SUMMARY: Györ meet Odense for the title after thrilling semi-finals

• coverage of the semi-final day at the EHF FINAL4 Women 2025 in Budapest
• Györ and Odense are through to the final; Esbjerg and Metz play for the third place
• > Györi Audi ETO KC vs Team Esbjerg 29:28 (17:15) -> review
  > Metz Handball vs Odense Håndbold 29:31 (16:13, 27:27) -> review
• tune in to EHF's live show with "The Spin" podcast hosts Víctor Tomás, Martin Vilstrup, and Bengt Kunkel covering the EHF FINAL4 with a bunch of guests on EHFTV
• follow the EHF FINAL4 on the official EHF Champions League socials on Facebook, Instagram and X, and the Home of Handball TikTok and YouTube channels
• Eric Willemsen reporting from Budapest; all images © kolektiff

Saturday 31 May

20:30

Two thrilling semi-finals have made for an astonishing opening day of the EHF FINAL4 2025. Györ came out on top against Esbjerg yet again, but only just: 29:28. And Odense wrote the story of the day by downing Metz, coming back from seven goals down in the second half to take the match into overtime, and ultimately win it there, 31:29.

So on Sunday, it is Esbjerg against Metz at 15:00 CEST for the third place, as both teams have failed to get to the final once again on their fourth attempt each at the EHF FINAL4.

At 18:00 CEST, it is time for the big final between Györ, striving for what would be their record-extending seventh title, and Odense, playing their first final and obviously eyeing their maiden title.

So, here ends our live blog coverage of the semi-finals. We have some features and previews coming up on eurohandball.com before we welcome you back to the live blog.

Have a nice evening and see again tomorrow when we start the live blog at 12:00 CEST.

Viszontlátásra! Goodbye from Budapest!

20:25

What. A. Match! Odense and Metz kept us on the edge of our seats for more than 60 minutes. Read all what happened in the review from EHF journalist Danijela Vekić:

20:12

What an emotional day, and what a finish for Odense, reaching their first final upon their debut at the EHF FINAL4. Let's hear from Thale Daila for her first reaction:

17:40

Esbjerg just missed out on the final, but can the other team from Denmark take the next step? Here is all you need to know about Odense:

• Odense are the only EHF FINAL4 debutants this year, and the only team to reach Budapest after going through the play-offs
• their second game in Budapest will be their 100th in the CL; they first appeared in the 2018/19 season and they have reached the quarter-finals four times since
• the club’s top scorer is Thale Deila with 78 goals; Andrea Aagot follows with 58
• head coach Ole Gustav Gjekstad, who is in his second season with the club, won three CL titles with Vipers Kristiansand
• goalkeeper Katrine Lunde, who joined Odense mid-season, will fight for her eighth title — she has won the record seven CL trophies with three different clubs (Viborg, Györ and Vipers)

17:35

Metz are unbeaten this season, can they keep it going against Odense tonight? Here are some key facts about the French side:

• Metz start their fourth attempt to reach the CL final; they have had two fourth-place finishes and one third
• the French side lost the 3/4 placement game against Danish club Esbjerg in 2024, but beat them in the same clash in 2022
• dating to 2018, Metz have three wins from their last four CL
• clashes against Odense, while one game ended in a draw
• line player Sarah Bouktit is Metz’s top scorer with 96 goals; both Laura Flippes (36 goals) and Chloé Valentini (58 goals) announced pregnancies and will not play at the EHF FINAL4
• goalkeeper Cléopatre Darleux and centre back Allison Pineau, who will end their careers after this season, are chasing their first CL titles

17:28

What a start to this EHF FINAL4 Women 2025! Even the big stars of the game have to dig deep sometimes and this was typically a match that required the ultimate fighting spirit of all players involved.

So, we know that we see Györ back in the final once again, but against who? We will for sure welcome a first-time finalist, since neither Metz nor Odense have had the chance to play an EHF Champions League final so far. What a match in prospect!

Here are the head-to-head stats ahead of the second semi-final:

17:16

When Bruna de Paula netted for 27:25 in the 55th minute of their semi-final against Esbjerg, it was not just an important goal for Györ in the match, but also one that set a new milestone: Györ have become the first team in EHF Champions League history to reach the 9,000-goal milestone! Congrats

17:07

This was certainly a decisive moment in the first semi-final: Györ's Hatadou Sako denies Esbjerg's Elin Hansson for what would have been a late Danish equaliser. And, who knows, maybe Sako will meet her former teammates in Sunday's final, as she arrived at Györ prior to this season from... Metz!

