2016/17 European Cup campaign lures this season's winners

With only six weeks to go the current season in all European club competitions is culminating as 29 clubs are still vying for seven different trophies.

There is much more at stake than an European title and glory for eventual winners as five of them will be also granted a safe passage to their 2016/17 European campaign while two other will improve their chances to return.

In order to bring more light into a qualification system for the 2016 winners the EHF provides a brief overview of what has been guaranteed for the upcoming champions since the start of this season.

Extra right for national federations

There is no direct place in the next season guaranteed for the winners of the 2016 Women’s EHF FINAL4 in Budapest and the 2016 VELUX EHF FINAL4 in Cologne, but their hope to reach the European top flight again will be bolstered enormously.

If the defending champion does not finish its domestic competition on a top position and is therefore neither directly qualified nor has the national federation the chance to ask for this club for an additional place, the national federation will have an extra right to request an additional place for the Women’s EHF Champions League, respectively VELUX EHF Champions League competition of the following season for this particular club.

Check the semi-finalists of the Women’s EHF Champions League here and quarter-finalists of the VELUX EHF Champions League here.

Top seed and an extra spot in the Men’s EHF Cup

The winning team of the EHF Cup has the right to enter the same competition in the subsequent season. In addition this team will be seeded as number one and the respective national federation has the right to enter one team additional to the places announced in the EHF place distribution.

There are still seven clubs vying for the winners’ trophy as six clubs are about to start quarter-final matches and HBC Nantes has already clinched the ticket in the EHF Cup Finals.

Right to participate or additional place for national federations

In the four remaining European Cup competitions the situation is the same and it is either a next season’s ticket for the winning club or an extra place for its national federation.

The winner of the Women’s EHF Cup and Women’s Cup Winners’ Cup earns the right to participate in the 2016/17 Women’s EHF Cup, which will see its first season after merging of the two competitions.

That means the national federation of the winner of these competitions has the right to register an additional place in the 2016/17 Women's EHF Cup.

Check the finalists of the Women’s EHF Cup here and the Women’s Cup Winners’ Cup here.

Also the winner of the Men’s and Women’s Challenge Cup earns the right to participate in the Men’s respectively Women’s Challenge Cup of the season 2016/17.

In case the winner does not use this right in these four competitions, the national federation has the right to register an additional club.

Find the semi-finalists of the current season in the Men’s Challenge Cup here and finalists in the Women’s Challenge Cup here.