Three German powerhouses – SG Flensburg-Handewitt, THW Kiel and MT Melsungen – plus French side Montpellier Handball are the four teams which have secured tickets for the EHF Finals Men 2026, the business end of the EHF European League Men, the second-tier European competition.

Coincidentally, this is exactly the same composition of the EHF Finals Men 2025, when Flensburg won twice in two days, including a 32:25 win in the final against Montpellier, to lift the title.

Joint-record holder in the competition, with four titles, THW Kiel were the team with the most dramatic path towards the EHF Finals Men 2026, as the German side qualified on penalties against Croatian side RK Nexe.

Nexe took the first leg, 33:30, therefore putting plenty of pressure on Nexe in the second leg, but after 30 minutes, it was still anyone’s match, with Kiel leading by only two goals, 17:15.

With Nexe down four goals in the last seconds, Croatian left back Tin Lucin scored with one second left on the clock to push the match to penalties, 30:27. But there, Kiel were stronger, scored four penalties, to Nexe’s two, and managed to secure their ticket with a 34:29 overall win.

Another close encounter was the one between FC Porto and German side MT Melsungen, with the German side entering the second leg with a five-goal lead, after a 28:23 home win.

At the break, Porto had a 12:9 lead, which morphed into a 15:10 lead after 35 minutes, with the largest gap being six goals. Still, with six minutes left, Porto were going to push the match to penalties, but Melsungen scored through Rubén Marchán, to seal the spot, after a 19:23 loss.

The reigning title holders, SG Flensburg-Handewitt, had a high-octane doubleheader, with Recken - TSV Hannover-Burgdorf providing entertaining drama, after a 39:39 draw in the first leg.

The Danish connection of Emil Jakobsen (10 goals), Lasse Moller (nine goals), Simon Pytlick (eight goals) and Niclas Kirkelokke (six goals) ran riot in the second leg, with a 43:35 win, as Flensburg scored 82 goals in the two matches to progress to the next phase of the competition.

The final spot was sealed by Montpellier Handball, which took a 33:23 dominating win in the first leg against HC Vardar 1961, allowing a 24:27 loss in the second leg, where Montpellier proved too strong for their counterparts.

23 of the 30 edition of the second-tier European competition were won by German sides and the trend seems to continue here, as the semi-finals pairings will be decided by a draw, set for Friday, 8 May, at 11:00 CEST.

The EHF Finals Men 2026 will take place on 30 and 31 May at the Barclays Arena in Hamburg, Germany.

EHF European League Men - quarter-finals

SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER) vs Recken - TSV Hannover-Burgdorf (GER) 82:74 on aggregate (39:39 and 43:35)
Montpellier Handball (FRA) vs HC Vardar 1961 (MKD) 57:50 on aggregate (33:23 and 24:27)
RK Nexe (CRO) vs THW Kiel (GER) 62:64 on aggregate (33:30 and 27:30 - THW Kiel won 4:2 on penalties)
MT Melsungen (GER) vs FC Porto (POR) 47:46 on aggregate (28:23 and 19:23)

Photo credit: MT Melsungen