While Klujber has been Hungary’s top scorer at the last two editions of the EHF EURO, as well as at Paris 2024, she has never finished first in the tournament overall. In 2020, on her debut at the EURO, she scored 30 goals. In 2022, she struck 38 times — the same figure she recorded at this year’s Olympic Games.

The first stop in the new year for the Match of the Week cameras, bringing their extensive and exclusive coverage to EHFTV and the EHF Champions League social media channels, will be Denmark, where Odense Håndbold welcome Györi Audi ETO KC on Sunday 12 January at 16:00 CET.

Two places in the group B table separate the two sides, with Györ leading the standings, yet Odense are just a point behind and have the chance to do the double over the Hungarian side this season and preserve their perfect home record in the competition.

On Saturday 18, the MOTW show moves north to Norway for an all-Scandinavian clash between Vipers Kristiansand at Team Esbjerg at 18:00 CET.

Esbjerg sit between Györ and Odense in the table after eight rounds, level on points with their Danish compatriots, while former champions Vipers sit fifth. However, The Kristiansand side are still a force to be reckoned with at home, with picking up all seven of their points in front of their own fans.

We remain in group B for round 11 and head to the home of the current champions, Györ, where they will be welcoming Buducnost on Saturday 25 January 2025 at 18:00.

As things stand, this match is top vs bottom, but will that be the case by the time they face each other? As well as Odense, Györ will have had another tricky tie against Brest Bretagne Handball, while Buducnost will be aiming for their first wins against poor travellers Vipers and the side currently sitting in the all-important sixth place, HB Ludwigsburg.

All MOTW games are streamed live on EHFTV with English commentary and receive extensive coverage including exclusive behind-the-scenes footage across all EHF Champions League social media channels as well as on the dedicated live blog on eurohandball.com.

Scroll down to see the MOTW schedule in full.

Almost 7,000 tickets are available via the official shop, accessible at
tickets.eurohandball.com.

Until 15 January 2025 an early-bird offer applies with prices already starting at €29. All tickets are valid for the semi-finals on Saturday and the medal matches on Sunday. VIP tickets will go on sale at a later stage.

• Category 1: 71,900 Ft (€175*)
• Category 2: 54,900 Ft (€134*)
• Category 3: 40,900 Ft (€100*)
• Category 4 24,900 Ft (€61*)
• Category 5 11,900 Ft (€29*)

*Prices in € are approximate, depending on the exchange rate on the day of purchase.

With a huge demand for tickets expected, make sure you do not miss out on this chance to witness some of the best in women’s handball by securing your spot in Budapest! It is advised to purchase tickets only from official providers and ticket partners.

A celebration of women’s handball 

2025 marks the 11th year that the EHF FINAL4 Women is played in Budapest. In 2023, an attendance world record for women’s club handball was set, with 20,022 fans in the MVM Dome.

Last year an extension of the agreement until 2027 between the Hungarian Handball Federation (HHF), the Hungarian National Event Management Agency (NEMA), the European Handball Federation and its marketing arm, EHF Marketing, was announced.

David Szlezak, Managing Director of EHF Marketing, said: “Since 2014 we have been crafting a sound foundation for sustainable success which we will now expand and grow together with the HHF and NEMA. Collectively, we will be continuing to set standards in terms of organisation to further guarantee what the EHF FINAL4 has always been: a true celebration of top-class women’s handball and a premium event and platform for our sponsors and partners.”

Ferenc Ilyés, President of HHF, added: “After the successful and tenth EHF FINAL4 this year, the event will be held in Budapest for another three years, so together with our organising partners, the NEMA, the EHF and EHF Marketing, our goal is to raise the EHF FINAL4 to an even higher level. We are expecting fans from more countries than ever before since this weekend and the MVM Dome is a place to be!”

