Men's elite 16 teams learn their group phase fate

A challenging group awaits the record EHF Champions League winners Barça after the group phase draw in Vienna outlined the European journey for all 16 participants from September until March 2021.

The draw, conducted by the EHF President Michael Wiederer, sent the eight-time winners from Barcelona into an extremely formidable company in group B with Telekom Veszprém HC, THW Kiel, Aalborg Håndbold, HBC Nantes, HC Motor, RK Celje Pivovarna Laško and HC PPD Zagreb.

Barça goalkeeper Gonzalo Perez de Vargas commented on the draw: "A really tough group, but on the other hand the other one is not much easier. Interestingly enough three out of four contenders at the EHF FINAL4 in December will meet in this group (Barça, Veszprém, Kiel). Anyway, it is good to have everything back on the track and a great feeling to know the schedule and the plan."

By no means easier group A consists of the last champions from 2019 HC Vardar 1961, Paris Saint-Germain Handball, PGE Kielce, FC Porto Sofarma, MOL-Pick Szeged, HC Meshkov Brest, SG Flensburg-Handewitt and Elverum Handball.

The first round will be played on 16-17 September and the group phase will conclude in the beginning of March next year. The group phase schedule will be confirmed at the later stage.

EHF Champions League Men 2020/21 Group phase

Group A

HC Vardar 1961

Paris Saint-Germain Handball

PGE Kielce

FC Porto Sofarma

MOL-Pick Szeged

HC Meshkov Brest

SG Flensburg-Handewitt

Elverum Handball

Group B

Barça

Telekom Veszprém HC

THW Kiel

Aalborg Håndbold

HBC Nantes

HC Motor

RK Celje Pivovarna Laško

HC PPD Zagreb

Europe’s premium competition open their new chapter after the EHF has teamed up with Infront and DAZN for the next decade and the EHF Champions League will get a fresh look across several layers.

New brand, new playing system and new trophy

Already before the group phase draw the new attractive brand identity has been rolled out, the competition will be played in a new playing system and also the playing times have been fixed with Wednesdays and Thursdays reserved for the EHF Champions League Men. On every match day an appointment to view has been confirmed with all matches starting either at 18:45 or 20:45 (CET/CEST).

The group phase will be followed by the play-offs and the quarter-finals, to find the four teams that will battle for the prestigious title in the LANXESS arena in Cologne. On the fringes of the draw in Vienna also the brand new trophy for the winners of the EHF FINAL4 Men 2021 has been unveiled.