Groups set for new EHF Champions League Women season
The anniversary 30th season of the EHF Champions League Women is ready for throw-off. The 16 participants in the upcoming campaign have been divided over two groups during the 2022/23 group phase draw in Vienna on Friday.
Titleholders Vipers Kristiansand will avoid another duel with last season's final opponents Györi Audi ETO KC in the group phase of the 2022/23 season. Both heavyweights have been drawn into a different group.
Two-time defending champions Vipers will face the likes of fellow Scandinavian side Odense Håndbold, two-time former champions Krim Mercator Ljubljana, 2021 finalists Brest Bretagne Handball, and 2016 winners CSM Bucuresti.
Record champions Györ will be up against two teams that also played at the EHF FINAL4 Women 2022 last month – Metz Handball and Team Esbjerg – as well two-time trophy holders WHC Buducnost BEMAX and debutants CS Rapid Bucuresti.
The EHF Champions League Women 2022/23 starts with round 1 of the group phase on 10/11 September 2022, with all matches again to be played on Saturdays and Sundays.
The match schedule for both groups will be announced in due time.
The top-six ranked teams in each group will qualify for the knockout phase: both the group winners and runners-up head directly into the quarter-finals; the teams ranked third through sixth advance to the play-offs.
The season will be concluded by the EHF FINAL4 Women in Budapest on 3/4 June 2023.
EHF Champions League Women 2022/23 group phase:
Group A:
Odense Håndbold (DEN), Vipers Kristiansand (NOR), Krim Mercator Ljubljana (SLO), SG BBM Bietigheim (GER), Brest Bretagne Handball (FRA), FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria (HUN), DHK Baník Most (CZE), CSM Bucuresti (ROU)
Group B:
Györi Audi ETO KC (HUN), Metz Handball (FRA), CS Rapid Bucuresti (ROU), WHC Buducnost BEMAX (MNE), Storhamar Handbåll Elite (NOR), Team Esbjerg (DEN), Kastamonu Belediye GSK (TUR), HC Lokomotiva Zagreb (CRO)
