Tickets for SC Magdeburg - Füchse Berlin in the EHF Champions League semifinal in Cologne

German semifinal clash for the final of Europe

SC Magdeburg and Füchse Berlin enter the EHF Champions League semifinal as two teams that know each other far too well for there to be room for surprises in preparation. This is not only a duel for passage into Sunday's final in Cologne, but also a new episode of a German handball rivalry that last season carried the highest possible European stakes. Magdeburg defeated Berlin 32:26 in the 2025 final, and now Füchse gets the chance for revenge already in the semifinal. Tickets for this encounter are in high demand among fans because, in one match, the European champion, the current German elite and the team with the most dangerous scorer of the competition collide.

EHF has arranged the semifinal schedule so that SC Magdeburg and Füchse Berlin open the final weekend in LANXESS arena, while Aalborg Håndbold and Barça play in the other semifinal. This means that the winner of the German clash will not have much time to celebrate: already the next day, the match for the title awaits. For Magdeburg, the stakes are the defence of the European crown and confirmation that their generation can be considered one of the strongest in modern club handball. For Berlin, the stakes are even more emotional: a first title in this competition and an answer to the defeat from the 2025 final.

Form that announces fast, hard and tactically dense handball

Magdeburg comes into the final stage with the domestic championship under control. According to the current Bundesliga table, SC Magdeburg is at the top with 59 points from 32 matches, with a winning streak in its last five league appearances. Füchse Berlin is second with 53 points from 33 matches, with a very powerful attacking output of 1178 goals scored. Those numbers describe the difference in profile well: Magdeburg is a machine that systematically grinds down the opponent, Berlin is a team that, in a surge, can score a run of four or five goals before the opponent even stabilizes its attack.

• SC Magdeburg: 1st place in the Bundesliga, 59 points from 32 matches.
• Füchse Berlin: 2nd place in the Bundesliga, 53 points from 33 matches.
• Magdeburg's form: five league wins in a row according to the current form table.
• Berlin's form: four wins and one draw in the last five league matches.
• Last major league clash: SC Magdeburg - Füchse Berlin 35:33, March 28, 2026.

That March encounter in GETEC Arena is especially important. Magdeburg won 35:33, but Berlin did not disappear from the match even in periods when it seemed that the home side was taking control. Magnus Saugstrup was among Magdeburg's key solutions with nine goals, while Mathias Gidsel scored eleven for Berlin. That is a useful preview for Cologne: when these teams settle into a seven-on-seven rhythm, the difference is often not made by just one star, but by who better survives two minutes of suspension, who gets the defence back faster and who pulls out an easy goal after a goalkeeper's save.

Magdeburg: depth, experience and a cold-blooded finish

SC Magdeburg under Bennet Wiegert plays handball that rarely looks chaotic, even when the tempo is high. Their strength lies in having more than one solution for the same problem. If the opponent closes the middle, the shooters and wings are there. If the defence steps up more aggressively, the pivots open space behind their backs. If the match turns into running, Magdeburg has enough speed to punish every technical error.

Ómar Ingi Magnússon remains one of the most important names for Magdeburg. According to EHF statistics for the 2025/26 season, the Icelandic right back has been credited with 86 goals in the EHF Champions League. That is not just a shooter's number, but also a sign of how often Magdeburg, in key attacks, seeks a solution through his composure, contact shot and seven-metre throws. Alongside him, important roles belong to Felix Claar, Gisli Kristjánsson, Christian O'Sullivan, Magnus Saugstrup and the goalkeeping pair that can change the rhythm of a match with one series of saves.

Christian O'Sullivan gives this semifinal an additional emotional note. The Magdeburg captain received a farewell context in the closing part of the season because he is leaving the club after ten years, and German sources emphasize how strongly he marked the club's most successful period. Such stories can sometimes burden a team, but at Magdeburg they more often create additional concentration. In Cologne there will be no room for sentimentality during the game, but O'Sullivan's defensive discipline and experience in controlling the rhythm may be important precisely in the periods when Berlin accelerates.

