The third qualification round for the Champions League brings two national derbies.
After Round 2, played between Friday and Sunday, the draw for the next stage was held. The draw paired two Hungarian and two Croatian clubs.
Champions League, Qualification Round 3
(First leg: October 16, Return leg: October 20)
Duel A: Jadran Split (Croatia)– Mladost Zagreb (Croatia)
Duel B: Szolnok (Hungary) – OSC Budapest (Hungary)
Duel C: Savona (Italy) – Crvena Zvezda (Serbia)
Duel D: Barcelona (Spain) – Brescia (Italy)
The Hungarian derby, Szolnok – OSC, will be a replay of the 2021 LEN Euro Cup finals. Last season, Szolnok won the Euro Cup, after a penalty shootout in the return leg. A few weeks after the LEN Euro Cup finals, Szolnok beat OSC in the finals of the playoffs of the Hungarian League.
Hungary will have two clubs in the Main round because Szolnok or OSC will join wild card holder Ferencvaros.
Croatia will also be represented by two clubs in the Preliminary Stage. Besides regular Champions League participant Jug Dubrovnik, Jadran Split or Mladost will play in the CHL. The only team that recorded three wins in the second stage, Jadran Split, will host Croatian champion Mladost in the 1st leg. The return match will be played in Zagreb.
Serbia or Italy may have three teams in the main phase.
Two Serbian clubs are wild-card holders – Novi Beograd, the host of F8, and Radnicki. Crvena Zvezda, the Serbian club in the third round, will play against Savona, which qualified to this stage although it didn’t record a win in the second round (Savona secured a spot in the playoffs with three draws in Round 2).
Brescia, the bronze-medalist in the 2020/21 Champions League, will face Barcelona.
Brescia and Savona will try to join Italian wild-card holder Pro Recco, the reigning European champion.
The four losers in the third round will continue the season in the Euro Cup quarterfinals.
Main round
Group A
Ferencvaros (Hungary)
Barceloneta (Spain)
Olympiacos (Greece)
Dinamo Tbilisi (Georgia)
Novi Beograd (Serbia)
Radnicki Kragujevac (Serbia)
Qualifier D (Barcelona or Brescia)
Qualifier A (Jadran S or Mladost)
Group B
Pro Recco (Italy)
Jug Dubrovnik (Croatia)
Waspo 98 Hannover (Germany)
Marseille (France)
Spandau 04 (Germany)
Steaua Bucharest (Romania)
Qualifier B (Szolnok or OSC Budapest)
Qualifier C (Savona or Crvena Zvezda)
The Main Round begins on October 26/27, 2021.
