The play-offs concluded in the EHF Champions League Women last weekend, with four teams progressing to the quarter-finals, completing the table for the penultimate stage of the European premium competition before the EHF FINAL4 in Budapest.

The Romanian derby between CSM București and Rapid București had a clear finish, with CSM, the current champions in the domestic league, delivering two excellent performances to progress to the next phase.

The second scorer of the competition, with 103 goals, centre back Elizabeth Omoregie scored seven goals in the first leg, won by CSM, 34:24, and five goals in the second leg, won by CSM, 28:22, to lift her side to the quarter-finals for the 10th time in a row and for the 10th time in 10 appearances in the competition for CSM.

Cristina Neagu, the four-time IHF Female Player of the Year, added 10 goals in the doubleheader, as she is currently the all-time leading scorer of the competition, with 1221 goals, as CSM meet Esbjerg for the third time in four years in the quarter-finals, with the Danish side progressing to the EHF FINAL4 both times.

Another clear win was secured by Odense Håndbold, which made it to the quarter-finals for the fourth time in history, with a clear 58:41 aggregate win over Norwegian side Storhamar Handball Elite.

The 33:20 and 25:21 wins saw Odense secure the largest aggregate margin of win in the play-offs since the 2021/22 season in the EHF Champions League Women, as the Danish side was boosted by the transfer of goalkeeper Katrine Lunde, who signed for Odense after her former club, Vipers Kristiansand, folded.

Brest Bretagne Handball have returned to the quarter-finals for the first time since the 2021/22 season, with a 61:54 aggregate win over HC Podravka Vegeta. After conceding a 26:27 loss in the first leg, the French side secured their maiden win in the Champions League since January 2025, dominating the Croatian side in the second leg, 35:27.

Brest, with Raphaelle Tervel in her first season as the team’s coach, will face fellow French side Metz Handball in a crunch quarter-final.

The only team ranked lower than their opponent in the group phase but progress to the next phase was HB Ludwigsburg, last season’s runners-up. In the midst of a mediocre season, Ludwigsburg delivered a great first leg against Krim Mercator Ljubljana, eliminating the Slovenian team from contention.

A 31:21 win was followed by a 23:26 loss in the second leg, where right back Ana Gros, the third best scorer of the season, with 91 goals, scored 10 times. Krim led by as many as five goals in the second leg, but failed to produce a miraculous comeback, as Jovanka Radicevic, the second best scorer in the history of the competition, with 1181 goals, played her last match in the EHF Champions League Women.

The first leg of the quarter-finals will take place on 19/20 April, while the second leg for the four doubleheaders is scheduled for 26/27 April. 

Play-offs 

Rapid București (ROU) vs CSM București (ROU) 46:62 on aggregate
Storhamar Handball Elite (NOR) vs Odense Håndbold (DEN) 41:58 on aggregate
HB Ludwigsburg (GER) vs Krim Mercator Ljubljana (SLO) 54:47 on aggregate
HC Podravka Vegeta (CRO) vs Brest Bretagne Handball (FRA) 54:61 on aggregate

Quarter-finals

Brest Bretagne Handball (FRA) vs Metz Handball (FRA)
HB Ludwigsburg (GER)  vs Györi Audi ETO KC (HUN)
Odense Håndbold (DEN) vs FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria (HUN)
CSM București (ROU) vs Team Esbjerg (DEN)