Barcelona defeated Füchse Berlin in Cologne and won the EHF Champions League title
Barcelona defeated Füchse Berlin 37:34 in the final of the men's EHF Champions League in handball and won the European title in the Lanxess Arena in Cologne after a match in which it held the lead from start to finish. The final was played on Sunday, 14 June 2026, in the concluding stage of the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2026 tournament, which ended the 2025/26 season in the strongest European club competition. According to the official report of the European Handball Federation, Barcelona led 20:16 at half-time, and the German team came within two goals several times in the closing stages, but did not manage to equalise. In the original score frame, the match was recorded as Füchse Berlin – Barcelona 34:37, but the official EHF match report lists Barcelona as the home team of the final and records the final score as 37:34. For the club from Catalonia, this was a return to the European summit after defeat in the final stage of the previous season, while Füchse Berlin remained without a trophy in the Champions League final for the second consecutive time.
A final in which Barcelona were constantly one step ahead
According to the EHF match report, both teams opened the final at a high tempo and had already scored 15 goals together in the first ten minutes. Barcelona created an early three-goal advantage, relying on quick transition, precise finishing and a defensive block that forced Füchse Berlin into more difficult shots. The German team reduced the difference to just one goal midway through the first half, but Barcelona accelerated again and in the 22nd minute pulled five goals clear for the first time. The EHF states that goalkeeper Emil Nielsen was one of the key reasons for the Catalan advantage during that period, as he stopped shots from clear chances and enabled his team to control the tempo. Berlin reduced the deficit before the break, but Mathias Gidsel's goal after a rebound off the bar did not change the basic picture of the first half, which Barcelona ended with a 20:16 lead.
- Competition: Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2025/26
- Stage: final, TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2026
- Venue: Lanxess Arena, Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
- Date: Sunday, 14 June 2026
- Result: Barcelona – Füchse Berlin 37:34, half-time 20:16
Nielsen stopped the surge, Frade and Gidsel led the scorers
The official EHF text particularly highlights the performance of Danish goalkeeper Emil Nielsen, who had eight saves in the first 24 minutes and a save rate of 42 percent. Nielsen, according to the same report, was also decisive in the very closing stages, when he saved an open shot from Tim Freihöfer a little less than two minutes before the end and thereby practically stopped Berlin's last major attempt at a comeback. In Barcelona's attack, the most efficient player was Luís Frade with seven goals from seven attempts, while Aleix Gómez and Blaz Janc also made important contributions, each with six goals according to FC Barcelona's club report. Domen Makuc, who according to the EHF was named the most valuable player of the final tournament, scored five goals in the final, the same number as in the semi-final victory against Aalborg. On the other side, Mathias Gidsel was Füchse's top scorer with eight goals from 11 attempts, and after the final the EHF confirmed that he finished the season with a record total of 161 goals in the Champions League.
Berlin kept coming back, but did not find the equaliser
Füchse Berlin arrived in Cologne with the ambition of winning their first EHF Champions League title, but against Barcelona they spent too long searching for stability in attack. According to the EHF, Gidsel scored his first goal in the final only after 25 minutes of play, when his team was already five goals behind, which clearly describes the problems of Berlin's back line in the first part of the match. In the continuation, the German side increased the pressure, especially after Ludovic Fàbregas received a red card midway through the second half, so Barcelona's advantage was reduced and the finish became open again. Nevertheless, Barcelona remained calm enough even in the tensest moments, and the EHF states that Berlin never managed to draw level, although they were only two goals behind several times. Seven minutes before the end, Max Darj also received a red card, which further complicated Füchse's attempt to completely turn the match around with late pressure.
The trophy, records and the weight of Barcelona's success
In its official report, the EHF announced that with this triumph Barcelona won its 12th trophy in the competition it records as the EHF Champions League, thereby further strengthening its status as the most successful club in the modern history of that tournament. FC Barcelona, in its own club announcement, records the same achievement as its 13th title as European handball champion, also counting the broader historical continental run of its handball section. Such a difference in records is not unusual in European handball, because titles from the period of the current EHF Champions League and titles from older European formats are sometimes shown separately. For the sporting context of the final itself, it is more important that Barcelona confirmed its continuity at the top in Cologne and won another major title under coach Carlos Ortega. FC Barcelona's club report additionally states that the season ended perfectly for the team, with seven trophies won in seven competitions, which places this European title among the most successful seasons of the club's handball section.