Dr Mátyás Falvai, CEO of NEMA, said: “In recent years, it has become clear to all handball lovers that Hungarian fans can create an extraordinary atmosphere at EHF FINAL4 matches, and this is felt by foreign fans coming to our country as well as by the teams playing in the finals. As organisers, our main task remains to ensure the highest level of conditions for outstanding sporting performances and passionate cheering also in 2025.”

The EHF Champions League Women returns on 11 January 2025 for the second part of the 2024/25 season. Six more rounds in group phase are to be played before the first knockout round is scheduled for the end of March. The quarter-finals will be played on 19/20 and 26/27 April 2025.

Norway had secured first place in group II on the previous main round day, Monday, thanks to their perfect record of wins so far at the EHF EURO 2024. The results up to Wednesday’s games left Denmark and the Netherlands in a direct encounter to decide the semi-final spot, and it was the Scandinavian side who clinched it after leading throughout the match.

Denmark have now booked a semi-final clash with current world champions France, while Norway will play Hungary. After ranking sixth at both the 2022 and 2020 editions of the EHF EURO, the Netherlands will play the 5/6 placement match for the third straight time, meeting Sweden.

GROUP II

Denmark vs Netherlands 30:26 (15:13)

• after 1:1, the score was only level once, at 8:8 in the 17th minute; aside from that, Denmark were always in the lead, with their advantage stretching as clear as three goals multiple times in the first half and growing through the last quarter of the match
• Denmark goalkeeper Anna Kristensen had a significant influence, with 10 saves at a rate of 48 per cent in the first half and a total of 16 at 39 per cent
• the Netherlands replaced Yara ten Holte with Rinka Duijndam in goal in the 21st minute, when Kristensen counted seven saves to ten Holte’s two; at that point, Denmark’s attack was dominated by three players with three goals apiece — backs Anne Mette Hansen and Michala Møller and right wing Trine Østergaard
• right back Dione Housheer, who received the Grundfos Player of the Match award, scored 10 goals from as many attempts and mostly found that success on breakthroughs; aside from that, the Netherlands had trouble against Denmark’s 6-0 defence and Kristensen
• although they came within one goal three times in the opening five minutes of the second half, the last time the Netherlands were that close was at 18:17 in the 36th, after which Denmark pulled away and kept comfortably in front to the buzzer

While the semi-finals are played on Friday 13 December and the 2024 champions will be crowned on Sunday, several corporate events take place on the fringes of the final tournament, including the 16th Extraordinary EHF Congress and the opening of the ‘European Handball House’, the new EHF headquarters.

The prelude to the weekend will be the meeting of the EHF Executive Committee on Friday morning. It is the body’s fifth and final of the meeting of the year, and while the Women’s EHF EURO will be the focus, several key decisions are expected to be taken.

Saturday 14 December starts with the 17th EHF Conference of Presidents (CoP). On the occasion, the EHF will present an overview on its running Master Plan activities with a special focus on sustainability and the new EHF Grassroots Charter.

The charter, aimed at creating a wider handball community, expanding the sport’s fan base and the potential handball workforce, was first presented at the Conference for Secretaries General in Copenhagen earlier this year and its introduction confirmed by the EXEC in September.

The CoP closes with an overview on the EHF EUROs just played in 2024, an outlook to the championships in 2026 and a preview of the EHF’s activities in 2025.

EHF Excellence Awards seek the season’s best players

Three players who made the EHF EURO 2022 All-star Team are nominated once more — left wing Emma Friis of Denmark, right back Katrin Klujber of Hungary, and best defender Pauletta Foppa from France. Foppa is nominated both as a defender, and as line player.

The 2022 tournament MVP, Henny Reistad, receives a nomination as one of the best centre backs of this year’s championship.

Semi-finalists France and Hungary have received the most nominations, nine each, with reigning champions and main round group II winners Norway picking up seven nominations.

Young player nominees Alicia Boiciuc (Romania), Mia Emmenegger (Switzerland) and Petra Simon (Hungary) are all also nominated for their respective playing positions.

To vote for your All-star Team, open or download the Home of Handball app. Voting is open until 23:59 on Saturday 14 December.