With three German sides having qualified for Hamburg, a national derby on German soil in the semi-finals was guaranteed. The only question remaining of which two teams would contest it was answered in the draw at the Barclays Arena conducted by EHF President Michael Wiederer - Rhein-Neckar Löwen will play reigning champions Füchse Berlin.
Füchse Berlin are the only team from last season's EHF Finals Men to make it back to this stage 12 months on and a four-goal win away over HBC Nantes in the quarter-finals secured their ticket this time. Their triumph over BM Granollers a year ago was their third title at this level.
Rhein-Neckar Löwen sneaked past Sporting CP in the quarter-finals with a two-goal aggregate win. They are attempting to win their first European trophy since their EHF Cup triumph in 2013. More recently, they came third in the EHF Finals Men 2021.
German sides have dominated the second tier competition under its various guises, including winning eight of the 10 editions since a final four event (now known as the EHF Finals) was introduced in the 2013/14 season. Four final matches in that time have been all-German affairs.
Another one-nation affair in the final will be guaranteed if SG Flensburg-Handewitt win their semi-final, but their Romanian opponents Dinamo Bucuresti will have a lot to say about that.
Dinamo beat Skjern Handbold in the quarter-finals to become the first Romanian team to get to this stage of the men's second tier competition since CSM Constanța finished fourth in the 2013/14 EHF Cup. Dinamo are looking to better their best result at this level, when they came third in the 2003/04 EHF Cup.
Flensburg's last European trophy was the EHF Champions League a decade ago, and they will be keen to make amends for missing out on last year's EHF Finals, which they hosted. A huge first-leg win over IK Sävehof was the difference maker in the last eight.
The order in which the two pairings are drawn is not necessarily the same order in which the semi-finals will be played; the exact playing schedule will be confirmed in due course.
The EHF Finals throw off with the semi-finals on Saturday 25 May. The two teams losing their semi-final meet in the 3/4 placement match on Sunday 26 May, followed by the final on the same day when the 2023/24 champions will be crowned.
EHF FINALS MEN 2024
Semi-finals, Saturday 25 May 2024, live on EHFTV
Semi-final 1: SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER) vs Dinamo Bucuresti (ROU)
Semi-final 2: Rhein-Neckar Löwen (GER) vs Füchse Berlin (GER)
Exact playing order and throw-off times to be confirmed.
