2019–20 EHF Cup
# 2019–20 EHF Cup

The 2019–20 EHF Cup was the 39th edition of the EHF Cup, the second most important European handball club competition organised by the European Handball Federation (EHF), and the seventh edition since the merger with the EHF Cup Winners' Cup. On 24 April 2020 EHF announced that EHF Cup would be cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.

## Team allocation

### Teams

Third qualifying round :

| SC Magdeburg | Rhein-Neckar Löwen | Chambéry Savoie Mont-Blanc | MT Melsungen |
| - | - | - | - |
| HBC Nantes | Bjerringbro-Silkeborg | Liberbank Cuenca | Grundfos Tatabánya KC |
| Gwardia Opole | Metalurg Skopje | Füchse Berlin | USAM Nîmes Gard |
| TTH Holstebro | BM Logroño La Rioja | Balatonfüredi KSE | RK Nexe |
| Second qualifying round ||||
| NMC Górnik Zabrze | RK Gorenje Velenje | SCM Politehnica Timișoara | Wacker Thun |
| SKA Minsk | Hapoel Ashdod | ØIF Arendal Elite | Selfoss |
| HC Butel Skopje | PAUC Handball | Skjern Håndbold | CB Ademar León |
| Csurgói KK | KS Azoty-Puławy | RK Pelister | SL Benfica |
| First qualifying round ||||
| RK Dubrava | RD Ribnica | HC Dobrogea Sud Constanța | Maccabi Rishon LeZion |
| FH Hafnarfjordur | Spartak Moscow | SSK Talent M.A.T.Plzeň | ZTR Zaporizhia |
| RK Vojvodina | HC Achilles Bocholt | Olympiacos S.F.P. | Alpla HC Hard |
| KRAS/Volendam | KH BESA Famgas | Handball Esch | Beşiktaş Aygaz |
| Põlva Serviti | Dragūnas Klaipėda | SSV Bozen Loacker | London GD |
| B.S.B. Batumi | RK Lovćen | RK Borac m:tel | Swieqi Phoenix Handball Club |
| RK Metaloplastika | HC Visé BM | CIP Travel Antalyaspo A.Ş. | RK Poreč |
| HK Malmö | Pfadi Winterthur | Haukar Handball | SG Handball West Wien |

## Round and draw dates

The schedule of the competition was as follows (all draws were held at the EHF headquarters in Vienna, Austria).

| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Qualification | First qualifying round | 16 July 2019 | 31 August-1 September 2019 | 7-8 September 2019 |
| Qualification | Second qualifying round | 16 July 2019 | 5–6 October 2019 | 12–13 October 2019 |
| Qualification | Third qualifying round | 15 October 2019 | 16–17 November 2019 | 23–24 November 2019 |
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 28 November 2019 | 8–9 February 2020 | 8–9 February 2020 |
| Group stage | Matchday 2 | 28 November 2019 | 15–16 February 2020 | 15–16 February 2020 |
| Group stage | Matchday 3 | 28 November 2019 | 22–23 February 2019 | 22–23 February 2019 |
| Group stage | Matchday 4 | 28 November 2019 | 29 February–1 March 2020 | 29 February–1 March 2020 |
| Group stage | Matchday 5 | 28 November 2019 | 21–22 March 2020 | 21–22 March 2020 |
| Group stage | Matchday 6 | 28 November 2019 | 28–29 March 2020 | 28–29 March 2020 |
| Knockout phase | Quarter-finals | 31 March 2020 | 25–26 April 2020 | 2–3 May 2020 |
| Knockout phase | Final four | 5 May 2020 | 23–24 May 2020 | 23–24 May 2020 |

## Qualification stage

The qualification stage consists of three rounds, which will be played as two-legged ties using a home-and-away system. In the draws for each round, teams are allocated into two pots, with teams from Pot 1 facing teams from Pot 2. The winners of each pairing (highlighted in bold) will qualify for the following round.

For each round, teams listed first will play the first leg at home. In some cases, teams agree to play both matches at the same venue.

