One former champion, six countries, eight teams, and 2,643 goals

Here are the most important facts and figures ahead of the quarter-finals.

0 teams won all their group matches; CS Gloria 2018 BN were the only side who remained unbeaten, with five wins and a draw.

0 teams from the same country meet in the quarter-finals, although two nations both have two teams in the competition: Norway (Sola HK and Storhamar Elite Handball) and Romania (Gloria and H.C. Dunarea Braila).

1 of the eight quarter-final participants started their EL 2023/24 campaign all the way back in qualification round 1: Braila.

1 former winner of the EHF European League is part of the quarter-finals this season: Neptunes Nantes, champions in 2021.

1 former EHF Champions League winner made it to the European League quarter-finals: HC Podravka Vegeta, who won the Champions League in 1996.

1 team that played last season’s final failed to advance from the group phase: runners-up Falster Nyköbing Håndbold; titleholders Ikast Handbold play in the Champions League this season.

1 of the four EHF Finals 2023 participants is part of the quarter-finals: Thüringer HC.

1 player in the quarter-finals has won all three major events with her national team at least once in her career: Sola’s Camilla Herrem is one-time Olympic, three-time world, and five-time EHF EURO champion with Norway.

2 times in a row, the Austrian city of Graz hosts the EHF Finals: in 2023 and again this year.

2 of the 48 group matches ended in a draw.

2 teams ended their group phase campaign with zero points: HC Lokomotiva Zagreb and competition debutants CSM Targu Jiu.

3 quarter-finalists from 2022/23 are back in the same stage of the European League this season: Nantes, Sola, and THC.

3 teams make their debut in the European League quarter-finals: Motherson Mosonmagyarovari KC, Podravka, and Storhamar.

3 times have Nantes been part of the quarter-finals – in 2021, 2023, and 2024. Braila, Sola, and THC appear in this stage for the second time.

4 quarter-finalists played one qualification round before the group phase: Nantes, Podravka, Sola, and Storhamar.

5 of the 48 group matches ended with 45 or fewer goals scored.

6 clubs from six different countries have won the European second-tier competition in the last six seasons (EHF Cup until 2019/20).

6 different nations are represented in the quarter-finals: Norway and Romania (both with two teams), Croatia, France, Germany and Hungary.

7 of the 48 matches in the group phase ended with 60 or more goals; the best mark was 69, when Sola beat Targu Jiu 40:29.

11 was the highest number of points for a team in the group phase – for unbeaten group C winners Gloria; four teams finished on 10 points each: Braila, Sola, Storhamar, and THC.

17 of the 48 group matches were won by the away team, one more than last season.

18 goals was the biggest winning margin in the group phase, when Storhamar beat Vác 35:17.

29 group matches – two less than last season – were won by the home team.

60 goals make Vác player Csenge Kuczora the top scorer of the group phase – just like last season, when she scored 48 goals; both times Vác failed to advance from the group phase.

195 was the highest number of goals scored by a team in the group phase, by Sola in group D.

2,643 goals were scored in the group phase – 47 less than last season – for an average of 55.06 goals per match, ranging from 617 goals in group A to 714 goals in group C.

8,290 fans in total attended Gloria’s three home matches in the group phase.

Photos © Thomas Cavigneaux, Kenneth McDowell, VaBit/CS Gloria 2018 BN