Sävehof and IFK Kristanstad can sit quietly in the boat and prepare for the European League group stage. For Ystads IF, however, a first qualifying game awaits.

It’s almost time to start a new handball season and with it also a new edition of the European League. 37 teams are vying for the title, including three Swedish ones. IFK Kristianstad and IK Sävehof are already ready for the group stage along with 27 other teams.

For Ystads IF, on the other hand, qualifying matches await, where five out of ten teams will qualify for the group stage. The Swedish team will face one of the following five teams: HC Vardar, RK Trimo Trebnje, CSM Constanta, Recken – TSV Hannover-Burgdorf or Aguas Santas Milaneza. The qualifying round starts on August 26 and the second legs are played on September 2 and 3.

In the qualifying round, the 32 teams will be split into eight groups of four teams each. From there, two teams from each group advance to the main round.

Which Ystads IF will meet in the qualifiers will be decided on July 18 at 11:00 a.m. in the draw in Vienna. The draw will be available to watch live via a Youtube live stream.

Here all match dates and all qualified teams are available.

The qualifying round: Rhein-Neckar Löwen (Germany), ABC de Braga (Portugal), Fraikin BM. Granollers (Spain), Pfadi Winterthur (Switzerland), Ystads IF (Sweden)HC Vardar (Macedonia), RK Trimo Trebnje (Slovenia), CSM Constanta Romania), Recken – TSV Hannover-Burgdorf (Germany), Aguas Santas Milaneza (Portugal)

Group play: Füchse Berlin (Germany), Sporting CP (Portugal), HBC Nantes (France), Bm. Cuenca Ciudad Encantada (Spain), Gornik Zabrze (Poland), RK Nexe (Croatia), Bjerringbro Silkeborg (Denmark), Kadetten Schaffhausen (Switzerland), IFK Kristianstad (Sweden)HC Alkaloid (Macedonia), MOL Tatabanya KC (Hungary), RK Gorenje Velenje (Slovenia), MKS Povazska Bystrica (Slovakia), CS Dinamo Bucuresti (Romania), AEK Athens (Greece), Elverum Håndball (Norway), SG Flensburg- Handewitt (Germany), Sport Lisboa e Benfica (Portugal), Chambery Savoie Mont Blanc HB (France), BM Logrono La Rioja (Spain), KGHM Chrobry Głogów (Poland), Skjern Håndbold (Denmark), HC Kriens-Luzern (Switzerland), IK Savehof (Sweden)HC Vojvodina (Serbia), RK Izvidac (Bosnia and Herzegovina), HC Lovcen-Cetinje (Montenegro)