Gómez reached a historic milestone, Makuc MVP of the final tournament
One of the symbolic moments of the final was Aleix Gómez's goal in the 30th minute, with which, according to the EHF, he became the first player with 100 goals at the men's EHF FINAL4 tournament. That piece of information further emphasises the longevity of Barcelona's presence in the concluding stages of the competition, but also the importance of players who for years have carried its game in high-pressure matches. The individual award of the final tournament went to Domen Makuc, the Slovenian playmaker who, according to the EHF, leaves Barcelona for THW Kiel at the end of the season. Makuc, in a statement reported by the EHF, emphasised that the recognition means a lot to him, but added that the victory was the result of a team performance and that several teammates could have received the same award. For him, it was a fourth EHF Champions League title with Barcelona, after winning the trophies in 2021, 2022 and 2024, which gave the final tournament in Cologne a personal farewell dimension as well.
Gidsel's record remained without a team trophy
Mathias Gidsel finished the season as the top scorer of the EHF Champions League and in doing so set a new competition record with 161 goals, the EHF announced after the final. The previous record was held by Mikkel Hansen, who scored 141 goals for Paris Saint-Germain in the 2015/16 season, so Gidsel's tally represents one of the most pronounced individual attacking seasons in the recent history of the competition. The EHF states that the Danish right back arrived in Cologne already with a clear lead in the scorers' ranking, and added nine goals in the semi-final and eight in the final during the final weekend. After the defeat, according to the EHF, he pointed out that because of the lost final he could not immediately enjoy the individual recognition and that he would rather exchange it for a major trophy. That statement well sums up the mood of the Berlin team, which in two seasons twice reached the final match, but both times remained without the title.
Final Four 2026 brought four matches and a record atmosphere
The TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2026 final tournament was held on 13 and 14 June in the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, a hall that official EHF announcements often describe as the central venue of the climax of European club handball. According to the EHF's general information about the event, the tournament brought together Barcelona, Füchse Berlin, Aalborg Håndbold and SC Magdeburg, and over two days two semi-finals, the third-place match and the final were played. Füchse Berlin secured the final with a 40:35 victory against SC Magdeburg, while Barcelona defeated Aalborg 37:32 after extra time in the other semi-final. In the third-place match, Magdeburg defeated Aalborg 32:26 and finished the competition with bronze. The EHF announced that the event in the Lanxess Arena gathered a record attendance of 20,122 spectators, confirming the status of the Cologne weekend as one of the most important regular dates in the European handball calendar.
Barcelona finished the job in the closing stages
Although the final margin of three goals gave the impression of a controlled victory, the final had enough dramatic moments to confirm how small details decided the European champion. Barcelona built its advantage for most of the match through Nielsen's saves, quick goals after turnovers and a broad distribution of attacking responsibility, while Füchse Berlin tried in the closing stages to survive on the energy of Gidsel, Lasse Andersson and the wings who punished space whenever it opened. According to FC Barcelona's club report, an important role in the closing minutes was also played by Đorđe Cikusa's defensive move, after which Barcelona moved to 36:33 and kept control until the end. The EHF also emphasised that the Catalan team did not allow Berlin to come closer than two goals, which in a match of that tempo was decisive for the outcome. The final whistle in the Lanxess Arena marked Barcelona's new European crown and another defeat for Füchse Berlin in a final that again left the German team with the feeling that it had been close, but not close enough for the summit of European handball.
Sources:
- European Handball Federation (EHF) – official report of the Barcelona – Füchse Berlin final and key match data (link)
- European Handball Federation (EHF) – general information about TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2026, schedule, results and event data in Cologne (link)
- European Handball Federation (EHF) – announcement about Mathias Gidsel's record and Domen Makuc's MVP recognition (link)
- FC Barcelona – club report from the final and data on Barcelona's scorers (link)
- Lanxess Arena Cologne – arena organiser information about the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2026 event (link)