17:04

What an intense match between two greats of the EHF Champions League! Read how Györ defeated Esbjerg once again in the semi-final review from EHF journalist Danijela Vekić:

16:44

Györ give themselves the chance to play for their record-extending seventh title on Sunday. Now let's hear from their top scorer against Team Esbjerg (29:28) with seven goals, Dione Housheer, right after this first semi-final:

14:50

Don't forget to tune in to EHFTV for the match, and for the second edition of our special live show with Víctór Tomás, Martin Vilstrup, Bengt Kunkel... and special host Barbara Arenhart!

14:45

The teams have completed their warm-up and are back in the dressing rooms. The opening show is starting right here now. A colourful spectacle — just as out semi-finals will be today!

14:40

Is this the day Esbjerg reach their first EHF Champions League final? They have become regulars with their fourth straight appearance here in Budapest, but finally want to have a shot at the title. Can they turn the tide and finally beat Györ? Here are some facts about the Danish side:

• Team Esbjerg face Györ for the third time at the EHF FINAL4 and the second time in the semi-finals — and the Danish side have never won a game versus the Hungarian club
• Esbjerg have won 11 matches, had one draw, and lost four times — including twice against Györ in the group phase
• the all-time top scorer of the EHF FINAL4, Henny Reistad, is playing the event for the sixth time; she has netted 78 goals at the final tournament, with her highest figure in one game at 13
• Anna Kristensen has the highest number of saves of all goalkeepers at the FINAL4 — 170 at 34.21 per cent
• Esbjerg never made it to the final; Denmark await their first CL champions since 2010, when Viborg HK took the title

14:35

The arena is filling up, the tension is rising... The first semi-final between Györ and Esbjerg is getting closer and closer. Let's take a quick look at some main facts about Györ, our defending champions:

• reigning champions Györ enter their 10th EHF FINAL4 semifinal, aiming for what would be their eighth final overall
• the Hungarian powerhouse have the record for most CL titles won — six; their first was in 2013, in the old format, followed by 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2024 at the EHF FINAL4
• Dione Housheer (78), Estelle Nze Minko (59) and Bruna de P ula (57) lead Györ’s top scorers list; goalkeepers Hatadou Sako and Sandra Toft have made 183 saves between them
• Györ have a perfect record against Esbjerg, having won all nine of their previous encounters so far
• the Hungarian side are 27 goals shy of a new milestone — being the first club to hit 9,000 goals in the CL

14:10

The teams have come out of their dressing rooms and warming up are on the court. Sitting court-side, you can really feel the vibes: Györ and Esbjerg are up for this one! And look at how focused Bruna de Paula is:

13:57

So, just over an hour to go now and we will be underway with this year's edition of the EHF FINAL4... a special one, as we start with two teams that were here also last year — Györ and Esbjerg. However, the contrast between the teams is big, judged by the numbers. Györ are the record six-time champions, Esbjerg are striving for their final appearance. And from their previous nine meeting, Györ have won each and every one of them...

Here is the head-to-head comparison for the first semi-final. You will find way more stats and details in our official media guide (downloadable here, also if you are not working media ;-) )

13:40

The countdown is ticking fast here at MVM Dome — only 80 minutes until the throw-off of the first semi-final between Györ and Esbjerg! The early fans have found their seats in this lovely arena, the music is blasting out of the speakers, and the teams of Györ and Esbjerg have meanwhile arrived.

We put together a comprehensive 'how-to-follow' guide for you, from wherever you are following the event. All matches are live on EHFTV with English commentary, but as usual geo-restrictions apply due to TV broadcasters rights. Here is the list of broadcasters where you can watch the EHF FINAL4 all live:

12:57

It's the calm before the storm here at MVM Dome... Two hours until throw-off, so the final preparations are in full flow and groups of fans are gathering outside the arena.

Let's have a quick look at our main object this weekend: the official handball from EHF's long-term supplier SELECT. Isn't it a beauty? A handball, and a handsome ball.

12:18

Today it's getting all serious, but yesterday there was time for some light-hearted fun with EHF content creator Brian Campion. Sound on for this one:

Also, the four teams got a first taste of the MVM Dome this weekend when they visited the arena on Friday night for a meet & greet with the Hungarian, Danish, and French fans. It was the ideal opportunity for the many supporters to get selfies with and autographs from their favourites players from Györ Esbjerg, Metz, and Odense.

Our kolektiff photographers were on site and captured this special event:

12:00

Jó napot! Hello from Budapest and welcome to the live blog covering the EHF FINAL4 Women 2025 at MVM Dome this weekend. We are going to crown the EHF Champions League 2024/25 winners on Sunday evening, so it's truly make or break for the four remaining teams now.

On Friday, players and coaches spoke with journalists at the media calls and attended a meet & greet with the fans in the arena. On Saturday, it's game on! Today the on-court action starts with the two semi-finals — first Györi Audi ETO KC against Team Esbjerg at 15:00 CEST, followed by Metz Handball against Odense Håndbold at 18:00 CEST.

Get ready for the games with this semi-final preview from EHF journalist Danijela Vekić: