The most exciting matches on the opening day of the Conference Cup took place in Athens, Rijeka, and Utrecht. All three games were among the most important encounters in the three-day Round 1.
In Group B in Athens, Tenerife triumphed over Budva after a dramatic penalty shootout, finishing 19:18 (after a tie at 16:16).
Mataro defeated Galatasaray 22:16 in Rijeka (Group C). However, the six-goal margin doesn’t accurately reflect the match’s progression, as both teams were closely matched for three quarters. Mataro finally broke Galatasaray’s resistance in the fourth quarter, securing three crucial points. This group in Rijeka is the only one that consists of only three teams, with Primorje serving as the host and favorite. With this victory, Mataro has nearly secured second place and a spot in Round 2.
In one of the key matches at the tournament of Group A in Utrecht, Posillipo defeated PAOK, 15:12.
Favorites achieved victories with big margins in other matches. Sete recorded the most commanding win of the day, showing no mercy to Banja Luka – 43:4.
2026 Conference Cup, Round 1, Day 1
GROUP A (Utrecht)
UZSC – Honved 10:24 (2:5, 2;6, 2:7, 4:6)
UZSC: Wijnhoven 4, Loos 2, Athzmaritis 2, De Jong 2.
Honved: Sugar 4, Moskov 3, B. Ekler 3, Vadovics 3, Bencz 2, Szepfalvi 2, Kevi 1, Vekony 1, Simon 1, Vickovic 1, Imre 1.
PAOK – Posillipo 12:15 (3:5, 3:3, 3:5, 3:2)
PAOK: Bitsakos 3, Kechalaris 2, Chondokoukis 2, Delic 2, Tsolakoudis 1
Posillipo: Radovic 5, Cuccovillo 3, Parrella 1, Nagy 1, Serino 1, Bertoli 1, Milicic 1.
UZSC fought bravely in the opening match, but couldn’t surprise the leader of the Hungarian League. The hosts leveled only once – 1:1. Honved throughout the match, and all outfield players of the Hungarian team got on the scoresheet.
Posillipo took a significant step closer to advancing to the second round by defeating PAOK. The Italians maintained the lead for most of the match, although PAOK consistently fought back. Posillipo started strong with an early 2:0 lead, but PAOK managed to equalize at 2:2. In response, Posillipo scored two more goals. From that point on, the Italians were always in front.
Midway through the second quarter, Posillipo established a 4-goal lead at 7:3. However, PAOK answered back with a 3:0 run, narrowing the deficit to 6:7. Early in the third period, PAOK trailed by just one goal at 7:8. A few moments later, Posillipo rebuilt a 4-goal lead, extending the score to 12:8.
With 2:23 left in the match, PAOK managed to cut the deficit to 11:13. Nonetheless, Danilo Radovic scored two goals in just 50 seconds, bringing the final score to 15:11 and sealing Posillipo’s victory.
Day 2: Utrecht – PAOK (17:15), Honved – Posillipo (19)
GROUP B (Athens, Nea Smyrni)
Tenerife – Budva 19:18 (5:2, 5:8, 3:4, 3:2, PSO 3:2)
Tenerife Echeyde: Araya 7, Espinosa 3, Andion 2, Soriano 1, Ramirez 1, Gonzalez 1, Prunell 1
Budva Budvanska Rivijera: Milic 9, M.Brguljan 2, Vuskovic 1, Pejovic 1, Kalaitzis 1, Agh 1, Dragovic 1.
Panionios – White Sharks 19:10 (4:1, 5:3, 5:2, 5:4)
Panionios: Karatzas 4, Bitsakos 4, Gounas 4, Koukounas 4, Papakos 2, Takata 2, Kapetanikis 1.
White Sharks Hannover: Molnar 4, J. Rotermund 2, F. Rotermund 2, Mityska 1, Hulshoff 1.
The first match of the tournament between Tenerife and Budva was a thrilling rollercoaster that ended happily for the Spaniards. Tenerife started strong, taking a 5:2 lead at the first break. However, Budva managed to equalize during the second period (5:5, 7:7, 9:9, and 10:10). The Montenegrins, led by Marko Milic, who scored nine goals this evening, then took control and built a 3-goal lead in the third quarter, making it 13:10.
Tenerife managed to regain the advantage in the 31st minute when Luis Araya scored his seventh goal by converting a man-up opportunity to make it 15:14. Budva responded with two quick goals, but Gonzalez managed to level the score with just 28 seconds remaining. In the shootout, the Montenegrins missed three penalty shots, allowing Tenerife to secure the two points.
Panionios opened the game against the White Sharks with a 3:0 lead, and it maintained control throughout the rest of the match. Tomorrow, the Greeks will have a chance to secure themselves a ticket to Round 2 in the game against Tenerife.
Day 2: Tenerife – Panionios (17:30), Budva – White Sharks (19:30)
GROUP C (Split)
Banja Luka – Sete 4:43 (0:10, 1:9, 2:11, 1:13)
Banja Luka: Cosic 1, Stevandic 1, S. Glavic 1, Kojcinovic 1.
Sete: Sauton 6, Lopinot 6, Karsenti 5, Debais 5, Vasin 5, Tomic 4, De Bie 4, Baltus 3, Mureddu 3, Radojevic 2.
Mornar – Vitoria 24:11 (9:4, 5:3, 5:1, 5:3)
Mornar: Stojanac 7, Buzdovancic 4, Cumbelic 3, Omrcen 2, Katunaric 2, Dragas 2, Guduric 1, Uvodic 1, Hrvatic 1, L.Penava 1.
Vit0ria: Morreira 3, Fernandes 2, Mariani 2, Ramos 2, Lopes 2.
As anticipated, Sete and Mornar proved too strong for Banja Luka and Vitoria.
Day 2: Vitoria – Banja Luka (18:00), Sete – Mornar (19:45)
GROUP D (Belgrade)
Partizan – Neukolln 21:8 (5:3, 4:1, 5:2, 7:2)
Partizan: V. Bodiroga 4, Djokanovic 3, Cutajar 3, K. Bodiroga 2, Andjelic 2, Bozovic 2, O. Ilic 2, A. Ilic 1, Neskovic 1, Canepa 1.
Neukolln: Costa 4, Smit 2, Weber 1, Kechedzhy 1.
De Akker – EVK Zaibas 21:13 (3:1, 8:3, 6:4, 4:5)
De Akker: Campopiano 6, Bragantini 3, Erdelyi 3, Stocco 2, Lucci 2, Urbinati 2, Bardulla 2,Martini 1.
EVK Zaibas: Jelaca 3, Gostautas 2, Vrdoljak 2, Krapic 2, Bakulo 2, Petrovski 1, Jonkus 1.
Partizan recorded its first win this season after six losses. However, the game against Neukolln was the first one in which Partizan entered as a favorite. The Germans kept up with the hosts until 3:3. Partizan needed some time to find its rhythm, and it did so in the second period. Neukolln reduced the gap to one in the 9th minute (4:5). Following that goal, Partizan consolidated its defense and defended eight man-downs in the following 10 minutes, while scoring seven goals for a comfortable 12:4 lead.
De Akker left no chance to EVK Zaibas, even though the Lithuanians scored in their first possession, and the Italians leveled at 1:1 only in the 4th minute. However, late into the first period, the game turned into a one-sided contest. De Akker had a 10-goal lead in the fourth period (18:8) and then let EVK narrow the distance.
Day 2: EVK Zaibas – Partizan (17:45), Neukolln – De Akker (19:30)
GROUP E (Rijeka)
Mataro – Galatasaray 22:16 (7:7, 5:3, 5:5, 5:1)
Mataro: Aguirre 7, Castro 4, Flaque 3, Blanch 3, Bertran 2, Rodriguez 2, Marti 1.
Galatasaray: Caner 5, Destici 3, Vujovic 2, Alpman 2, Acar 1, Erdag 1, Krstic 1, Kuloglu 1.
The game between Galatasaray and Mataro was closely contested for nearly three quarters. After a high-scoring first period with 14 goals, neither team had a definitive advantage. Mataro took a two-goal lead in the 9th minute (9:7) and maintained that margin until the midway point, with a score of 12:10 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Galatasaray managed to tie the game three times (12:12, 13:13, and 15:15), but they ultimately ran out of energy toward the end. In the final 10 minutes, Mataro went on an impressive 7:1 run, securing a convincing 22:16 victory. This win is likely to be enough for Mataro to qualify for Round 2.
Day 2: Primorje – Galatasaray (18:00).
