TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2025
Magdeburg win all-German final to take third title
A packed LANXESS arena witnessed another episode of EHF Champions League history in June 2025, as SC Magdeburg defied the odds to claim their third title.
The German club had finished only fourth in group B of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2024/25. They reached the final weekend after defeating Dinamo Bucuresti in the play-offs and One
Veszprém HC in the quarter-finals by a single goal, winning 28:27 in Hungary thanks to Gisli Kristjansson’s buzzer-beater.
Magdeburg joined defending champions Barça, Füchse Berlin, and HBC Nantes in Cologne. Berlin and Nantes had also come through the play-offs, both having finished the group stage in third place.
In the semi-finals, Berlin were dominant against Nantes, but the second semi-final was a much tighter affair. The game was level at the break and level throughout the second half, despite three red cards for Barça, but the last action was key. Nikola Portner saved Melvyn Richardson’s last attempt on goal and Tim Hornke netted in the last second to send Magdeburg to the final.
There, Kristjansson led Magdeburg’s attack, scoring eight times — leading to his second TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 MVP award, after he also won this trophy in 2023. Just like two years previously, Kristjansson was playing with an injured shoulder, but still produced a series of stunning shots to lead Magdeburg to victory.
The other crucial factor in Magdeburg’s win was goalkeeper Sergey Hernandez, who stopped 18 shots during the match, while Füchse’s goalkeeper Dejan Milosavljev could not replicate his semi-final performance. Magdeburg also defended extremely well against the EHF Champions League top scorer Mathias Gidsel, who scored seven goals during the match to bring his season total to 135.
The final weekend was also noteworthy for other reasons. A total of 20,074 spectators watched the matches inside LANXESS arena, setting a new attendance record, and 13,000 tickets were sold for the 2026 edition almost as soon as Magdeburg were crowned 2025 champions.
The 25-camera TV production brought the event to fans around the world, with 36 official broadcasters transmitting to over 80 territories. In Germany, home country of the two finalists, a new audience record was set, with DAZN, DF1 and DYN broadcasting the final.
In addition to Machineseeker and TruckScout24 as the title sponsors of the competition and the final event, long-standing partner brands such as MOL, Modular Systems, the Croatian National Tourist Board and the Istria Tourist Board brought innovation and energy to the arena grounds. Newcomers like Winamax, Avi Prod Netzbau and Kieback&Peter were also represented at the event.
spectators in the LANXESS arena (sold out; first time over 20K for Cologne event)
broadcasters (worldwide coverage on EHFTV)
cumulative TV audience
digital reach around the event