### Round 1

A total of 32 teams entered the draw for the first qualification round, which was held on Tuesday, 16 July 2019. The draw seeding pots were composed as follows:

| Pot 1 | Pot 2 |
| - | - |
| RK Dubrava RD Riko Ribnica HC Dobrogea Sud Constanța Maccabi Rishon LeZion FH Hafnarfjordur HC Spartak Moscow SSK Talent M.A.T. Plzeň ZTR Zaporizhia RK Vojvodina HC Achilles Bocholt Olympiacos S.F.P. Alpla HC Hard KRAS/Volendam KH BESA Famgas Handball Esch Beşiktaş Aygaz | Põlva Serviti Dragūnas Klaipėda SSV Bozen Loacker London GD B.S.B. Batumi RK Lovćen RK Borac m:tel Swieqi Phoenix Handball Club RK Metaloplastika HC Visé BM CIP Travel Antalyaspor A.Ş. RK Poreč HK Malmö Pfadi Winterthur Haukar Handball SG Handball West Wien |

The first legs were played on 31 August–1 September and the second legs were played on 7–8 September 2019. Some teams agreed to play both matches in the same venue.

| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| KH BESA Famgas | 54–67 | Pfadi Winterthur | 24–33 | 30–34 |
| Olympiacos S.F.P. | 60–46 | RK Borac m:tel | 30–21 | 30–25 |
| HK Malmö | 61–52 | HC Spartak Moscow | 31–23 | 30–29 |
| Maccabi Rishon LeZion | 57–48 | Dragūnas Klaipėda | 34–28 | 23–20 |
| RK Poreč | 60–51 | KRAS/Volendam | 29–23 | 31–28 |
| HC Visé BM | 48–56 | FH Hafnarfjordur | 27–27 | 21–29 |
| RD Riko Ribnica | 59–48 | Põlva Serviti | 32–22 | 27–26 |
| ZTR Zaporizhia | 78–34 | London GD | 39–20 | 39–14 |
| CIP Travel Antalyaspor A.Ş. | 40–53 | HC Dobrogea Sud Constanța | 24–24 | 16–29 |
| SSV Bozen Loacker | 50–51 | Alpla HC Hard | 24–23 | 26–28 |
| Beşiktaş Aygaz | 49–49 (a) | RK Metaloplastika | 25–25 | 24–24 |
| Haukar Handball | 45–51 | SSK Talent M.A.T. Plzeň | 20–25 | 25–26 |
| HC Achilles Bocholt | 48–47 | SG Handball West Wien | 26–22 | 22–25 |
| Handball Esch | 80–38 | B.S.B. Batumi | 38–16 | 42–22 |
| RK Vojvodina | 79–52 | RK Lovćen | 38–23 | 41–29 |
| RK Dubrava | 81–43 | Swieqi Phoenix Handball Club | 45–22 | 36–21 |

### Round 2

The first legs were played on 5–6 October and the second legs were played on 12–13 October 2019. Some teams agreed to play both matches in the same venue.

| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| SCM Politehnica Timișoara | 57–58 | Olympiacos S.F.P. | 31–29 | 26–29 |
| PAUC Handball | 64–46 | RK Poreč | 38–26 | 26–20 |
| SSK Talent M.A.T. Plzeň | 58–44 | Hapoel Ashdod | 32–23 | 26–21 |
| RD Riko Ribnica | 56–61 | SKA Minsk | 33–33 | 23–28 |
| HK Malmö | 64–56 | Selfoss | 33–27 | 31–29 |
| Alpla HC Hard | 60–59 (p) | Skjern Håndbold | 25–26 | 26–25 |
| RK Vojvodina | 43–58 | CB Ademar León | 20–28 | 23–30 |
| SL Benfica | 63–44 | RK Dubrava | 29–28 | 34–16 |
| RK Metaloplastika | 53–64 | RK Gorenje Velenje | 24–32 | 29–32 |
| HC Butel Skopje | 42–43 | ZTR Zaporizhia | 18–14 | 24–29 |
| KS Azoty-Puławy | 57–53 | Handball Esch | 31–28 | 26–25 |
| HC Dobrogea Sud Constanța | 43–43 (a) | Csurgói KK | 22–24 | 21–19 |
| NMC Górnik Zabrze | 50–48 | Maccabi Rishon LeZion | 29–26 | 21–22 |
| HC Achilles Bocholt | 59–52 | Wacker Thun | 34–33 | 25–19 |
| FH Hafnarfjordur | 52–58 | ØIF Arendal Elite | 25–30 | 27–28 |
| Pfadi Winterthur | 72–37 | RK Pelister | 39–16 | 33–21 |

