LEN officials had a busy evening in Netanya, drawing the respective qualifying rounds in the Euro Cup Men and the Challenger Cup Men and Women.
One day prior to the big show, the draw for the 2024 European Water Polo Championships, Netanya hosted the draws for the qualifying rounds in the Euro Cup Men and for the Challenger Cup Men and Women, featuring more than 60 teams in total.
A series of outstanding matches are in sight in the Euro Cup Men. Here are some highlights – in Group D, three teams coming from the Champions League qualifications will go for the two qualifying spots: Radnicki (SRB), Oradea (ROU), and Primorje (CRO), plus another Croatian team, Solaris. An Italian duel between Savona and Palermo, along with Serbia’s Partizan, can also be considered must-see action in Group F, and two Champions League QR contenders, CN Barcelona (ESP) and Apollon (GRE), should take on Croatia’s legendary team, Mladost. Title-holder Vasas will face fellow Hungarian side BVSC and Spain’s Mataro – and the two Hungarian Champions League entrants, who didn’t make it through the qualifying round, OSC and Honved, were also drawn into the same group. Group H will also offer some thrills with Hannover (GER) and Primorac (MNE), who just came up short last weekend in Champions League qualifying; now they will have a tough challenge from Spain’s Terrassa and two Greek rivals.
The Challenger Cup will also be highly competitive, with federations ranked 13th or below (7th or below for women) in the new LEN rankings able to enter clubs. These competitions will serve as outstanding development platforms for the teams, some representing countries that have barely dipped their toes into European waters in club competitions.
Euro Cup Men, Qualification Round (22-24 September)
Group A (Sabac): CC Ortigia (ITA), VK Sabac Elixir (SRB), CN Noisy-Le-Sec (FRA), VK Valis Vega (SRB), Dinamo Bucharest (ROU)
Group B (Budapest): A-Hid VasasPlaket (HUN), BVSC-Zuglo (HUN, host), Ludwigsburg (GER), CN Mataro (ESP)
Group C (Tourcoing): Szolnoki Dozsa-Praktiker (HUN), EN Tourcoing (FRA), Pallanuoto Trieste (ITA), Pays d’Aix Natation (FRA)
Group D (Rijeka): Radnicki Kragujevac (SRB), CSM Oradea (ROU), VK Solaris (CRO), Primorje Erste Bank Rijeka (CRO)
Group E (Athens): Genesys-OSC Budapest (HUN), Panionios GSS (GRE), EPS-Honved (HUN), CN Echeyde (ESP), White Sharks Hannover (GER)
Group F (Duisburg): RN Savona (ITA), Telimar Palermo (ITA), VK Partizan Beograd (SRB), ASD Duisburg (GER), Sete Natation (FRA)
Group G (Barcelona): CN Barcelona (ESP), HAVK Mladost Zagreb (CRO), Apollon Smyrnis (GRE), OSC Potsdam (GER)
Group H (Kotor): Waspo 98 Hannover (GER), VK Primorac Kotor (MNE), CN Terrassa (ESP), GS Peristeriou (GRE), Panathinaikos SC (GRE)
Top two ranked teams from each group shall qualify to the Group Stage.
Challenger Cup Men (19-22 October)
Group A (Porto): Vitoria SC (POR), AVK Triglav Kranj (SLO), Clube Fluvial Portuense (POR), SC Kreuzlingen (SUI), APOEL Nicosia (CYP)
Group B (Mouscron): Carouge Natation (SU), VK Banja Luka (BIH), ODTÜ SC (TUR), RD Mouscronnois (BEL), City of Manchester WPC (GBR)
Group C (Istanbul): Galatasaray SK (TUR), KVP Novaky (SVK), Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR), Polytechnic WP Club (GBR)
Group D (Valletta): ENKA Istanbul (TUR), EVK Zaibas (LTU), Valletta (MLT), KV Komodor (BUL), Cetus Espoo (FIN)
Top two ranked teams from each group shall qualify for the quarter-finals.
Challenger Cup Women (19-22 October)
Group A (Novi Sad): ZAVK Mladost (CRO), VK Jadran Split (CRO), VK Vojvodina (SRB), ODTÜ SC (TUR), City of Manchester WPC (GBR)
Group B (Strakonice): Sport Lisboa e Benfica (POR), Hapoel Emek HaYarden (ISR), Izmir Büyüksehir SK (TUR), AJF Strakonice (CZE), Jarfalla (SWE)
Group C (Blagoevgrad): Sirens ASC Malta (MLT), Clube Fluvial Portuense (POR), ZVK Crvena Zvezda (SRB), Otter Swimming Club (GBR), KVT Lokomotiv-N. Nanov (BUL)
Top two ranked teams from each group shall qualify for the Final 6.
