The teams which had a better placement at the end of the group phase of the EHF Champions League Women emerged victorious, dominating the play-off doubleheaders, which were scheduled over the last two weekends.

Danish sides Odense Handbold and Team Esbjerg, plus Romanian side Gloria Bistrița and Hungarian contender FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria emerged victorious, not dropping a single second behind, as they secured their quarter-final places.

The closest match was the one between Danish champions Odense Handbold and Hungarian side DVSC Schaeffler, which was decided in the first leg, when Odense took a 37:32 win, after a spellbinding match.

A depleted Odense side had a guardian angel in goalkeeper Yara ten Holte in the first leg, when she saved 21 shots (39% saving efficiency), adding 14 saves in the second match, when DVSC pressured Odense and led by three goals at the break.

However, Odense bounced back, tied the score, 34:34, and will now face reigning champions Györi Audi ETO KC in the quarter-finals.

Another close call was the one between FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria and BV Borussia Dortmund, where the Hungarian side took a 58:52 aggregate win. FTC secured a clear 31:25 win in the first leg, where centre back Petra Simon, the 2024 IHF Young Female World Player of the Year, scored eight goals.

In the second leg, Dortmund stayed closed throughout the match, but with Simon scoring nine more goals, FTC salvaged a draw, 27:27. In the next phase, the Hungarian side are facing Metz Handball.

As the IHF Female World Player of the Year in 2023, 2024 and 2025, Henny Reistad, scored 11 goals in the first leg and added six more in the second leg, Team Esbjerg had no issues against HC Podravka, with the first leg being decisive.

Esbjerg took a 37:26 win in the first leg and managed the second match carefully, taking another 31:29 win, to secure a 68:55 aggregate win and set up the fourth clash in the last six years against CSM București in the quarter-finals of the competition. The previous three meetings were won by Esbjerg.

The last team qualified for the quarter-finals is Gloria Bistrița, with the Romanian side reaching this phase of the competition for the first time in their history, in the second appearance in the competition.

Bistrița took a 35:34 win in the first leg, when left back Danila So Delago scored 11 goals, but the second leg was full of twists and turns, with Ikast leading by two goals midway in the second half.

But So Delgado took the match by her grip and scored 14 goals from 19 shots to lift Bistrița to a 37:28 win and set up a crunch clash against Brest Bretagne Handball in the quarter-finals.

Reistad is still the top scorer of the competition, with 114 goals, 10 more than So Delgado, while left back Julie Scaglione scored 103 goals for Ikast this season, being the only three players which scored in triple digits so far.

The quarter-finals of the EHF Champions League Women are scheduled on 18/19 and 25/26 April, with the first legs played on the home courts of the teams which have qualified from the play-offs.

The four winners of the quarter-finals will qualify for the EHF FINAL4, due to take place on 6 and 7 June in the MVM Dome in Budapest.

EHF Champions League Women – play-offs

HC Podravka (CRO) vs Team Esbjerg (DEN) 55:68 on aggregate (26:37; 29:31)
BV Borussia Dortmund (GER) vs FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria (HUN) 52:58 on aggregate (25:31; 27:27)
Ikast Handbold (DEN) vs Gloria Bistrița (ROU) 62:72 on aggregate (34:35; 28:37)
DVSC Schaeffler (HUN) vs Odense Handbold (DEN) 66:71 on aggregate (32:37; 34:34)

EHF Champions League Women – quarter-finals (18/19 and 25/26 April)

Team Esbjerg (DEN) vs CSM București (ROU)
FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria (HUN) vs Metz Handball (FRA)
Gloria Bistrița (ROU) vs Brest Bretagne Handball (FRA)
Odense Handbold (DEN) vs Györi Audi ETO KC (HUN)

Photo credit: Gloria Bistrița / WolfArt Agency