The wait is over—this weekend marks the start of a new European club season. From Friday to Sunday (September 19–21), ten clubs will battle in Belgrade, Sabadell, and Zagreb for a place in the Champions League Group Stage.

With European Aquatics reducing the qualification field to just ten teams—the runners-up from the top ten national leagues—the stakes are higher than ever. Six of them will progress to the Champions League proper, while the other four will drop into the Euro Cup qualifiers. More than half of the field will advance, but the balance between tradition, talent, and transition makes this year’s outcome difficult to predict.

Group A (Belgrade): Novi Beograd, Primorac, Steaua, Pays d’Aix

The Belgrade bracket is the only one with four clubs, and intriguingly, all of them have new head coaches this season.

• Novi Beograd – Petar Radanovic takes charge of last year’s Champions League finalist. The Serbian powerhouse has refreshed its roster with younger players after three consecutive silver medals.
• Primorac – Greek coach Athanasios Kechagias leads the 2009 European champion, strengthened this summer by Risticevic, Vidovic, and Japanese ace Inaba.
• Steaua Bucharest – Former Novi Beograd assistant Djordje Filipovic now guides the Romanian side, which already stumbled domestically, losing both the Cup and Super Cup to Oradea.
• Pays d’Aix – Long-time assistant Alexandre Colin steps up after Alexandre Donsimoni’s retirement. His team has started brightly with a win over Sete in France.

Novi Beograd edged Primorac 14:11 in a recent friendly, but both Steaua and Pays d’Aix travel with genuine ambition to upset the odds.

Friday, September 19

• 18:45: Novi Beograd – Pays d’Aix
• 20:45: Primorac – Steaua

Group B (Sabadell): Sabadell, Vasas, Spandau 04

Sabadell hosts a compact three-team group that mixes tradition with recent pedigree.

• Sabadell – The 2022 Euro Cup winners lost several big names (Valera, Bustos, Renzuto, Bowen) but retain a strong core, boosted by the return of Sergi Cabanas.
• Vasas – Two years after their Euro Cup triumph, the Hungarians have waved goodbye to Olympic champions Nikola Dedovic and Sava Randjelovic. Slobodan Nikic remains at the helm.
• Spandau 04 – German giants with a storied history, now under new coach Marin Restovic, hoping to prove they can still challenge on the continental stage.

On paper, Sabadell and Vasas are favorites, but Spandau’s experience could make things interesting.

Friday, September 19

• 19:00: Spandau 04 – Vasas
• Sabadell bye

Group C (Zagreb): Mladost, Brescia, Vouliagmeni

The most evenly matched of the qualification pools, Zagreb brings together three sides with real pedigree.

• Mladost – Seven-time European champions and Euro Cup semifinalists last season, the Croatians boast a roster full of world and Olympic champions. Zoran Bajic returns to the bench.
• Brescia – Alessandro Bovo begins his 18th season as coach. The Italians have shifted to a younger team following the departure of Max Irving.
• Vouliagmeni – Led by Vladimir Vujasinovic, the Greeks have reshaped their squad after key departures, leaning on youth and hunger to push forward.

Mladost’s experience perhaps gives them the slightest edge, but all three sides are realistic contenders.

Friday, September 19

• 19:00: Vouliagmeni – Brescia
• Mladost bye

Six new coaches, new dynamics

Remarkably, six of the ten teams in qualification start the season with new head coaches—Radanovic (Novi Beograd), Kechagias (Primorac), Filipovic (Steaua), Colin (Pays d’Aix), Restovic (Spandau), and Bajic (Mladost). These transitions add uncertainty and intrigue, while veterans like Bovo (Brescia), Colet (Sabadell), Vujasinovic (Vouliagmeni), and Nikic (Vasas) provide continuity.

Champions League group stage line-up

The main phase begins on October 14/15, where 12 seeded clubs will be joined by the six qualifiers:

• Group A: Olympiacos (GRE), Radnicki (SRB), Winner QR B, Winner QR C
• Group B: Pro Recco (ITA), Jadran Split (CRO), Jadran Herceg Novi (MNE), 2nd QR A
• Group C: Ferencvaros (HUN), Oradea (ROU), Winner QR A, 2nd QR C
• Group D: Barceloneta (ESP), Marseille (FRA), Waspo Hannover (GER), 2nd QR B

The road ahead

The qualification stage promises competitive clashes across all three venues. Novi Beograd and Mladost may enter as favorites, but with so many coaching changes, squad rebuilds, and ambitious outsiders, nothing is guaranteed. By Sunday night, the six teams joining Europe’s elite will be revealed.