2025/26 Champions League groups all set after qualifiers conclude

After three days of entertaining Champions League action across the continent, the top spots in the preliminary groups were decided by the final games of the Qualification Round on Sunday. VPK Primorac Kotor beat last season’s runners-up VK Novi Beograd on penalties to top Group A, while Vasas Plaket claimed a narrow victory against KEIO CN Sabadell to reach the summit of Group B, and HAVK Mladost brushed AN Brescia aside to take the honours in Group C. The final group line-ups for the men’s 2025/26 Champions League season can be found at the end of this article.

2025/26 Champions League Men
Qualification Round
Day 3, Sunday 21 September

Group A (Belgrade)

CSA Steaua Bucharest (ROU) 21-8 Pays D’Aix Natation (FRA)
VK Novi Beograd (SRB) 13-13 (3-5P) VPK Primorac Kotor (MNE)

Standings: 1. Primorac 8pts, 2. NBG 7pts, 3. Steaua Bucharest 3pts, 4. Pays d’Aix Natation 0pts

Group B (Sabadell)

KEIO CN Sabadell (ESP) 10-12 Vasas Plaket (HUN)

Standings: 1. Vasas 6pts, 2. Sabadell 3pts, 3. Spandau 0pts

Group C (Zagreb)

HAVK Mladost (CRO) 18-8 AN Brescia (ITA)

Standings: 1. Mladost 6pts, 2. Brescia 3pts, 3. Vouliagmeni 0pts

Group A (Belgrade)

CSA Steaua Bucharest (ROU) 21-8 Pays D’Aix Natation (FRA)

Steaua Bucharest piled more misery on Pays d’Aix Natation on the final day of the Qualification Round, as the French suffered a third successive heavy defeat in Belgrade. The writing was on the wall from the start, as the Romanians raced into a 5-1 lead in the first quarter.

Five more Steaua goals followed in the second and with the score standing at 10-3 at half-time, the result was in no doubt, and it was clear Pays d’Aix Natation were going to be heading home with little to show for their efforts.

They did manage to win the third quarter (4-5), reducing the deficit to five on two occasions (12-7 and 13-8), which allowed them to avoid an even bigger loss, especially as Steaua showed no mercy in the closing stages, hitting eight without reply.

As both teams finished in the bottom two, they will now go on to contest the Euro Cup qualifiers, which take place from 3rd-5th October.

VK Novi Beograd (SRB) 13-13 (3-5P) VPK Primorac Kotor (MNE)

Penalties were needed to decide the outcome of Group A, after VK Novi Beograd and VPK Primorac Kotor played out an entertaining 13-13 thriller in the day’s final game.

The hosts got off to the brighter start, working the ball well and establishing a 4-2 lead after the first break. Their advantage should have been three, but Nikola Lukic saw his penalty saved by Dimitrije Risticevic.

In the second, Marko Mrsic and Dordije Stanojevic struck back-to-back goals to level things up for Primorac, and then their new signing, Japanese star Yusuke Inaba, missed the chance to give his side the lead as his penalty was saved by Milan Glusac.

Miroslav Perkovic edged the hosts back in front from a six on five, but then Inaba made up for his earlier miss with a fine action goal, and further strikes from Stefan Vidovic (from a penalty) and Balsa Vuckovic (from action) saw Primorac move two in front (5-7) with 1:21 left in the half.

NBG were being roared on by the home support, and by the end of the third, the scores were level at 10-10, which set up a grandstand finish.

Vasilije Martinoviv hammered in after two minutes from action to put the hosts back in front, but Marko Mrsic converted a six on five to equalise with 5:23 on the clock.

The tension was clearly rising and Primorac coach Athanasios Kechagias was shown a yellow card, a minute before Inaba scored from an extra to make it 11-12.

At this point, NBG were throwing everything into their attacks and although Luka Gladovic tied the game at 12-12, there was still 4:04 left to play and Mrsic silenced the supporters again by making it 12-13 with 3:37 remaining.

NBG agonisingly missed two six on fives (the second after a time-out), but 50 seconds from the final buzzer, Nikola Lukic stepped up to score from 6m and sent the game to a shootout.

Primorac were flawless, with Mrsic, Inaba, Savo Cetkovic, Balsa Vuckovic and Nikola Brkic all converting their shots, while Duro Radovic missed in the third round, which meant NBG would finish as runners-up in the group.

Group B (Sabadell)

KEIO CN Sabadell (ESP) 10-12 Vasas Plaket (HUN)

Hungary’s Vasas inflicted a narrow defeat on Sabadell on the last day of the qualifiers to finish top of Group B. The Spaniards led 3-1 late in the first, but they never managed to pull away and open up a significant advantage. Vasas’ Bence Batori had the final say of the opening quarter, converting a six on five to make it 3-2.

It was Batori who levelled things up early in the second from another extra, then Sabadell reset their two-goal lead through Jan Perez Rodriguez and Sergi Cabanas, both from six on fives. The gap could have been three, but Oscar Asensio Surribas saw his shot from extra saved in the middle of those two strikes.

Vasas hit a wave after that, firing in three unanswered goals to move 5-6 up at half-time, and ultimately it was a lead they never relinquished.

Dome Dala continued the Hungarians’ scoring run at the start of the third for 5-7, and although Cabanas cut the deficit to one 22 seconds later, that was as close as Sabadell got in the remaining time.

By the end of the third, Vasas were clear by four (8-12) and despite not scoring in the fourth, their defence limited Sabadell to two goals, and Marton Mizsei also saved an Alberton Barroso penalty, which was enough to secure all the points and win the group.

Group C (Zagreb)

HAVK Mladost (CRO) 18-8 AN Brescia (ITA)

HAVK Mladost enjoyed a second double-digit victory in the Qualification Round as they eased past AN Brescia in Zagreb. After thrashing Vouliagmeni by 12 (16-4) on Saturday, there were no signs of tiredness as they comfortably beat the Italians by 10 on Sunday.

The Croatians did meet some resistance in the opening quarter, but after that, their big hitters took centre stage and a 6-0 rush that started in the first (at 3-2) and ended in the third decided the contest.

Brescia had no answers to Mladost’s firepower and struggled to find a way past both their goalkeepers – Ivan Marcelic and Mauro Ivan Cubranic – and their well-marshalled defence.

By the end of the third, the hosts were out of sight at 12-3, but there was still time for some fireworks in the last quarter, as 11 goals flew in, six for Mladost and five for Brescia.

Andrija Basic and Ivan Nagaev top scored for the Croatians with four each, while Brescia captain Jacopo Alesiani hit a consolation hat-trick for the Italians.

Champions League Men
2025/26 Group Stage
October 14th/15th 2025 – February 10th/11th 2026

Group A
Olympiacos SFP (GRE), SPD Radnicki (SRB), Vasas Plaket (HUN), HAVK Mladost (CRO)

Group B
Pro Recco (ITA), VK Jadran Split (CRO), Jadran m:tel Herceg Novi (MNE), VK Novi Beograd (SRB)

Group C
FTC Telekom (HUN), CSM Oradea (ROU), VPK Primorac Kotor (MNE), AN Brescia (ITA)

Group D
Zodiac CNAB (ESP), CN Marseille (FRA), Waspo Hannover 1898 (GER), KEIO CN Sabadell (ESP)

For the full results/tables from the Champions League Qualification Round, click here
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Andy Rollé for European Aquatics

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