHF Champions League winners Zvezda Zvenigorod face Poland's MKS Zagliebe Lubin in Russia on Saturday
• last season’s European Cup runners-up HC Lokomotiva Zagreb host another Polish side, MKS FunFloor Perla Lublin
• SCM Ramnicu Valcea and SG BBM Bietigheim, who both played in the DELO EHF Champions League last season, will start at home against Super Amara Bera Bera and Tertnes Bergen, respective
• the only Danish team in round 3, last season’s EHF Finals contenders Herning-Ikast Håndbold, play on Sunday at MTK Budapest

Norwegian teams to play on Sunday

As many as four teams from Norway are among the round 3 participants, and all of them will play their first-leg matches on Sunday.

Apart from Bergen travelling to Bietigheim, Molde Elite will also start with an away game, at Chambray Touraine Handball in France.

Beginning at home are Sola HK, who eliminated Kuban in round 2 and will host another Russian side this time: Astrakhanochka. Also, Storhamar Handball Elite will play at home against Romanian side SCM Gloria Buzau.

TEXT: EHF / Sergey Nikolaev