Berlin: Gidsel, speed and a goalkeeper who can lock the hall

Füchse Berlin has a player around whom every preview naturally revolves: Mathias Gidsel. EHF lists him with 144 goals in the EHF Champions League this season, which places him at the very top of the competition. Gidsel is not just a scorer. He drives between defenders, draws seven-metre throws, forces the defence into adjustment and opens space for Lasse Andersson, Tobias Grøndahl, the wings and the pivots. When Berlin catches a rhythm, Gidsel is often the first to speed up the ball and the last to make the decision.

Berlin's plus is also Dejan Milosavljev. In last year's semifinal against HBC Nantes, he was one of the key men on the road to the final, and this season too the stability of the defence is built around him. If Milosavljev saves two or three clear shots early, Füchse gets what it loves most: transition, open court and a crowd that reacts to every save. Lasse Ludwig is also important because Berlin can change the goalkeeping rhythm if the match moves in a direction that coach Nicolej Krickau does not want.

Nicolej Krickau has a different problem from many coaches: how to distribute enough balls to several dangerous back players without losing the clarity of the attack. In the 39:28 win away at MT Melsungen, Gidsel stood out with nine goals, while Lasse Andersson and Tobias Grøndahl each scored six. That shows that Berlin does not have to survive on one arm alone. Still, against Magdeburg it is important that the attack remains patient. A too-quick shot from a half-chance against SCM often means conceding a goal before the defence gets back.

Where the match can break open

The most important part of the match could be the duel between Magdeburg's defensive discipline and Berlin's ability to change the tempo. If Magdeburg forces Berlin into long attacks without a clean breakthrough, Füchse will have to live off difficult shots over the block. If Berlin manages to spread the defence and find Gidsel or Andersson in full stride, Magdeburg will have to spend more fouls, and thereby risk suspensions.

• Magdeburg must reduce the number of technical errors because Berlin punishes open court situations.
• Berlin must stop Magdeburg's second wave, especially when Claar or Kristjánsson move the ball quickly.
• Seven-metre throws and play with an extra player could be decisive because these are teams with very small differences.
• The goalkeepers will have a huge influence: one series of saves can change the entire semifinal scenario.
• The first ten minutes after the break will be an important period because both teams often try to raise the rhythm then.

In a tactical sense, this is not a match in which one should expect much hiding. Magdeburg knows that Berlin wants to accelerate through Gidsel and Grøndahl. Berlin knows that Magdeburg patiently looks for a gap and does not panic if two actions in a row fail. That is why small things will be big: a quality block on the back line, a timely step out on the shooter, a foul before the breakthrough, catching the rebound after a save. Those are the details that in Cologne often mean the difference between the final and the match for third place.

Seats in the stands are disappearing quickly for this type of match because fans are not coming only to watch a semifinal, but also a possible continuation of last year's final. When Magdeburg's European cold-bloodedness and Berlin's need for revenge find themselves on the same court, the arena gains that tension in which every lost ball is heard louder than usual.

LANXESS arena and Cologne as a handball stage

LANXESS arena in Cologne has for years been the final address of European club handball. The hall is located in the Deutz district, at Willy-Brandt-Platz 3, very close to Köln Messe/Deutz station. That is a major advantage for fans arriving by train because the arena can be reached on foot from the immediate vicinity of the station. For those arriving by car, the arena lists parking garages P1 to P4, while P3 is located beneath the hall and connected to the foyer by elevator.

For this weekend, Cologne is more than a host city. EHF also announces a supporting programme around the arena, including Friday with an open fan event and a fan zone during the weekend. For fans from Magdeburg and Berlin, that means the match is not reduced only to 60 minutes of handball. Already a day earlier, the city will be full of jerseys, club colours and conversations about whether Berlin can finally take down Magdeburg in the European final stage or whether SCM will again show why it copes best when the pressure is greatest.

