The 2026/27 HYLO ETTU Champions League Men gets underway in Lille this week, where 16 clubs will battle for eight places in Stage 2 from 28 to 30 August. Three days of group-stage action at the Complexe sportif Micheline Ostermeyer will open the road towards the HYLO Final Four, with the teams divided into four groups of four and the top two from each group continuing their Champions League journey.
Stage 1 will feature three days of group action, with matches starting at 10:00, 13:00, 16:00 and 19:00 each day.
Group A brings together Czech club HB Ostrov z.s., Slovakia’s STK Vyhne, Italy’s ASD TT Santa Tecla Nulvi and STK Starr Croatia.
Both HB Ostrov and STK Vyhne have recent experience of the latter stages of European competition. The two clubs reached the quarter-finals of last season’s Europe Cup. HB Ostrov faced eventual champions Real Club Cajasur Priego TM, while STK Vyhne met this week’s Stage 1 host Lille Metropole TT.
The competition opens on Friday morning with HB Ostrov facing Santa Tecla Nulvi, while STK Vyhne meets STK Starr Croatia.
Group B features two of the most successful teams from last season’s Europe Cup. SF SKK El Nino Praha is joined by Denmark’s Roskilde Bordtennis BTK 61, Spain’s CTT Olot and Romania’s CSS-SZAK Odorheiu Secuiesc.
El Nino Praha enjoyed an outstanding 2025/26 Europe Cup campaign. The Czech side overcame TTC Sokah Hoboken in the quarter-finals before beating Roskilde in the semi-finals to book its place in the title contest. El Nino’s run eventually ended in the final against Real Club Cajasur Priego TM, who lifted the trophy.
Roskilde also arrives in Lille with impressive credentials. The Danish club reached the semi-finals after overcoming AS Pontoise Cergy TT in the quarter-finals, before El Nino Praha ended its challenge.
That makes Saturday’s meeting between El Nino Praha and Roskilde particularly attractive – a repeat of last season’s Europe Cup semi-final. The two sides meet at 13:00.
Host club Lille Metropole TT leads the challenge in Group C, alongside Czech side SKST Havirov, Belgium’s TTC Sokah Hoboken and Spain’s CTT Les Borges Vall.
Lille was another of the standout teams in last season’s Europe Cup. The French club overcame STK Vyhne in the quarter-finals to reach the last four, where eventual champions Real Club Cajasur Priego TM stopped their run.
TTC Sokah Hoboken also reached the quarter-finals of the Europe Cup, where the Belgian side faced eventual runners-up SF SKK El Nino Praha.
Lille starts its Champions League campaign on Friday at 16:00 against CTT Les Borges Vall. The hosts then meet SKST Havirov on Saturday before completing the group against TTC Sokah Hoboken on Sunday.
Group D brings together AS Pontoise Cergy TT, Austria’s SPG Felbermayr Wels, Poland’s Dojlidy Białystok and Czech club TTC Ostrava 2016.
Pontoise also knows what it takes to reach the closing stages of the Europe Cup. The French side advanced to the quarter-finals last season, where its campaign was ended by Roskilde.
Pontoise opens against Dojlidy Białystok on Friday evening, while SPG Felbermayr Wels faces TTC Ostrava 2016.
All four groups will be played through three rounds from Friday to Sunday, making every match in Lille crucial in the battle for progression. The final group matches are scheduled for Sunday, with Group A at 10:00, Group B at 13:00, Group C at 16:00 and Group D at 19:00.
The event is organised by Lille Metropole TT, with matches played on two competition tables at the Complexe sportif Micheline Ostermeyer.
The top two clubs from each group advance.
Those eight qualifiers will then join the top eight seeded clubs in Stage 2, when the competition switches to the knockout format. Both the Round of 16 and the quarter-finals will be contested over home-and-away legs.
The four quarter-final winners will secure their places at the prestigious HYLO Final Four, where the semi-finals and final will be decided over one weekend to crown the 2026/27 European club champions.
