Barça cruise to the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2026

Barça will now look for their 12th trophy on 13/14 June in the LANXESS arena after their 15th win in their 16th match of the 2025/26 season. They will find out their opponents for Cologne at the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2026 draw on 12 May at 15:00 CEST, live on EHFTV and the Home of Handball YouTube channel.

QUARTER-FINALS, SECOND LEG

Barça (ESP) vs HBC Nantes (FRA) 31:21 (15:12)

H2H: 11-1-2
First leg result: 32:30, Barça won 63:51 on aggregate
Top scorers: Aleix Gómez 10/12 (Barça), Thibaud Briet 5/7 (HBC Nantes)

• after only two minutes, HBC Nantes had levelled the two-goals deficit from the reverse fixture, leading 2:0; thanks to Thibaud Briet, the visitors continued like this until 8:6 in the 14th minute
• Barça struck back and with a 3:0 run, they earned their first three-goal lead on with the half-time buzzer, paving the way for the win
• both goalkeepers — Emil Nielsen (Barça) and Ignacio Biosca (Nantes) — were on fire, and despite the hosts’ half-time lead, HBC’s Spaniard was ahead with 11:8 saves compared to the Dane
• after the break, it took the EHF Champions League record winners only 10 minutes to virtually secure their ticket to Cologne, leading 21:15 and extending the overall margin to eight goals
• when Djordje Cikuša netted for 30:20 in the 58th minute, Barça led by double figures for the first time

Barça reach 21st EHF Champions League semi-final

Last season, Barça were shaken in the second leg of the quarter-finals, as they lost against PICK Szeged at home — but on aggregate the away win was enough. In 2026, the 11-time EHF Champions League winners wanted to avoid a scenario like this.

After a shaky start against HBC Nantes, Barça took full control and decided the second leg early. It was their 15th win in 16 matches of this Machineseeker EHF Champions League season, only defeated by defending champions SC Magdeburg on home ground in the group phase.

Now, Barça are part of the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 for the 14th time, more than any other club. In the LANXESS arena, they have had triumphs and tears, winning the trophy five times, most recently in 2024, but also lost four finals and three semi-finals. They now prepare for their 21st semi-final, and another chance to raise the trophy.

Photos © Victor Salgado