The line-up for the Women’s EHF Champions League in the coming season has been released following a decision by the EHF Executive Committee at its meeting in Umag, Croatia on 20 June 2014.
A total of 14 teams will be seeded directly in the Group Phase of the competition, whilst eight teams will play in qualification for two additional places.
Additional requests for places
The 2014/15 season is the first with a new system for the distribution of places within the EHF Champions League competitions. Only Hungary and Denmark have two fixed places whilst other federations have only one place and must request additional places.
For the coming season there were six additional requests for places: Byasen Trondheim (NOR), HC Leipzig (GER), Le Havre (FRA), Fleury (FRA), HC Podravka Vegeta (CRO) and Zaglebie Lubin (POL).
After evaluating these requests on the basis of a set of criteria, which included venue, marketing, TV and media issues, the EHF Executive Committee decided to accept the requests of Byasen Trondheim (NOR), HC Leipzig (GER) and HC Podravka Vegeta (CRO).
Le Havre (FRA), Fleury (FRA) and Zaglebie Lubin (POL) will therefore not play in the Women’s EHF Champions League in the coming season.
Additionally the EHF Executive decided not to accept the Turkish champions, Muratpasa from Antalya, into the Women’s EHF Champions League.
Overview
| Qualification | Group Matches |
| Byasen Trondheim (NOR) | HCM Baia Mare (ROU) |
| HC Leipzig (GER) | WHC Buducnost (MNE) |
| FC Midtjylland (DEN) | Dinamo-Sinara Volgograd (RUS) |
| HC BNTU-BELAz Minsk (BLR) | Györi Audi ETO KC (HUN) |
| HC Podravka Vegeta (CRO) | RK Krim Ljubljana (SLO) |
| ZRK Radnicki Kragujevac (SRB) | Larvik HK (NOR) |
| FTC Rail Cargo Hungaria (HUN) | RK Lokomotiva-Zagreb (CRO) |
| Sercodak/Dalfsen (NED) | Metz Handball (FRA) |
| Hypo Niederösterreich (AUT) | |
| IK Sävehof (SWE) | |
| MKS Selgros Lublin (POL) | |
| Thüringer HC (GER) | |
| WHC Vardar SCBT (MKD) | |
| Viborg HK (DEN) |
New playing system
The new season also bring with it a new challenge for Europe’s top women’s teams with the introduction of a revamped played system.
In addition to the new final phase of the competition, the Women’s EHF FINAL4, which was successfully introduced during the 2013/14 season, the new playing system will see the reduction of the number of qualification rounds from two to one and the expansion of the Main Round to two groups of six teams.
The top four teams from each group will then qualify for the quarter-final knock-out phase, before the final remaining four teams compete in the season high point, the EHF FINAL4 on 9/10 May 2015.
Draws on Thursday, 26 June and Friday 27 June
An overview of the playing system and seeding list ahead of the first draw events of the season will be published on Monday, 23 June 2014.
The draw for the qualification tournaments in the Women’s EHF Champions League will take place on Thursday, 26 June at 14:00hrs and for the Group Matches on Friday, 27 June at 18:00hrs in Vienna, Austria. Live streaming will be available.
TEXT: EHF
