Text: Erkki Miinala
The biggest EGCA Champions League season in history will continue with the 2nd Qualification Stage that will be held in Barcelona, Spain from 27th February to 1st March. The tournament is head-organized by ONCE Catalunya in cooperation with European Goalball Club Association. 8 clubs from 8 different countries will fight for the Top 3 positions in the tournament for qualifying to the Final Stage of the season that will take Place in Berlin, Germany from 16th to 20th September. Below you can find the starting points of the tournament for each team.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE TOURNAMENT
The tournament will be livestreamed on GoalballTV YouTube channel with English commentary
Livestream – Friday 27th February Morning
Livestream – Friday 27th February Afternoon
Livestream – Saturday 28th February Morning
Livestream – Saturday 28th February Afternoon
EGCA social media channels will update information and results from the tournament as well as the organizer’s Instagram page that you can find by @fcecscat
You can also join EGCA WhatsApp Group for more information. Also the organizer has own WhatsApp result Group.
HOW THE TOURNAMENT IS PLAYED
The eight teams are divided into two preliminary groups of four teams each. During Friday, the teams play a single round-robin within their group, after which they are ranked for the quarterfinals. A team earns 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss in a preliminary group game. The ranking of teams in a preliminary group is determined by the following system:
A. Earned points
B. Goal difference
C. Goals conceded
D. If two teams remain tied after criteria A–C, priority is given to the team that won the head-to-head match between them
E. If two teams remain tied after criteria A–D, an extra throw competition is organized between those teams to determine their ranking
In Saturday’s quarterfinals, the winner of one group faces the fourth-placed team of the other group, and the runner-up faces the third-placed team of the opposite group. The winners of the quarterfinals advance to the semifinals and medal matches, while the losers play for places 5–8.
The winners of the semifinals advance to the final and at the same time secure their place at the Final Stage in Berlin. The winner of the bronze medal match will also earn a place at the Final Stage. Placings beyond the top three are also important, as they determine the teams’ ranking in the Champions League, which provides a pathway to qualify for the EGCA European Cup later in the autumn.
In the quarterfinals, semifinals, medal matches, and placement matches, each game is played to a decisive result. If the match is tied after regulation time, a 6-minute golden goal overtime is played (the first team to score wins). If the game remains tied after overtime, an extra throws competition is used to determine the winner.
GROUP A
NÄPÄJÄ
Founded in 1999, Näpäjä is the oldest goalball club in Finland and was involved in establishing the Super European Goalball League 14 years ago, the predecessor of the Champions League. The reigning Finnish champion has appeared a couple of times at the Champions League Final Stage in recent years, most recently last year, when the team finished last in the tournament held in Matosinhos.
Näpäjä’s roster features the brightest future talent in Finnish men’s goalball, 19-year-old Eemi Utriainen, who last autumn won both the Odivelas Grand Prix and the Youth Championships scoring title. In addition, the squad includes several players who have represented the Finnish men’s national team and possess extensive international experience. Coached by Oskari Nyström, Näpäjä is certainly capable of competing for a Final Stage spot again this year.
HA. VI. 2 BRUXELLES
The reigning Belgian and Champions League champion faces a major challenge, as key players from last season have departed: young French star forward Elias Ouni has moved to ASCND Marseille, and the team’s driving force Klison Mapreni is sidelined through injury.
Bruxelles has strengthened its squad by recruiting quality players from other Belgian clubs. Current Belgian national team key player Justin Verplancke and former national team member Tom Vanhove have joined to reinforce the team. Bruxelles finds itself in a tightly contested race for the Final Stage spot behind the major favorites RGC Hansa and BRUK-BET Termalica Krakow. Although now under the leadership of Fionn Stack and equipped with considerable experience and skill, Bruxelles heads into the Barcelona tournament as a challenger.
RGC HANSA ROSTOCK
The only question surrounding RGC Hansa is whether the third time will be the charm — can they finally win the Champions League after two consecutive silver medals? The reigning German champion enters the Barcelona tournament in an ideal situation, fielding its strongest possible lineup. Mario Turloff’s squad is likely to deliver an offensive spectacle, potentially producing matches decided by 10-goals mercy win. While the knockout matches are high-pressure, single-elimination affairs, the Rostock side has been in similar situations so often that it is hard to imagine them stumbling. It will also be exciting to see how star forward John Turloff begins his Champions League season.
ONCE CATALUNYA
Once Catalunya will become the first Spanish team to host a Champions League tournament and, in the men’s competition, the first Spanish club to participate in Europe’s greatest club competition. Felix Vargas, who represented CSAVH Lyon for the past two seasons, is undoubtedly the team’s main offensive weapon. Strong performances are also expected from Spanish national team players Genis Quiroga and Serhi Baron.
Once Catalunya will be a new opponent for many teams, which may allow them to capitalize on the element of surprise. If they can find their best level in the knockout matches, Charles Estrany’s squad cannot be ruled out as a semifinal contender.
GROUP B
NORTHERN ALLSTARS
The reigning British champion Northern Allstars will surely be aiming to improve on their performances from the previous two Champions League seasons. The squad includes several familiar names from the British national teams. Offensively, much will depend on Caleb Nanevie and David Scott, while defensively it is crucial to know the condition of center player Matthew Loftus, who has been struggling with injuries.
Coached by Peter Doyle, the team is not among the top favorites, but on their best day they are capable of major achievements in a quarterfinal and could potentially secure a place in the Final Stage as the second British team this season.
AARHUS GOALBALL
The reigning Danish champion has developed its operations more professionally year by year, and the still very young and hungry team now looks ready to break through at the European level. Aarhus has trained extensively with other European top teams, and key attacking player Sigurd Lund and defensive backbone Mathias Jensen have also gained additional experience competing in the British Super League.
The squad, filled with Danish national team players, has also added highly talented Dutch player Sem De Jong to boost its offensive strength under coach Svenne Lund. It will be intriguing to see what kind of position Aarhus can secure in Friday’s group-stage matches and whether they can become the first Danish team to reach the Champions League Final Stage.
BRUK-BET TERMALICA KRAKOW
Recently crowned Polish champion and only seconds away from reaching last season’s Champions League final, BRUK-BET Termalica Krakow is, alongside RGC Hansa Rostock, one of the clear favorites in Barcelona. Although last year’s Final Stage ended in great disappointment for the Polish side — losing both the semifinal and the bronze medal match in overtime — Filip Szymala’s squad is determined to turn last season’s fourth place into a medal this year.
Marcin Czerwinski scored an incredible 83 goals last Champions League season, winning the overall scoring title. Despite his young age, he has already amassed 173 Champions League goals, and more are surely to come this season. For Krakow to secure a Final Stage spot and succeed there, improving their defensive play and eliminating costly attacking mistakes in decisive moments will be key.
SPORTING CP
In 2018 and 2019, Sporting CP dominated the Champions League with the help of strong foreign reinforcements, but since then the team has not managed to replicate those golden years. Last season, the Portuguese league runner-up was eliminated in the quarter final at the Peterborough Qualification Stage, and Duarte Correia’s team does not enter the Barcelona tournament as a major favorite either.
Nevertheless, the squad undeniably possesses quality, led by Hadiley Sacramento, who has scored 151 Champions League goals in his career. Sporting’s primary objective will likely be to avoid finishing bottom of the group and thereby a probable quarterfinal clash with RGC Hansa. If Sporting can maintain a compact defense and avoid attacking mistakes in tight situations, they too have the potential to produce a major surprise.