The OTP Group Budućnost women’s handball team has clinched a guaranteed position in the EHF Champions League for the 2025/2026 season, along with eight other teams confirmed for the group stage of Europe’s premier competition.

Shortly after Győr celebrated their seventh European Championship title, the European Handball Federation (EHF) disclosed that 19 clubs had submitted applications to join the Champions League.

Currently, nine teams have been confirmed: Danish clubs Esbjerg and Odense, French team Metz, German side Ludwigsburg, Hungarian champions Győr, OTP Group Budućnost, Norwegian team Storhamar, Romanian ĆSM Bucharest, and Slovenian club Krim.

Additionally, ten teams are vying for a special invitation, including Croatian Podravka, Danish Ikast, French Brest, German Borussia Dortmund, Hungarian FTC and DVSC, Norwegian Sola and Tertnes Bergen, and Romanian clubs Glorija Bistrica and Minaur Baia Mare.

The final list of EHF Champions League participants will be published on June 24. The competition format remains unchanged, featuring a preliminary phase divided into two groups of eight teams each.

All national federations, apart from the one ranked highest on the EHF list for determining seeding for the Europa League in the 2025/2026 season—Denmark—can submit an additional application for two more teams in the EHF Champions League.

The top-ranked national federation is allowed to apply for the promotion of one team. In all circumstances, participants in the EHF club competitions for the 2025/2026 season must meet the necessary conditions.

Confirmed and potential participants in the EHF Women’s Handball Champions League:

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