Györ lead power ranking ahead of season start

10. Storhamar Håndball Elite

A difficult 2025/26 campaign saw Storhamar miss out on the knockout phase, but the Norwegian side enter the new season with a refreshed squad and hopes of returning to their previous European level.

Kenneth Gabrielsen remains at the helm and has eight new players at his disposal, led by Norwegian international Ane Cecilie Høgseth who returns after two seasons with Ikast. On the other hand, key players like Veronika Kafka Malá, Anniken Obaidli and Pernille Brandenborg have left, while Malin Aune and Mathilde Rivas-Toft are on maternity leave. Still, Storhamar have enough quality to earn the final spot in our top 10.

9. BV Borussia Dortmund

Dortmund made the most of their return to the EHF Champions League Women last season, putting up a strong fight against FTC in the play-offs. New coach Kay Rothenpieler has to without retired stars Lois Abbingh and Melinda Szikora, while five other players also left the club.

Among the newcomers are Nicole Wiggins, Merel Freriks and Ona Vegué, who arrived from the other German side in the EHF Champions League — debutants HSG Blomberg-Lippe. After winning the German cup last season and with their European experience to build on, Dortmund have a good foundation for another solid campaign.

8. Brest Bretagne Handball

Brest returned to the EHF FINAL4 last season, five years after their 2021 debut, and they won the French league title, but saw fellow French contenders Metz Handball lift the EHF Champions League trophy. Repeating that achievement might become a tough task since prolific goal scorers Anna Vyakhireva (Odense Håndbold) and Ana Gros (retired) have left and French international Pauletta Foppa is on maternity leave.

There is a new face on the bench, too, with Tomas Hlavatý replacing Raphaëlle Tervel. But Tamara Horacek has returned to France, and Brest certainly have the quality to go far — though some questions around the team will only be answered by the games ahead.

7. CS Gloria Bistrita

In only their second top-flight season, Bistrita advanced to the quarter-finals last year. At home, they won the domestic double in Romania and they are now eager to confirm their place among the continent’s leading sides. Head coach Carlos Viver remains at the helm, but there have been plenty of changes.

One of the notable arrivals is Austrian international Johanna Reichert, the top-time top scorer of the EHF European League while playing for 2025 winners Thüringer HC. Gloria have strengthened their squad but integrating many new players could become a challenge, even more so with Spanish ace Paula Arcos out injured.

6. CSM Bucuresti

CSM Bucuresti returned to the EHF FINAL4 last season for the first time since 2018 and finished third, but were overtaken on home soil by Gloria, which took both the Romanian league and cup titles. Head coach Bojana Popovic starts her first full season in charge with a squad that has seen many changes over the summer.

Top scorer Elizabeth Omoregie was among the 10 players who left. At the same time, nine newcomers arrived, with Daria Dmitrieva, Tyra Axnér and Csenge Kuczora adding quality to the back court. Finding the right balance will take time for Popovic, and another EHF FINAL4 appearance is far from guaranteed.

5. Odense Håndbold

A year after reaching the final, Odense came close to returning to the EHF FINAL4 last season, but they lost in the quarter-finals to Györi Audi ETO KC, once again. After a series of eye-catching transfers — most notably Anna Vyakhireva arriving from Brest — Odense look even stronger heading into 2026/27.

Jakob Vestergaard enters his second season at the helm with more experience and quality at his disposal, also between the posts, where Johanna Bundsen has joined Althea Reinhardt and Yara Ten Holte to form an impressive goalkeeping trio. However, Xenia Smits, Anna Grundtvig and Andrea Aagot are all out because of pregnancy.

4. Team Esbjerg

For the first time in five seasons, Esbjerg were missing from the EHF FINAL4 in 2026. Still, star player Henny Reistad was the competition’s top scorer once again, with 131 goals. There have been considerable changes around her, with eight players leaving the club, including Anna Kristensen, Michala Møller and Zoë Sprengers.

Silje Solberg-Østhassel, Julie Scaglione and Henriette Eggen are the three newcomers. With Reistad still leading the way and Tomas Axnér entering his third season in charge, Esbjerg remain serious contenders for Budapest with their steady course and experienced core.

3. FTC-Toyota Kovács

FTC have been trying to find their way back to the EHF FINAL4 since finishing runners-up in 2023, stranding in the quarter-finals each time. Head coach Jesper Jensen aims to change that in his second year at the club with another set of interesting transfers. Elizabeth Omoregie arrives from CSM Bucuresti, while goalkeeper Anna Kristensen and Michala Møller reunite with the Danish coach.

What pushes FTC into our top three is the strength of those additions combined with the core that remains: Omoregie brings strong EHF Champions League experience, Kristensen strengthens the goalkeeping position alongside Blanka Böde-Bíró, while Møller and Lysa Tchaptchet give Jensen further options in attack.

2. Metz Handball

Metz Handball enter the 2026/27 season in a new role as the defending EHF Champions League Women champions. After years of coming close, the French side finally went all the way last season, defeating Györ 31:29 in the final. Can Metz go all the way again?

They enter the new season with several changes to their well-known squad, as EHF FINAL4 MVP Sarah Bouktit has moved to Györ and Johanna Bundsen and Xenia Smits to Odense. But Kristina Jørgensen has returned from Györ., alongside Gabriela Moreschi, Lilou Pintat and Lyndie Tchaptchet. With long-term head coach Emmanuel Mayonnade as their main guide still on the bench after more than a decade at the club, Metz still have plenty of quality, despite the departure of several important players from their title-winning squad.

1. Györi Audi ETO KC

Györ came one victory short of completing a third consecutive title-winning campaign last season as Metz stopped them in the final in Budapest. The Hungarian side keep on building on an already strong squad, keeping most of their core intact while adding only two new players who both add additional quality: Sarah Bouktit joins directly from Metz, while Thale Rushfeldt Deila arrives from Odense.

Kristina Jørgensen has moved in the opposite direction to Metz while Nathalie Hagman and Anna Lagerquist have ended their careers. In his third season at the club, Per Johansson leads a team used to playing for every trophy, and after reaching three consecutive EHF Champions League finals, there is little doubt about their ability to go all the way again in 2026/27.

photos © 2026 Roland Peka (main, last in-text); Brest Bretagne Handball (first in-text); Wolf (second in-text); Odense Hånbold (third in-text)