Women's Challenge Cup launches with two encounters

The first balls of the Women's Challenge Cup 2017/18 are going to be thrown this coming weekend, but only two ties mark the start to this season's edition of the tournament.

One of these is a double-header. In the Sportzentrum Alte Au in Stockerau, Austria, HC Olimpus-85 SSH-2 are visiting UHC Müllner Bau Stockerau for two matches Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.

Stockerau, who have a Last 32 berth in the Women's EHF Champions League in the 1998/99 season as their best European achievement so far, reached the third round of the Challenge Cup last year, and copying that achievement will be their first objective this season.

To Moldovan HC Olimpus, the two matches in Austria this weekend will be their first in Europe at all. The winner can look forward to meeting ruling Challenge Cup winners HC Lokomotiva Zagreb in the next round.

Portuguese Alavarium Love Tiles will be awaiting the winner of the other tie in this round. That winner will be either WHC Krivaja Zavidovici from Bosnia Herzegovina or Serbian ZJRK Bor RTB.

The two teams meet in Bosnian Zavidovici for the first match Saturday evening. The home team will be trying to copy their achievement from last season, when they reached the third round, while European handball is a new experience to the women from Bor.

Find the overview of the matches here.