### Round 3

A total of 32 teams entered the draw for the third qualification round, which was held on Tuesday, 15 October 2019. The draw seeding pots were composed as follows:

| Pot 1 | Pot 2 |
| - | - |
| RK Nexe Bjerringbro-Silkeborg TTH Holstebro BM Logroño La Rioja Liberbank Cuenca Chambéry Savoie Mont-Blanc HBC Nantes USAM Nîmes Gard Füchse Berlin MT Melsungen Rhein-Neckar Löwen SC Magdeburg Balatonfüredi KSE Grundfos Tatabánya KC Metalurg Skopje Gwardia Opole | Alpla HC Hard HC Achilles Bocholt SKA Minsk SSK Talent M.A.T. Plzeň CB Ademar León PAUC Handball Olympiacos S.F.P. Csurgói KK ØIF Arendal Elite KS Azoty-Puławy NMC Górnik Zabrze SL Benfica RK Gorenje Velenje Pfadi Winterthur HK Malmö ZTR Zaporizhia |

The first legs were played on 16–17 November and the second legs were played on 23–24 November 2019.

| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Balatonfüredi KSE | 51–56 | CB Ademar León | 30–27 | 21–29 |
| SKA Minsk | 45–61 | Rhein-Neckar Löwen | 28–32 | 17–29 |
| NMC Górnik Zabrze | 51–74 | SC Magdeburg | 25–37 | 26–37 |
| Pfadi Winterthur | 63–70 | Bjerringbro-Silkeborg | 33–36 | 30–34 |
| Chambéry Savoie Mont-Blanc | 43–44 | PAUC Handball | 20–25 | 23–19 |
| Liberbank Cuenca | 59–50 | Alpla HC Hard | 34–18 | 25–32 |
| Grundfos Tatabánya KC | 53–51 | ZTR Zaporizhia | 27–24 | 26–27 |
| HBC Nantes | 60–59 | ØIF Arendal Elite | 30–29 | 30–30 |
| RK Nexe | 54–54 (a) | SL Benfica | 30–26 | 24–28 |
| RK Gorenje Velenje | 47–42 | Metalurg Skopje | 24–19 | 23–23 |
| HK Malmö | 53–61 | Füchse Berlin | 27–34 | 26–27 |
| MT Melsungen | 52–47 | Olympiacos S.F.P. | 32–28 | 20–19 |
| SSK Talent M.A.T. Plzeň | 46–67 | TTH Holstebro | 25–30 | 21–37 |
| BM Logroño La Rioja | 73–57 | HC Achilles Bocholt | 37–26 | 36–31 |
| Gwardia Opole | 54–53 | KS Azoty-Puławy | 26–24 | 28–29 |
| Csurgói KK | 48–54 | USAM Nîmes Gard | 28–25 | 20–29 |

## Group stage

The draw of the EHF Cup group stage will take place on Thursday, 28 November 2019. The 16 teams allocated into four pots will be drawn into four groups of four teams.

In each group, teams play against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. The matchdays are 8–9 February, 15–16 February, 22–23 February, 29 February–1 March, 21–22 March and 28–29 March 2020.

On 25 March 2020, the EHF announced that no matches will be played before June due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In the group stage, teams are ranked according to points (2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). After completion of the group stage, if two or more teams have scored the same number of points, the ranking will be determined as follows:

* Highest number of points in matches between the teams directly involved;
* Superior goal difference in matches between the teams directly involved;
* Highest number of goals scored in matches between the teams directly involved (or in the away match in case of a two-team tie);
* Superior goal difference in all matches of the group;
* Highest number of plus goals in all matches of the group;

If the ranking of one of these teams is determined, the above criteria are consecutively followed until the ranking of all teams is determined. If no ranking can be determined, a decision shall be obtained by EHF through drawing of lots.

During the group stage, only criteria 4–5 apply to determine the provisional ranking of teams.

