In a refreshing twist, the quarter-final matchups for the Challenger Cup Men have been drawn, and the tournament now features determined brackets, similar to major national team competitions. With eight clubs hailing from eight different countries, the field appears remarkably balanced, making it a challenging task to identify a clear favorite.

This equilibrium also extends to the Challenger Cup Women, where the Final Six groups have been sorted. Adding an intriguing twist to the competition, the draw has created two in-house derbies in the round-robin phase due to the presence of both Croatian and Portuguese teams in the same group.

While the men’s competition will continue with the traditional home-and-away clashes, the women’s Final Six is set to be held at a single venue. Stay tuned for the announcement of the host.

Draw

Challenger Cup Men

Quarter-finals

(Leg 1: 25 November – Leg 2: 9 December)

QF1 Royal Dauphins Mouscronnois (BEL) v EVK Zaibas (LTU)

QF2 Valletta (MLT) v Galatasaray SK (TUR)

QF3 Triglav Kranj (SLO) v Carouge Natation (FRA)

QF 4 KVP Novaky (SVK) v SC Kreuzlingen (SUI)

(Semi-finals: winners QF1 v QF2 – QF3 v QF4)

Challenger Cup Women, Final Six

(24-26 November)

Group A: VK Jadran Split (CRO), ZAVK Mladost (CRO), Izmir Buyuksehir (TUR)

Group B: ZVK Crvena Zvenda (SRB), Clube Fluvial Portuense (POR), Sport Lisboa E Benfica (POR)

(After the round-robin stage, teams ranked first shall play for the trophy, second-placed teams will play for the bronze medal)