Two teams from one city, two debutants, two six-times winners, five former or current champions and 16 teams from 11 countries – those are only some numbers before the EHF Champions League Women season throws off on Saturday.
Read many more facts and figures before the 30th anniversary season begins here.
0 teams have been part of all eight EHF FINAL4 Women tournaments. Record winners Györ top the ranking with seven appearances.
1 time only Györ have missed the EHF FINAL4 in Budapest (in 2015). When they have been there, they missed the final in 2021 after losing in the semi-finals against Brest Bretagne, who are the only French finalists.
1 city is represented by two teams this season: Bucharest – by CSM Bucuresti and CS Rapid Bucuresti.
1 sustainable trophy, newly designed in 2020 and showing the moment the ball hits the net, is the prize the 16 teams will play for. Spanish agency Sustain Awards by Oiko Design Office produced the trophy.
1 draw is needed before the EHF FINAL4 Women – the one for the semi-finals. The remaining rounds in the pinnacle event are decided by the final ranking of the group phase.
2 debutants are among the 16 group phase participants: Romanian champions CS Rapid Bucuresti and Norwegian runners-up Storhamar.
2 clubs have defended their trophy at the EHF FINAL4 in Budapest: Györ in 2018 and 2019, and defending champions Vipers Kristiansand in 2022. By winning the 2019 edition of the tournament, Györ were the first women’s side to win the EHF Champions League three times in a row – but they have not won since then.
2 Norwegian clubs have won the EHF Champions League Women: Larvik in 2011 and Vipers in 2021 and 2022.
2 group winners and 2 runners-up directly qualify for the quarter-finals from the group phase.
2 teams per group, finishing in seventh and eight position in the final ranking, will end their European journey after the first stage of the competition.
2 Champions League debutants made it to Budapest in their first Champions League seasons, and one of them is part of the 2022/23 group phase: Vardar (2014) and CSM Bucuresti (2016).
2 times Györ have lost in a penalty shoot-out in EHF FINAL4 matches in Budapest – in 2016 against CSM Bucuresti in the final and in 2021 against Brest Bretagne in the semi-finals. Isabelle Gulldén was in both winning teams.
2 players who are part of the 2022/23 competition have won the Champions League six times: Katrine Lunde and Nora Mörk (both 2021 and 2022 winners with Vipers).
4 – which means all – teams from the EHF FINAL4 Women 2022 in Budapest are part of the group phase again: Vipers, Györ, Metz and Esbjerg.
4 times Ambros Martin has steered Györ to Champions League trophies. Since April 2021, he is back at the record winners. In total, Martin has coached in eight Champions League finals.
4 countries have produced the eight winners at the EHF FINAL4 Women so far: Hungary (4 titles), Norway (2), Montenegro and Romania (1 title each).
5 former or current EHF Champions League Women winners, including all the winners since 2012, are part of the 2022/23 group phase: Krim (2001, 2003), Buducnost (2012, 2015), Györ (2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019), CSM Bucuresti (2016) and Vipers (2021, 2022).
5 nations – in contrast to four in the 2021/22 season – have two teams each in the group phase: Norway, Romania, Denmark, France and Hungary.
7 of the 16 teams have already been part of the EHF FINAL4 Women in Budapest: Györ, Vipers, Metz, CSM Bucuresti, Brest Bretagne, Esbjerg and Buducnost.
11 nations are represented among the previous EHF Champions League Women winners: Denmark (6 titles), Hungary (6), Austria (4), Norway (3), Slovenia (2), Montenegro (2), North Macedonia, Spain, Croatia, Russia and Romania (all 1 title).
11 different nations – one less than in the previous season – are part of the group phase: Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Montenegro, Norway, Romania, Slovenia and Turkey.
11 clubs that were part of the 2021/22 group phase are back again: Odense, Esbjerg, Brest, Metz, FTC, Györ, CSM Bucuresti, Buducnost, Vipers, Kastamonu and Krim.
13 different clubs were part of the eight EHF FINAL4 Women events: Györ (7 times), Vardar (5 times), Buducnost (4), CSM Bucuresti (3), Vipers (3), Rostov-Don (2), Metz (2), Midtjylland, Volgograd, Larvik, CSKA, Brest and Esbjerg (all 1 appearance).
16 matches will decide the play-offs and the quarter-finals. The four play-off winners will be decided in ties between the teams ranked third to sixth after the group phase. The quarter-finals will consist of the two group winners, two runners-up and the four play-off winners. Both rounds are carried out in home and away matches.
16 from 16 previous seasons Györ have at least qualified for the quarter-finals of the competition. Györ have also reached the semi-finals 14 times
16 or 18 matches will be played by the four teams that make it to the EHF FINAL4 in Budapest (3/4 June 2023), depending on whether they skip the play-offs or not.
28 times – including the new season – Krim have participated in the EHF Champions League Women. They are one ahead of Buducnost (27 participations).
57 goals is the record total for an individual player at the EHF FINAL4 in Budapest, jointly held by Nycke Groot and Anita Görbicz.
112 group matches will be played between 10 September 2022 and 12 February 2023.
132 matches will be played before the 2022/23 winners are confirmed in Budapest on 4 June.
191 victories (20 draws and 43 defeats) in 254 Champions League matches make Györ the number one team in the competition's All-time ranking.
290 Champions League matches are in the history books of Buducnost. In round 10, they will become the first women's club to play 300 Champions League matches. Krim (currently on 284) will make it to 300 matches if they qualify for the knockout stage this season.
