Text: Erkki Miinala
Photos: GC NAIS Media Team (Unless otherwise stated in the caption)
The third and at the same time final Qualification Stage of the EGCA Champions League 2026 season was played last weekend in Niš, Serbia. Below is a comprehensive report of the events and highlights of the tournament. The top three teams of the tournament advanced to the Final Stage of the 2026 Champions League season, which will be played in Berlin, Germany, from September 17–20.
You can find all tournament results and statistics here.
EGCA would like to express its deepest thanks for the excellently organized tournament to club GC NAIS and to the large group of volunteers who made this event possible. Thanks also go to every hardworking, professional, and helpful referee. We would also like to thank all spectators, both at the venue and following the livestream broadcast, for which high-quality commentary was provided by Dzenan Ajdinovic, Christoph Scholtz, and Bas Spaans. And finally, thank you to every athlete, coach, and team staff member who were the main performers in this magnificent goalball event.
NILÜFER BUGES DOMINATED GROUP A
The tournament’s eight teams from six different countries were divided into two preliminary groups of four teams each. In Group A, the reigning Turkish champion Nilüfer Buges set the strongest pace on Friday, winning all three of their matches with an excellent goal difference of 32–11. As the team’s superstar Ebubekir Siddik Kara was suffering from some level of issue with his throwing arm, Bilal Tekin stepped up and scored 18 goals across the three group matches.
Second place in the group went to Aisti Sport, a team featuring several players from the Finnish men’s national goalball team. They had to concede in the opening match of the tournament to Nilüfer Buges by 8–2, but after that, clear victories over Greece’s Kleio Thessaloniki and the host team GC NAIS secured Aisti Sport a strong position heading into the quarterfinal stage. Kleio Thessaloniki and GC NAIS shared the points in a 7–7 draw, but Kleio finished third in the group thanks to a better goal difference.
OLD POWER, OPERATING WITH A TOP-LEVEL ROSTER, RULED GROUP B
One of the most traditional clubs in European goalball, Finland’s Old Power, had further strengthened its already strong squad with two additions from Lithuania, as highly experienced international players Mantas Brazauskis and Nerijus Montvydas joined the roster. Old Power had also invested in coaching, with both the Finnish and Lithuanian national team head coaches present on the bench.
The team’s performances in the preliminary group were already quite convincing, although last season’s bronze medalists GC Niksic from Montenegro and Champions League debutant Cankaya, who were bronze medalists in last season’s Turkish league, were at times able to challenge Old Power very well. Ultimately, Old Power’s immense experience turned the matches in their favor in the second halves, and the team celebrated winning the group after three victories, with a goal difference of 34–15.
Cankaya crushed GC Niksic in their group match by as much as 16–6, and when they also secured a win in the opening match of the tournament against another Champions League debutant, North Macedonia’s Club Fenix, by 10–0, the Turkish side clearly took second place in the group. Niksic handed Club Fenix their third match ending in a 10-goal difference in the final group-stage game, which meant GC Niksic finished third and Club Fenix fourth.
NO ROOM FOR SURPRISES IN THE QUARTERFINALS
Saturday’s tournament day began with the quarterfinal matches, of which the first two proceeded under Turkish dominance. Nilüfer Buges defeated Club Fenix 12–2 in a match that ended already during the first half, while Cankaya worked all the way into the second half before reaching a 10–0 victory over Kleio Thessaloniki.
The host team GC NAIS delivered a shock performance against Group B winner Old Power by taking, at best, a 4–2 lead during the first half. At that point, Old Power’s coaching staff sent Erkki Miinala onto the court, who together with Nerijus Montvydas quickly turned the match in favor of the Finnish club. Both Miinala and Montvydas scored six goals each in the match, which ended in a 14–5 victory for Old Power.
From the final quarterfinal between Aisti Sport and GC Niksic, perhaps the most exciting matchup of the round was expected, but unfortunately Aisti Sport found themselves in serious trouble against Niksic’s star attacker Nikola Nikolic, who scored as many as seven goals in the match. Niksic already led 5–0 at halftime, and the second half did not bring much joy to the Aisti Sport camp either, although Niksic did offer some good opportunities for consolation goals from penalty throws toward the end of the match. In the end, Niksic marched into the semifinals with an 11–4 victory.
OVERWHELMING PERFORMANCES IN THE SEMIFINALS
The first semifinal match between the Turkish teams Nilüfer Buges and Cankaya was expected to be a very even battle for a place in the final, but the reality was completely different. Ebubekir Siddik Kara put everything on the line in this match, throwing with his right hand for the first time during the tournament. His throws caused havoc in Cankaya’s defense, and by halftime Nilüfer was leading as much as 7–1.
In the second half, Nilüfer maintained firm control of their lead, and Cankaya was no longer able to mount a real comeback with victory in mind. Siddik Kara scored as many as nine goals in the semifinal, effectively deciding the match for Nilüfer, with a final score of 13–4. Nilüfer Buges thus became the first team at the Niš Qualification Stage to secure a place in the Berlin Final Stage.
