The EHF Beach Handball Champions Cup 2026 will bring the European club season to a close in Porto Santo from 15 to 18 October. The Portuguese island, part of the Madeira archipelago, will host the competition for a fifth consecutive year. The tournament will bring together 32 teams — 16 men’s and 16 women’s — from eleven countries. Nazaré BHT will defend the men’s title, while CBMP Ciudad de Málaga will attempt to retain the women’s crown, with the group stages, knockout rounds and both finals condensed into four days.
First held in 2014, the competition enables the European Handball Federation -EHF- to bring national champions and other qualified clubs together at the end of the calendar. The men’s and women’s events have the same number of participants, follow an identical format and occupy equal space within the programme. The Champions Cup therefore serves as the final annual benchmark for European clubs following a season played through domestic competitions and international beach handball tournaments.
An island established as a regular host
Porto Santo first hosted the championship in 2022 and has retained it ever since. Its main beach, stretching for several kilometres along the Atlantic Ocean, allows courts to be installed in a setting directly associated with the sport. The island’s weather also makes it possible to stage an outdoor competition in October, when the beach handball season has already ended in much of Europe. The EHF has consequently found a host capable of accommodating clubs, officials and event staff over four days without requiring a permanent venue.
That continuity also forms part of a wider destination strategy. Since the Champions Cup arrived, the event has been supported through cooperation between the EHF, the Portuguese Handball Federation, the Porto Santo municipality and Madeira’s regional institutions. In July 2026, the island’s name began appearing on the kits worn by Portugal’s men’s and women’s beach handball national teams. The agreement extends the relationship beyond a single tournament: Porto Santo provides a recognisable home for competitions, while Portugal incorporates the destination into the international identity of its national teams.
Thirty-two clubs following the same route
Each competition will begin with four groups of four, with every team playing three matches. The top three sides in each group will advance to the main round and carry forward the results recorded against the other clubs that qualify. The second phase will consist of two groups of six. Teams finishing bottom of their preliminary-round groups will enter a consolation round to determine positions 13 to 16.
The top four teams in each main-round group will qualify for the quarter-finals. From that point, one defeat will end a club’s title challenge, although placement matches will determine every position down to 12th. The host country will have the largest representation, with five Portuguese clubs across the two competitions. Spain will have four: Ciudad de Málaga will compete in both categories and will be joined by C. BM. Getasur SF and Club Handbol Xàbia in the women’s tournament. The international field also includes teams from Denmark, Poland, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Hungary, France and the United Kingdom.
Four days to crown the champions
The preliminary round will begin on Thursday 15 October, with the competition progressing to the quarter-finals on Saturday afternoon. The semi-finals and finals will be played on Sunday 18 October, when either successors to Nazaré and Ciudad de Málaga will be crowned or the two champions will retain their titles. In 2025, the Portuguese side won the men’s competition ahead of GRD Leça-SPAR, while the Spanish club defeated GRD Leça-Love Tiles in the women’s final. Several of those teams will return to the island, allowing the defending champions to face clubs already familiar with the venue and its conditions.
The EHF will broadcast every match on EHFTV, with both daily passes and a full-tournament option available. Supporters will also help decide the individual awards by voting for the most valuable player, best goalkeeper and best defender in both competitions. International coverage, equal-sized men’s and women’s tournaments and Porto Santo’s continued involvement make the Champions Cup a compact event property for the European federation and a promotional platform for the island. For four days, its beach will once again bring national champions together before the 2026 European club calendar comes to an end.
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