2025–26 EHF European League

• Qualification Round: 24 teams will be drawn into 12 different home and away ties. The 12 winners will advance to the group stage. • Group Stage: The 20 teams already qualified along with the 12 winners of the qualification round will be drawn into 8 groups of 4 teams each, where they will play in a double round-robin format. The top 2 teams in each group will progress to the main round. Teams from the same country can't be drawn into the same group. • Main Round: The 16 group winners and runners-up will be placed in 4 groups of 4 teams each where they will play a single round-robin. The winners will advance directly to the quarterfinals, while 2nd and 3rd placed teams will qualify for the play-offs. • Play-offs: The 2nd and 3rd placed teams from each group in the main round will play in 4 different home and away ties. The winners will progress to the quarterfinals. • Quarter-finals: The main round group winners will face a play-off winner to determine who makes it to the European League finals. • EL finals: They will be played in a Final 4 format similar to the Champions League. ==Rankings==

The rankings are based on the performances of each club from a respective country from a three-year period. • Associations 1–2 can have four clubs qualify. • Associations 3–9 can have three clubs qualify. • Associations 10–18 can have two clubs qualify. • Associations below the top 18 are allowed to enter apply one club for a potential wildcard. Ranking facts ==Qualified teams==

The full list of teams qualified for each stage of the 2024–25 EHF European League was announced on 8 July 2025. The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round: • CW: Cup winners • CR: Cup runners-up • 1st, ..., 5th: League position of the previous season • EL: European League title holders • EC: European Cup title holders • WC: Accepted Wildcard • SPL: Special Play Off teams ==Round and draw dates==

Schedule ==Qualification round==

The draw for the qualification round was conducted on 15 July 2025 in Vienna, Austria. The eleven winners on aggregate advanced to the group stage. The first legs will be held on 30 to 31 August 2025 while the second legs will be held on 6–7 September 2025. Special Qualification Play off Unlike the other Play offs, the losers of this tie will drop down to the European Cup. ==Group stage==

The draw for the group stage was conducted on 18 July 2025 at the EHF office in Vienna. In the group stage, teams were ranked according to points (2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). After completion of the group stage, if two or more teams have scored the same number of points, the ranking will be determined as follows: Group A Group B Group C Group D Group E Group F Group G Group H ==Main round==

In the Main Round, the remaining sixteen teams played in four groups of four. Teams were matched with two opponents they had not previously played against in the Group Stage, while points against the teams that advanced from the same group were carried over. At the end of the Main Round, the four group winners advanced to the Quarterfinals, while 2nd- and 3rd-placed teams from each group qualified for the Play-offs. Group I Group II Group III Group IV ==Knockout stage==

In the play-offs, eight teams ranked 2nd and 3rd in Main Round Groups I through IV play against each other in home-and-away matches. The four winning teams advance to the Quarterfinals, where they are joined by winners of Main Round Groups I through IV for another round of home-and-away matches. The four Quarterfinal winners qualify for the Final Four tournament. Play-offs Overview Matches ---- ---- ---- Quarterfinals Overview Matches ---- ---- ---- ==Top goalscorers==