For the first time in history, two French teams will play in the EHF FINAL4, after both Metz Handball and Brest Bretagne Handball secured their tickets for the showdown in Budapest. They are joined in the business end of the EHF Champions League Women by Romanian side CSM București and title holders Györi Audi ETO KC.

After an eight-years drought, CSM București are back between the top sides in the EHF Champions League Women, securing their maiden EHF FINAL4 spot since the 2017/18 season, when they finished on the third place.

The Romanian side finally made good on their promise to return to the elite, after seven consecutive seasons of being eliminated in the quarter-finals of the competition – excluding the Covid-19-cancelled 2019/20 season – eliminating Danish side Team Esbjerg, after a fantastic doubleheader.

Esbjerg, which are boasting some of the best talent of the planet, with three-time IHF Female World Player of the Year, Henny Reistad, as well as right back Nora Mørk or goalkeeper Anna Kristensen in their squad, won the first leg, 26:25, but needed an improved performance in the second match.

However, CSM threw off with a 6:0 unanswered run, basically dictating the tempo throughout the whole match. 14 saves from goalkeeper Evelina Eriksson, plus six goals each from centre back Elisabeth Omoregie and right wing Trine Østergaard, ensured that Esbjerg never cut back the lead to more than three goals.

And with CSM firing from all cylinders in attack, they completed a run of nine wins in their last 10 matches in the competition to take a 63:52 aggregate win. It was CSM’s first win in four tries against Esbjerg in the quarter-finals of the European premium competition, with the Romanian side now vying for their second title in history, after winning the competition at its debut, in 2016.

Since the introduction of the EHF FINAL4 system in the 2013/14 season, Györi Audi ETO KC have won the competition six times from 11 editions, and were present in 10 of those editions, missing out only in the 2014/15 season.

The title holders are aiming to make their second three-peat in history and win the title for the eighth time, after dominating Odense Handbold in their doubleheader, with two clear wins, 36:28 and 40:25.

All but two of Györ’s outfield players scored at least one goal in each of the two matches, with Dutch right back Dione Housheer, a former Odense player, netting 17 times in the two matches combined, while Danish back Kristina Jörgensen added 12 goals.

The 2025 IHF Young Female World Player of the Year, Viola Leuchter, scored eight goals for Odense over the doubleheader. This tie was the rematch of last year’s final, which Györ took, 29:27.

Brest Bretagne Handball have qualified for the EHF FINAL4 for the second time in history and for the first time since the 2020/21 season, when they lost the final against Vipers Kristiansand.

Brest won their group in the preliminary round and continued their march for another final with two wins against quarter-finals debutants Gloria Bistrița, albeit needing to sweat for the results.

In the first leg, Brest overcame a Bistrița comeback to take a 36:35 win, and in the first 25 minutes of the second leg, the Romanian side led by one or two goals, only to collapse between the 25th and the 35th minutes, when Brest built their advantage.

Eight goals from the MVP of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Anna Vyakhireva, sealed the dealed for Brest, which took another clear win, 36:30, being the team with the largest number of goals scored per match so far, 34.1.

Brest will be joined by EHF FINAL4 regulars Metz Handball, which made the business end of the competition for the fourth time in the past five seasons and for the fifth time in history.

Metz had the toughest job between the four qualifiers, as their first leg against FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria ended in a stalemate, 31:31, with the second leg, in France, being the decider.

The French side took a healthy lead at the break, 18:12, and boosted by the eight goals scored by left back Tyra Axnér and seven goals by the All-Star line player of the 2025 IHF Women’s World Championship, Sarah Bouktit, they qualified thanks to their 31:28 win. The 2024 IHF Young Female World Player of the Year, Petra Simon, scored 11 goals for the Hungarian side.

The draw for the EHF FINAL4 will take place on Monday, 27 April, at 15:00 CEST, with the business end of this season’s EHF Champions League Women taking place on 7 and 8 June, in Budapest.

Esbjerg’s Henny Reistad is on track to secure her consecutive top goal scorer title in the EHF Champions League Women, having 131 goals scored, 10 more than Gloria Bistrița’s Daniela So Delgado, and 26 more than Bouktit.

EHF Champions League Women – quarter-finals 

Team Esbjerg (DEN) vs CSM București (ROU) 52:63 on aggregate (26:25; 27:37)
FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria (HUN) vs Metz Handball (FRA) 59:62 on aggregate (31:31; 28:31)
Gloria Bistrița (ROU) vs Brest Bretagne Handball (FRA) 65:72 on aggregate (35:36; 30:36)
Odense Handbold (DEN) vs Györi Audi ETO KC (HUN) 53:76 on aggregate (28:36; 25:40) 

Photo credit: Gloria Bistrița / WolfArt Agency