One day to throw-off at TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2026

• coverage of the day before throw-off at the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2026 — the final weekend of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2025/26
• Saturday's semi-finals:
  
  • 15:00 CEST SC Magdeburg vs Füchse Berlin
  • 18:00 CEST Aalborg Håndbold vs Barça
• Sunday's schedule:
  • 15:00 CEST 3/4 placement match
  • 18:00 CEST final
• find all information about the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2025/26, including results throughout the season, individual statistics and news, here
• Courtney Gahan reporting live from Cologne; photos by kolektiff images

Friday 12 June

10:56

Over to Aalborg now, where I spoke to Sander Sagosen about their “Road to Cologne,” his hopes for this TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4, and above all, his deep connection to the club. Sagosen moved to Aalborg early in his career, aged 18, and it is there that he developed into the megastar he would become. 

“You reach for your dreams, and you work towards your goals, and you achieve and you achieve and it's the first time,” said Sagosen. 

“Despite that it’s every time special winning a title, the first time is always the most special one,” he added, referring to the Danish league title won in 2017 — a feat Aalborg have just replicated, making it a three-peat in Denmark. 

Sagosen says that how far Aalborg has come is a testament to the way they work — something that struck him from the beginning, back in 2014, before he departed in 2017 then returned in 2025. 

“For me coming here, I was 18 years old. Quite young. An inexperienced player. They took really good care of me. It was like coming to a family, with the club, with the team, with the players, and also the fans — everything, the whole thing around this club is so special for me. 

“It's quite unique and I think how far this club also has come shows how they work, not only on the handball pitch, but that it’s a family who's working on it.”

Aalborg have yet to win the EHF Champions League, and Sagosen hopes the team can deliver on that biggest dream this weekend — an achievement that would be extremely special for the Norwegian who has taken the title once before, with Kiel in 2020. Read the whole story below! 

10:43

From 12:30 CEST, the activity in Cologne picks up as the media calls begin, with all four semi-finalists taking part in interviews. Five players from each team plus their head coach are available for media in a relaxed setting, which sets the scene for insightful conversations about the upcoming semi-finals, the weekend in general and of course the season behind.

We will be bringing you lots of insights from those interviews. While we wait for the media calls to roll around, let’s dive into some of the special stories we’ve prepared in the preceding weeks.

First up, take a look at the latest instalment of the Handball Masterminds series, which features Barça coach Carlos Ortega. Ortega has won an incredible nine EHF Champions League titles — six in his time as a player and two as coach, all with Barça. Check out the episode below!

10:30

Good morning and welcome to Friday's live blog coverage straight from the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2026! 

The big weekend of action awaits, with the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2025/26 semi-finals coming up on Saturday and the finals on Sunday.

Friday is all about the final preparations all round — the last interviews to gather key insights from players and coaches, the last match analysis and strategising, and the last organising at LANXESS arena before fans and the teams arrive for the opening party.

This live blog will guide you through every minute of the day, getting started with some basic info before — see where to watch the games and read the preview of the semi-finals. You can also test your knowledge of the EHF FINAL4 Men with our quiz.