• Hall address: Willy-Brandt-Platz 3, 50679 Cologne.
• Nearest transport hub: Köln Messe/Deutz, right next to the arena area.
• For cars, arena garages P1 to P4 are provided, with additional P5 space for buses.
• Organizers recommend arriving early because of entry, security and control procedures.
• If the VRS logo is marked on the ticket, it may also be valid as a ticket for the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg network.

For visitors, it is most practical to plan arrival with a time buffer. The final weekend attracts a large number of fans from several countries, so crowds around the hall should not be underestimated. Those arriving from the centre of Cologne can combine train, S-Bahn or tram toward Deutz, and those arriving by car should check the garages in advance and count on exiting the car park after the second semifinal if staying the whole day. It is worth securing tickets on time and leaving enough space for arrival, entry and finding the seat without rushing.

Atmosphere: two German stands in one European hall

The special feature of this semifinal is the geographical proximity of both fan bases. Magdeburg and Berlin can bring a large number of fans to Cologne, so a loud, divided and very nervous atmosphere can be expected. Magdeburg fans arrive with the feeling that their team knows how to win in this hall. Berlin fans arrive with the clear message that last year's final is not a closed story.

Such an atmosphere can help both teams, but it can also accelerate mistakes. Berlin benefits from noise after a save and a quick goal across the full court. Magdeburg benefits from the moment when the opponent loses patience and they build an attack to a clean shot from the wing or the line. In a hall like LANXESS arena, where the sound lingers and returns from the stands, psychological stability will be almost as important as the shooting percentage.

What a fan should watch from the first minute

The first signal of the match will be the way Magdeburg defends Gidsel. If they meet him deep and aggressively, they will open space for entries by Berlin's other back players. If they wait for him lower, they risk him getting into a shooting rhythm. The second signal is Berlin's defence on the pivot. Through Saugstrup and the other line players, Magdeburg often seeks not only a goal, but also a seven-metre throw or a suspension.

The third signal is the rhythm of substitutions. Wiegert likes to keep the match under control through clearly distributed roles, while Krickau can reach for a goalkeeper change or a faster back-court setup if he needs to chase the result. If Berlin takes the lead, Magdeburg will not panic. If Magdeburg takes the lead, Berlin must be careful not to enter a run of quick, insufficiently prepared shots. Ticket sales for this match are in progress, and for a fan who wants to watch handball at the highest speed, this is one of the strongest encounters of the final weekend.

Stakes that cannot be reduced only to the final

This semifinal carries more than a place in Sunday's final. Magdeburg defends the status of a team that has taken two European titles in the last three seasons and that appears in Cologne again as someone who knows how to finish the job. Berlin is trying to go one step further than last year's final and prove that a season with Gidsel in top form can end with the biggest club trophy.

For the neutral viewer, this is a match that offers everything a final stage should have: revenge, top goalkeepers, elite back players, coaches with clear signatures and a hall that knows how to carry a handball weekend. For fans of SC Magdeburg and Füchse Berlin, it is 60 minutes in which the whole season can change colour. One save, one seven-metre throw or one lost ball in the last two minutes can decide who remains in the race for the title, and who must immediately shift focus to the match for third place.

Sources:

- EHF Champions League - semifinal schedule, final weekend context, confirmation of the SC Magdeburg - Füchse Berlin pairing and information about the programme in Cologne.

- EHF player profiles - seasonal goals and basic data for Mathias Gidsel and Ómar Ingi Magnússon.

- 365Scores Bundesliga standings - current table, points, goal difference and form of SC Magdeburg and Füchse Berlin.

- LANXESS arena - information on arrival, parking areas, the VRS note and the recommendation to arrive early.

- Welt and sport.de - context of the last mutual league encounter, fresh form, coaches and prominent players.