Barça Wins 12th Title: Beats Füchse Berlin 37-34

Barça Defends Its Throne in Cologne: Fell Füchse Berlin for 12th European Crown

In the EHF FINAL4 2026 final, Antonio Carlos Ortega's side beat Füchse Berlin 37-34. The German finalists, appearing on this stage for the first time, could not withstand a flawless night from Luís Frade and a commanding performance from goalkeeper Emil Nielsen.

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| 14 Jun 2026, 22:19 2 min okuma read 0

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Barça lifted its 12th Champions League title by beating Füchse Berlin 37-34 (20-16) in the EHF FINAL4 2026 final.
Luís Frade was the star of the final with a perfect 7-for-7, while Aleix Gómez (6/6) and Blaž Janc (6 goals) carried Barça; goalkeeper Emil Nielsen made 14 saves.
Füchse Berlin, reaching the final for the first time, missed out on the trophy despite Mathias Gidsel's 8 goals.

EHF

The 2025/26 Machineseeker EHF Champions League season came to a close with the final at LANXESS Arena in Cologne. Meeting for the first time in men's European cup history, Barça and Füchse Berlin produced a final that ended in a 37-34 victory (20-16 at halftime) for the Catalan club.

Under the management of Norwegian referees Lars Jorum and Havard Kleven, Barça took control of the game from the middle of the first half onward. Going into the break with a 20-16 lead, the Catalans withstood Füchse's pressure in the second half and held on for the win.

The star of the match was pivot Luís Frade, who converted all seven of his shots (7/7). Aleix Gómez finished 6/6, including a perfect 3-for-3 from the penalty line, while Blaž Janc scored six goals and netted the decisive final goal that sealed the margin. In goal, Emil Nielsen made 14 saves from 41 shots faced, giving Barça's defense the security it needed behind it.

For Füchse Berlin, Mathias Gidsel led the way with 8 goals from 11 shots; Lasse Andersson added 7, Tim Freihöfer 7, and Nils Lichtlein 6. Norway's Tobias Grøndahl converted all three of his seven-metre attempts. However, with Dejan Milosavljev managing only a 24% save rate (12 saves) between the posts, Füchse could not keep pace with their opponents' tempo.

In the closing stages, both sides lost a player to a red card: Ludovic Fabregas for Barça and captain Max Darj for Füchse. With this win, Barça reclaimed the European dominance it had lost in recent seasons, while Cologne once again brought disappointment for Füchse Berlin, who fell short in their first-ever final.

This final marked Barça's return to its true identity after last season's disappointing fourth-place finish. The Catalan side's real strength was not so much its offensive variety as its ability to preserve defensive discipline against a Füchse team desperately trying to close the gap in the second half; Emil Nielsen's saves, particularly from the nine-metre range, denied Berlin quick counterattacks and kept the match's tempo exactly where Barça wanted it. On the Füchse side, Milosavljev's save percentage of just 24% undercut the individual performances of Gidsel and Andersson; unable to shake off the pressure of their first final, Berlin lost their own rhythm through technical errors at critical moments. Frade's 100% shooting accuracy may look like a statistical luxury, but it was in fact a reflection of Barça's patience in building play and their precise choice of passes. In the end, experience once again proved decisive against a team playing on this stage for the first time.