On Sunday evening, the groups of the 2024 Champions League will be complete. The winners of the four qualification groups will join the wild-card holders.
The remaining 14 participants will continue the season in the LEN Euro Cup.
There will be 36 teams in the LEN Euro Cup. 22 clubs entered the competition and they will be joined by the eliminated teams from the Champions League Qualifications.
The draw for the qualifications (September 22 – 24) will be held in Netanya on Monday.
The 36 teams will be split into five groups in the qualifications (four groups of four and four groups with five teams).
The competition formula of the LEN Euro Cup has been changed and will be similar to the Champions League.
After the qualifications, 16 teams (the top two from each qualification group) will play in the group stage – four groups of four. After six days of the Group stage, which will be held in October, November, and December, the top two teams from each group will advance to the eight-finals (home and away matches, to be played in March), followed by the quarterfinals (in April). The season ends with the Final Four (May 17 – 18).
Teams entered the Men’s LEN Euro Cup (the countries ranked 1st – 11th in the LEN Clubs’ ranking had the right to enter up three teams each in the competition):
Mladost Zagreb (Croatia), Solaris (Croatia), Pays d’Aix Natation (France), Sete Natation (France), White Sharks Hannover (Germany), Ludwigsburg 08 (Germany), OSC Potsdam (Germany), Panionios (Greece), Peristeri (Greece), Panathinaikos (Greece), A-Hid Vasas Plaket (Hungary), BVSC-Zuglo (Hungary), Szolnoki Dozsa Praktiker (Hungary), Telimar Palermo (Italy), Pallanuoto Trieste (Italy), Rari Nantes Savona (Italy), Partizan Beograd (Serbia), Sabac (Serbia), Valis (Serbia), Terrassa (Spain), Mataro (Spain), Tenerife Echeyde (Spain).
The pots for the draw will be formed according to the LEN Ranking.
LEN Challenger Cup
Besides the LEN Euro Cup draw, the draws for both LEN Challenger Cups will be staged on Monday in Netanya.
These two competitions will see many nations that didn’t play in the European cups in the past several years. The teams from the countries that are ranked below 11th place in the Men’s LEN Clubs’ Ranking list and 5th place in the LEN Women’s Clubs’ Ranking list could enter the Challenger Cup.
The Men’s Challenger Cup will have one qualification round, which will take place on November 3-5, as 19 teams enter the competition. The teams will be divided into four groups. The top two ranked teams from each group will qualify for the quarter-finals.
For the first-ever LEN Challenger Cup for women, 15 teams are set to play in the qualifications (October 20 – 22). They will be divided into three groups of five teams each, with the top two ranked teams from each group qualifying for the Final Six. The Final Six will be held in one site and the teams will play in two groups of three before contesting in the semi-finals and finals.
Participants in the Men’s Challenger Cup:
Royal Dauphins Mouscronnis (Belgium), Banja Luka (Bosnia And Herzegovina), KVT Komodor (Bulgaria), Apoel Nicosia (Cyprus), Cetus Espoo (Finland), Polytechnic Water Polo Club (Great Britain), City Of Manchester Water Polo Club (Great Britain), EVK Zaibas (Lithuania), Valletta (Malta), Vitoria Sport Clube (Portugal), Clube Fluvial Portuense (Portugal), Sporting Clube De Portugal (Portugal), KVP Novaky (Slovakia), Triglav Kranj (Slovenia), SC Kreuzlingen (Switzerland), Carouge Natation (Switzerland), Galatasaray SK (Turkey), Odtu Sport Club (Turkey), Enka Sport Club (Turkey).
Participants in the Women’s Challenger Cup:
Kvt Lokomotiv-N.Nanov (Bulgaria), Asten Johnson Fezko Strakonice (Czech Republic), ZAVK Mladost (Croatia), Jadran Split (Croatia), Hapoel Emek Hayarden (Israel), Otter Swimming Club (Great Britain), City Of Manchester Water Polo Club (Great Britain), Sirens ASC Malta (Malta), Sport Lisboa e Benfica (Portugal), Clube Fluvial Portuense (Portugal), Vojvodina (Serbia), ZVK Crvena Zvezda (Serbia), Jarfalla (Sweden), Izmir BBG (Turkey), Odtu SC Women (Turkey).
The pots for the draw will be formed according to the LEN Ranking.
More articles about the LEN Euro Cup
More articles about Women’s water polo
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