The four teams which made it through to the EHF Finals Women are now known, after reigning champions Thüringer HC and French side JDA Bourgogne Dijon HB return to the business end of the European second tier competition, while Danish side Viborg HK and Hungarian debutants MOL Esztergom complete the line-up.

Just like last season, Thüringer HC took a healthy enough lead in the first leg of the quarter-finals to progress to the business end of the EHF European League Women, eliminating Danish side Nykøbing Falster Håndbold in the process.

Once again, Thüringer’s left back, Johanna Reichert, was the shining light for Herbert Müller’s team, as she will most likely repeat her performance from last season, when she was the top scorer of the competition.

In two high-octane matches, Reichert first scored 12 goals in the first leg against NFH to lift her side to a 31:27 win, but the second leg was nothing less than exciting. By halftime, NFH cancelled that advantage, taking a 22:18 lead, but Reichert was once again absolutely sublime.

She scored 15 goals throughout the match and reeled Thüringer back into the qualification equation, taking her total to 27 goals in the two matches and 98 goals overall, to keep NFH at bay, 36:37, and secure a second consecutive apperance in the EHF Finals for Thüringer.

The second team which will make back-to-back appearances at the EHF Finals is French outfit JDA Bourgogne Dijon Handball. Last year, they finished third, but now they will be eyeing the title, after securing six wins and one draw in eight matches throughout the season.

In the quarter-finals against RK Lokomotiva Zagreb, there was no question about the winners, as Dijon took a 30:20 away win in the first leg, with Danish centre back Stine Nørklit Lønborg scoring 13 goals.

Lønborg added seven more in the second leg, where Lokomotiva Zagreb had a one-goal lead at the break, but failed to produce anything meaningful in the last 30 minutes, scoring only seven goals on their way to another loss, 20:28.

Viborg HK finished second in their group, behind Dijon, but a convincing 35:26 win against CS Rapid București was the deciding factor in them progressing to the EHF Finals, as Viborg aim to add more silverware to their cabinet.

The Danish side managed to keep their cool against Rapid in the second leg and the gap between the two sides hovered between two and three goals throughout the match, until Rapid tried their best in the end, but could only muster a 32:26 win.

Viborg is a three-time winner of the EHF Champions League Women, and a three-time winner of the second-tier European competition (1994, 1999, 2004) and could well be placed to challenge for yet another trophy.

The quartet of the teams qualified for the EHF Finals Women 2026 is completed by Hungarian side MOL Esztergom. A debutant in the competition, they won convincingly the doubleheader against fellow Hungarian side Motherson Mosonmagyaróvári KC, 36:25 and 32:27, with Mosonmagyaróvári also seeing a coach replacement, as Dragan Adzic said his goodbye to the team after the first loss.

The EHF Finals are scheduled for 16 and 17 May, with the hosts to be announced. A draw will decide the semi-final pairings, with no protection between the participating teams.

EHF European League Women – quarter-finals

Nykøbing Falster Håndbold (DEN) vs Thüringer HC (GER) 64:67 on aggregate (27:31; 37:36)
Motherson Mosonmagyaróvári KC (HUN) vs MOL Esztergom (HUN) 52:68 on aggregate (25:36; 27:32)
Viborg HK (DEN) vs CS Rapid București (ROU) 61:58 on aggregate (35:26; 26:32)
RK Lokomotiva Zagreb (CRO) vs JDA Bourgogne Dijon Handball (FRA) 40:58 on aggregate (20:30; 20:28)

Photo credit: Sabin Malisevschi / CS Rapid București