Two German sides – SC Magdeburg and Füchse Berlin – and one from France – HBC Nantes – and Spain – FC Barcelona – each qualified for the TruckScout EHF FINAL4 this season, after a dramatic quarter-final phase in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League.

The most dramatic quarter-final was the one between the reigning champions in the IHF Men’s Club World Championship, One Veszprém HC, and SC Magdeburg, the current Bundesliga champions.

Aiming high in their first season with coach Xavi Pascual on the bench, Veszprém mustered a draw, 26:26, in the first leg, when Magdeburg also lost wing Mathias Musche due to an Achilles injury, which will sideline him for several months.

With a full-blown injury crisis this season, Magdeburg bounced back in the second leg of the rematch of the final of the 2024 IHF Men’s Club World Championship, avenging that loss, 33:34 in extra-time, with an absolutely mind-blowing 28:27 away win in Veszprém, dealing the Hungarian side their maiden home loss of the season.

Swedish centre back Felix Claar scored seven goals, while centre back Gisli Kristjansson and line player Magnus Saugstrup added five goals each, with Veszprém registering a total collapse after they led by four goals in the first half, 10:6, and by three goals, 26:23, with 10 minutes to go.

But the Hungarian side scored a single goal in the last 10 minutes, enabling Magdeburg to finish the match on a 5:1 run and take the coveted EHF FINAL4 spot, proving once again the relentless nature of the team.

This will be the third consecutive appearance for Magdeburg in the EHF FINAL4, as another team punched their seventh consecutive ticket to Cologne, despite a loss in the second leg.

FC Barcelona are back to fight for the title they won 11 times, and three times in the past four seasons, after a hard-fought doubleheader with another Hungarian side, OTP Bank-Pick Szeged.

After a 27:24 loss, after a fantastic comeback, in the first half, Barcelona found themselves in uncharted territory in their Palau Blaugrana, where Szeged did their utmost to ruin the party.

Barça’s free-flowing attack was once again limited by a plucky Szeged side, which had a penchant for surprise, eliminating PSG in the play-offs, with another away comeback. But this time around, Barça managed to stay afloat as much as possible.

Backs Dika Mem and Domen Makuc combined for 11 goals, while Szeged had left wing Sebastian Frimmel score 10 times and the top goal scorer of the competition, the All-Star right wing of the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship add eight more goals, to take a 30:29 win in the second leg.

The largest Barça deficit in the closing minutes was two goals, but a goal from Petar Cikusa sealed the deal, with the Spanish champions aiming now for yet another title.

A high-octane doubleheader was the one between Füchse Berlin and Aalborg Håndbold and the German side had, once again, two huge matches from the 2024 IHF Male Player of the Year, Mathias Gidsel.

In the first leg, where Füchse were down six goals, 7:13, in the 19th minute, Gidsel scored 11 goals, to help his side take a 37:29 win. While that was more than enough for plain sailing in the second leg, Füchse provided another entertaining match, with a 40:36 win, where Gidsel added nine more goals.

This is the second team Füchse qualify for the EHF FINAL4, with the maiden appearance coming in 2012, when they lost both matches.

The final qualified team is HBC Nantes, which delivered a surprise against the dark horse of the season, Sporting CP. A 28:27 home win by Nantes, where left back Martim Costa had an otherworldly performance, with 16 goals, was followed by a 32:30 away win in Portugal.

Costa had another 14 goals, while his brother, the All-Star Young Player of the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship, Francisco, added 11 goals, but it was not enough for Sporting, as both top sides in Group A went crashing out.

The draw for the semi-final pairings is due to take place on Friday, 2 May, in Vienna, while the EHF FINAL4 is scheduled for 14 and 15 June, in the Lanxess Arena in Cologne.

Machineseeker EHF Champions League – quarter-finals

Füchse Berlin (GER) vs Aalborg Håndbold (DEN) 77:65 on aggregate
HBC Nantes (FRA) vs Sporting CP (POR) 60:57 on aggregate
OTP Bank – Pick Szeged (HUN) vs FC Barcelona (ESP) 54:56 on aggregate
SC Magdeburg (GER) vs One Veszprém HC (HUN) 54:53 on aggregate

Credit photo: FC Barcelona