### Group A

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | BEN | MEL | BJE | GWA |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | SL Benfica | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 121 | 97 | +24 | 8 | Knockout stage | — | 29–26 | Cancelled | 29–24 |
| 2 | MT Melsungen | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 118 | 118 | 0 | 4 | Ranking of the second-placed teams | Cancelled | — | 35–33 | 26–21 |
| 3 | Bjerringbro-Silkeborg | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 124 | 128 | −4 | 4 | Eliminated | 24–33 | 35–31 | — | Cancelled |
| 4 | Gwardia Opole | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 97 | 117 | −20 | 0 | Eliminated | 23–30 | Cancelled | 29–32 | — |

### Group B

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | RNL | NIM | LIB | HOL |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Rhein-Neckar Löwen | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 136 | 111 | +25 | 8 | Knockout stage | — | 32–31 | 36–25 | Cancelled |
| 2 | USAM Nîmes Gard | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 123 | 117 | +6 | 5 | Ranking of the second-placed teams | Cancelled | — | 29–29 | 33–28 |
| 3 | Liberbank Cuenca | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 111 | 125 | −14 | 3 | Eliminated | 28–33 | Cancelled | — | 29–27 |
| 4 | TTH Holstebro (E) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 110 | 127 | −17 | 0 | Eliminated | 27–35 | 28–30 | Cancelled | — |

### Group C

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | MAG | NAN | GOR | ADE |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | SC Magdeburg | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 123 | 109 | +14 | 8 | Knockout stage | — | 29–28 | 32–26 | Cancelled |
| 2 | HBC Nantes | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 125 | 116 | +9 | 4 | Ranking of the second-placed teams | 28–31 | — | Cancelled | 34–28 |
| 3 | Gorenje Velenje | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 110 | 115 | −5 | 4 | Eliminated | Cancelled | 28–35 | — | 30–25 |
| 4 | Abanca Ademar León | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 103 | 121 | −18 | 0 | Eliminated | 27–31 | Cancelled | 23–26 | — |

### Group D

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | FUC | PAU | TAT | LOG |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Füchse Berlin | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 110 | 102 | +8 | 5 | Knockout stage | — | Cancelled | 27–27 | 33–26 |
| 2 | PAUC Handball | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 102 | 100 | +2 | 4 | Ranking of the second-placed teams | 23–25 | — | 26–22 | Cancelled |
| 3 | Grundfos Tatabánya KC | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 99 | 102 | −3 | 4 | Eliminated | Cancelled | 24–24 | — | 26–25 |
| 4 | BM Logroño La Rioja | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 106 | 113 | −7 | 3 | Eliminated | 26–25 | 29–29 | Cancelled | — |

### Ranking of the second-placed teams

The top three second-placed teams will qualify to the quarter-finals. The ranking of the second-placed teams will be determined on the basis of the team's results in the group stage.

| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | B | USAM Nîmes Gard | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 123 | 117 | +6 | 5 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | C | HBC Nantes | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 125 | 116 | +9 | 4 | Knockout stage |
| 3 | D | PAUC Handball | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 102 | 100 | +2 | 4 | Knockout stage |
| 4 | A | MT Melsungen | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 118 | 118 | 0 | 4 | Eliminated |

## Knockout stage

### Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-final pairings was scheduled to be held on Tuesday, 31 March, in the EHF headquarters in Vienna, but due to the postponed matches of the group stage, EHF will announce any further updates accordingly. On 24 April 2020 the matches were cancelled.

| Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| - | - | - |

### Final four

The eighth edition of the EHF Cup Finals in 2020 will be hosted by Füchse Berlin after the EHF Executive Committee decided to award the hosting rights to the German club at its meeting on 22 November 2019. The tournament was scheduled to take place at Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin, on 23 and 24 May 2020, but was rescheduled to 29 and 30 August 2020. On 24 April 2020 EHF announced that in agreement with the organizers, Füchse Berlin, the MEN’S EHF Cup Finals scheduled for 29 and 30 August are cancelled. The tournament will not be carried out.

**Bracket**

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final |
| - | - | - | - |
| | | Third place | Third place |

**Semifinals**

| TBD | Cancelled | TBD |
| - | - | - |
| TBD | Cancelled | TBD |

**Third place game**

| LSF1 | Cancelled | LSF2 |
| - | - | - |

**Final**

| WSF1 | Cancelled | WFF2 |
| - | - | - |

## Top goalscorers

    As of 29 February 2020

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Mohammad Sanad | USAM Nîmes Gard | 49 |
| 2 | Magnus Bramming | TTH Holstebro | 44 |
| 2 | Petar Đorđić | S.L. Benfica | 44 |
