Györ and Metz: A rivalry shaped by dominance and a historic title

In those 14 games, Györ have claimed 10 victories and Metz managed to grab only four, alongside a 419:373 advantage in goals scored in favour of the Hungarian side. Whether the two teams met in the qualification rounds, group phase or quarter-finals, Györ found the winning formula more often, reflecting the dominance they have enjoyed in European handball.

The French side needed almost a decade to celebrate their first win against Györ, had to wait even longer to consistently close the gap, but eventually produced their most important one on the biggest possible stage — at the EHF FINAL4 Women 2026, when they raised the trophy.

Metz's first win against the Hungarian powerhouse

The first real shift came in 2017, when Metz welcomed Györ for the opening leg of their quarter-finals clash still looking for their maiden victory against the Hungarian side, who had won each of their previous five encounters.

Having already beaten Vardar, Astrakhanochka and Buducnost on home court during the campaign, among others, Metz had enough impetus to believe another European heavyweight could be trumped. After an evenly contested first half, they started to take control, with Ana Gros (Metz) and Nora Mørk (Györ) leading the charge for their respective sides, eventually finishing with 10 goals apiece, before Metz stretched their advantage to 28:23 with 13 minutes remaining.

Györ did not let go easily, gradually narrowing the gap before Mørk brought them back level at 30:30 with three minutes left. Having seen their five-goal cushion disappear in the closing stages, Metz still had Gros to turn to, with the right back scoring the final throw to seal a 32:31 victory and end their five-game losing streak against Györ.

The slender advantage left everything open ahead of the return leg six days later and Györ quickly started to turn the tie in their favour. A five-goal half-time lead (17:12) put them back in front on aggregate before Eduarda Amorim, who scored seven times, helped seal a 28:22 victory and a 59:54 aggregate win.

Györ keep the upper hand

That quarter-final offered an early glimpse of a rivalry that would become more competitive without significantly changing its overall balance. Metz continued to establish themselves among Europe's leading sides, while Györ remained a constant presence at the top and continued to add victories to a match-up tilted in their favour from the very beginning.

When the clubs met again in 2021/22, Györ won both matches, including a 39:30 victory in Hungary, their biggest to date against Metz. However, the French side produced a significant turnaround in September 2022 when they travelled to Hungary and claimed their first away victory against Györ, winning 28:24.

Metz continued their successful run against the Hungarian powerhouse in January 2023 when they secured a narrow 29:28 home victory to complete a group phase double win, beating the Hungarian side twice in the same season for the first time.

In the 2025/26 season, Györ restored their dominance in the group phase, winning both games — 31:27 at home and 27:24 away. Two wins from as many encounters seemed to underline their dominance once more, only for the third meeting of the season to come with considerably more at stake. And those were Metz's only two defeats in the group, ultimately finishing second, just behind Györ.

The final that changed everything

After navigating their respective paths through the quarter-finals and the EHF FINAL4 semi-finals, Györ and Metz met at the MVM Dome on 7 June 2026. Györ arrived as two-time defending champions, chasing their eighth title, while Metz reached the final for the first time after years of trying and four times playing the bronze medal match.

Despite having lost twice to Györ during the season, Metz turned the tide when it mattered the most. The Hungarian side held a three-goal lead in the first half, but Metz fought back to take an 18:17 advantage into the break before stretching their lead to six goals in the 46th minute.

Györ attempted a late comeback, but Metz held on for a 31:29 victory, becoming the first French club to lift the EHF Champions League Women trophy and denying Györ a third consecutive title. It was only Metz's fourth win in 14 encounters with their Hungarian rivals, but undoubtedly their most significant one. The star of the match — Sarah Bouktit, who netted 12 times to help the French side lift the EHF Champions League trophy.

The first rematch

Sarah Bouktit was the fulcrum of Metz's historic triumph — after netting eight times in the semi-finals, those 12 in the final earned her the EHF FINAL4 MVP award. It was a bittersweet moment as Bouktit already knew that her next chapter would be written in Hungary, with her move to Györ agreed months before the final.

Having started playing handball in Metz and becoming one of Europe's leading line players at the club, she left with the biggest trophy of all before joining the very team she had helped prevent from winning it.

Only four months later, the two sides are preparing to enter the fray once again, with the Match of the Week providing their first encounter since the final. The same goes for Kristina Jörgensen, who has moved in the opposite direction to Bouktit, returning to Metz after two seasons with Györ, and who will also face her former teammates.

Now, Metz return to Hungary as defending champions while Györ have their first opportunity to respond to the defeat that ended their pursuit of a third successive title. With Bouktit and Jörgensen now on opposite sides, this clash revives the excitement between the rivals with the numbers still favouring the Hungarian club, while Metz still seek their only second win in Györ.

Photos © Anze Malovrh / kolektiff, Győri Audi ETO KC / Peka Roland, Jozo Cabraja / kolektiff (in order, in-text)