The EHF Finals Men – the business end of the second-tier European club competition, the EHF European League – will take place on 24 and 25 May in the Barclay Arena in Hamburg, with three German sides and one French side at the start.

For the third time in the last five years, three German teams have qualified for the EHF Finals, with THW Kiel, MT Melsungen and SG Flensburg-Handewitt making it to the last act of the competition.

Reigning champions SG Flensburg-Handewitt are aiming to become the first side to retain their trophy in the second-tier European competition, after another German side, Frisch Auf Göppingen, managed this feature in 2016 and 2017.

But they will be challenged by French side Montpellier Handball, which will face THW Kiel in the second semi-final, with the German side aiming to extend their domination in the second-tier European club competition, having won the EHF Cup – the previous iteration of the EHF European League Men - each time they played in it: in 1998, 2002, 2004 and 2019.

So far, Kiel are unbeaten in the competition this season, with 10 wins and two draws, and are holding a head-to-head advantage against Montpellier, having won nine of the 12 mutual matches, but last season, the two sides met in the quarter-finals of the EHF Champions League Men, where Montpellier won at home, 39:30, but Kiel mounted a spirited comeback in the second leg, 31:21, to qualify for the EHF FINAL4.

Provided that Kiel win the trophy, they will become the most decorated team in the history of the competition, being currently tied with SC Magdeburg and Frisch Auf Göppingen with four trophies each. Flensburg have won the EHF European League Men twice, in 1997 and 2024, while Montpellier and Melsungen are aiming for their first trophy.

The other semi-final, which pits MT Melsungen and SG Flensburg-Handewitt, is a 100% German one, as the two sides, which are currently placed second and sixth in the German Bundesliga, are vying for a place in the final.

While Flensburg are unbeaten this season, with 10 wins and two draws, MT Melsungen have come a long way, as they came in the competition via the Qualification Round early in the season in August 2024, and have won 11 matches, lost three and drawn two so far in the competition.

This is also the best European season in history for Melsungen, the team coached by the former Egypt men’s national team head coach, Roberto Garcia Parrondo, as the German side’s best result was the quarter-finals in the Men’s EHF Cup in the 2014/15 and 2016/17 seasons.

Seven world champions with Denmark in January 2025, Kevin Møller, Emil Jakobsen, Lukas Jørgensen, Simon Pytlick, Mads Mensah, Johan Hansen and Niclas Kirkeløkke, are in Flensburg’s roster, but Pytlick, the All-Star left back at the 2023 and 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship editions, as well as the All-Star left back at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, will miss the action through injury.

The semi-final between Flensburg and Melsungen is scheduled for Saturday, 24 May, at 15:00 CEST, while Kiel and Montpellier are due to play at 18:00 CEST. The bronze medal match will be played on Sunday, 25 May, at 15:00 CEST, followed by the final at 18:00 CEST.

Credit photo: Montpellier Handball / Patricia Sports