Old Power entered the second semifinal like a whirlwind, led by Nerijus Montvydas. At their largest, Old Power led the match 8–1 during the first half, although Niksic managed to reduce the deficit slightly before halftime, yet the scoreboard still showed a 10–4 lead for Old Power at the break. Montvydas scored eight goals in the first half alone, after which the Lithuanian veteran deservedly moved to rest on the bench.
Niksic was unable to regain control of the game at all at the start of the second half, instead committing offensive penalties one after another. Old Power capitalized on penalty throws, eventually finishing with a ruthless 14–4 victory, advancing to the tournament final as well as the Berlin Final Stage.
OLD POWER SHOWED TOP-LEVEL DEFENSE IN THE FINAL, CANKAYA LEFT NOTHING TO CHANCE IN THE BRONZE MATCH
The final between Nilüfer Buges and Old Power was a highly tactical and defense-oriented match. Unfortunately, Nilüfer’s Siddik Kara was not able to attack in this game either, instead playing in a defensive center role.
In the first half, Erkki Miinala gave Old Power the lead with a quick return throw. Bilal Tekin equalized the match from the corner defended by Nerijus Montvydas, but Montvydas responded soon after by scoring himself from the opponent’s corner. Old Power led 2–1 at halftime.
Nilüfer’s chances declined as they were unable to find openings in Old Power’s excellent defensive wall and instead committed an offensive penalty. From the resulting penalty throw, Nerijus Montvydas scored to make it 3–1. Nilüfer tried to bring more momentum into their attack through substitutions, but Old Power’s defense remained impenetrable. Montvydas scored the 4–1 goal, and shortly after, Miinala converted a penalty, at which point celebrations were already beginning on Old Power’s bench.
During the final half-minute of the match, Nilüfer managed to score one more goal, but Old Power claimed the Niš Qualification Stage title with a 5–2 victory.
The stakes in the bronze medal match between Cankaya and GC Niksic were extremely high, as the winner would claim the final spot in the Berlin Final Stage.
The match began in a very even manner, but during the first half Cankaya managed to take control of the game, leading 4–2 at halftime.
The second half then turned into a true showcase for Cankaya and their star attacker Ekrem Gündoğdu. Cankaya remained very solid in defense, even though Nikola Nikolic in particular launched several powerful attacks toward their goal. Meanwhile, Niksic’s own defense struggled to succeed, and Gündoğdu capitalized fully, scoring as many as nine goals in the match. He led his team to bronze medals and a place in the Berlin Final Stage with a 12–4 victory.
AISTI SPORT IN A CLASS OF THEIR OWN IN PLACEMENT MATCHES
In Saturday’s placement matches, Kleio Thessaloniki pushed Club Fenix to play for places 7–8 with a clear 11–2 victory. Aisti Sport was even more dominant in their own placement match, defeating the host team GC NAIS by as much as 13–3.
GC NAIS secured the first Champions League victory in its history by defeating Club Fenix 15–6 in the match for places 7–8. Aisti Sport and Kleio Thessaloniki opened Sunday with the match for places 5–6. Aisti Sport scored all the goals in the match, winning both halves 3–0 and the match 6–0.
Aisti Sport’s top scorer was Markus Tihumäki with 18 goals, but Champions League debutant Arttu Cowell also scored a respectable 14 goals. Aisti Sport earned very good ranking points from the tournament, which allow them to participate in the European Cup to be held in Denmark in November.
OLD POWER’S BRAZAUSKIS NAMED MVP, CANKAYA’S GÜNDOĞDU THE WEEKEND’S TOP SCORER
The backbone of Old Power’s defensive play throughout the tournament was center player Mantas Brazauskis, who was deservedly named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
The top scorer title was clearly claimed by Cankaya’s star player Ekrem Gündoğdu, who scored 37 goals in six matches. Second in the scoring charts was Old Power’s Nerijus Montvydas with 31 goals, and third was Nilüfer Buges’ Bilal Tekin with 28 goals.
FINAL STANDINGS
- Old Power
- Nilüfer Buges
- Cankaya
- GC Niksic
- Aisti Sport
- Kleio Thessaloniki
- GC NAIS
- Club Fenix
TOP 10 SCORERS
Position – Player / Team / Total Goals
1 – Ekrem Gündoğdu / Cankaya / 37
2 – Nerijus Montvydas / Old Power / 31
3 – Bilal Tekin / Nilüfer Buges / 28
4 – Nikola Nikolic / GC Niksic / 27
5 – Erkki Miinala / Old Power / 22
6 – Markus Tihumäki / Aisti Sport / 18
7 – Arttu Cowell / Aisti Sport / 14
7 – Dimitrije Ostojic / GC NAIS / 14
9 – Alesio Delia / Kleio Thessaloniki / 12
10 – Hilmi Uslu / Nilüfer Buges / 10
10 – Ivailo Vatov / Kleio Thessaloniki / 10