LEN Champions League

The LEN Champions League is the top-tier European professional water polo club competition with teams from up to 18 different countries. It is organized by the Ligue Européenne de Natation.

LEN Champions League
Current season, competition or edition:
2020–21 LEN Champions League
FormerlyEuropean Cup
Euroleague
SportWater polo
Founded1963 (1963)
PresidentPaolo Barelli
No. of teams24 (preliminary stage)
16 (group stage)
CountryLEN members
Continent Europe
Most recent
champion(s)
Ferencváros
(1st title)
Most titles Pro Recco
(8 titles)
Level on pyramid1st Tier (Europe)
Official websitelen.eu

The competition started in 1963 as European Cup. A change of name and format occurred in 1996, with the competition being renamed Champions League and the final four system being established as the format of choice, for the first time during the 1996–97 LEN Champions League. From 2003 to 2011 the competition was named LEN Euroleague (with the change of name being simply a re-branding) and from 2011 and on LEN Champions League, its current name.

LEN Champions League is the most popular water polo league in the European continent. It has been won by 24 different clubs, 10 of which have won the title more than once. The most successful club in the competition is Pro Recco, with eight titles. The current European champion is FTC Telekom Budapest, who won their first title after defeating Olympiacos in the 2018–19 LEN Champions League Final in Hannover.

History

Names of the competition

  • 1963–1996: European Cup
  • 1996–2003: Champions League
  • 2003–2011: LEN Euroleague
  • 2011–present: LEN Champions League

Title holders

Finals

Year Final Third and fourth place
Champion Score Second place
1963–64
Details

Partizan
4–3
Dynamo Moscow

Dynamo Magdeburg

ASC Duisburg
1964–65
Details

Pro Recco
1–0
Partizan

Dynamo Magdeburg

CSK VMF Moscow
1965–66
Details

Partizan
8–7
(5–3 / 3–4)

Dynamo Magdeburg

Pro Recco

CSK VMF Moscow
1966–67
Details

Partizan
10–8
(5–3 / 1–2 / 4–3)

Pro Recco

Dynamo Magdeburg

Dinamo București
1967–68
Details

Mladost
8–6
(4–2 / 4–4)

Dinamo București

CSK VMF Moscow

Pro Recco
1968–69
Details

Mladost
11–7
(7–3 / 4–4)

Dynamo Moscow

Dynamo Magdeburg

Partizan
1969–70
Details

Mladost
7–6
(5–3 / 2–3)

Pro Recco

Barcelona

OSC Budapest
1970–71
Details

Partizan
4–4
Mladost

Dynamo Moscow

Stockholm
1971–72
Details

Mladost
4–2
Pro Recco

Dynamo Moscow

De Robben
1972–73
Details

OSC Budapest
5–4
Partizan

CSK VMF Moscow

Dinamo București
1973–74
Details

MGU Moscow
4–3
OSC Budapest

Partizan

Canottieri Napoli
1974–75
Details

Partizan
6–2
OSC Budapest

Dinamo București

De Robben
1975–76
Details

Partizan
6–5
Vasas

Canottieri Napoli

De Robben
1976–77
Details

CSK VMF Moscow
7–5
Zian

Würzburg 05

Partizan
1977–78
Details

Canottieri Napoli
5–5
CSK VMF Moscow

Partizan

Würzburg 05
1978–79
Details

OSC Budapest
5–2
Montjuïc

Würzburg 05

Pro Recco
1979–80
Details

Vasas
9–7
Partizan

Spandau 04

Montjuïc
1980–81
Details

Jug Dubrovnik
6–4
Spandau 04

Vasas

Ethnikos Piraeus
1981–82
Details

Barcelona
12–11
Spandau 04

Vasas

Alphen
1982–83
Details

Spandau 04
17–16
(7–10 / 10–6)

Dynamo Alma-Ata

Vasas

Pro Recco
1983–84
Details

Pro Recco
16–15
(8–10 / 8–5)

Alphen

Jug Dubrovnik

Spandau 04
1984–85
Details

Vasas
21–16
(11–11 / 10–5)

CSK VMF Moscow

Spandau 04

Partizan
1985–86
Details

Spandau 04
14–13
(7–9 / 7–4)

BVSC

Montjuïc

Jug Dubrovnik
1986–87
Details

Spandau 04
17–13
(10–5 / 7–8)

Dynamo Moscow

Primorac Kotor

Újpest
1987–88
Details

Pescara
21–19
(12–10 / 9–9)

Spandau 04

Dinamo București

Partizan
1988–89
Details

Spandau 04
22–21
(11–10 / 11–11)

Catalunya

Partizan

Ferencváros
1989–90
Details

Mladost
20–19
(9–10 / 11–9)

Spandau 04

Vasas

CSK VMF Moscow
1990–91
Details

Mladost
21–17
(10–7 / 11–10)

Canottieri Napoli

CSK VMF Moscow

Spandau 04
1991–92
Details

Jadran Split
21–20
(10–12 / 11–8)

Savona

Polar Bears Ede

Spandau 04
1992–93
Details

Jadran Split
13–12
(7–8 / 6–4)

Mladost

Olympic Nice

Polar Bears Ede
1993–94
Details

Újpest
21–17
(10–6 / 11–11)

Catalunya

Posillipo

Jadran Split
1994–95
Details

Catalunya
15–13
(7–6 / 8–7)

Újpest

Mladost

Spandau 04
1995–96
Details

Mladost
13–10
(7–4 / 6–6)

Újpest

Barcelona

Posillipo
1996–97
Details

Posillipo
10–7
Mladost

Barcelona

Bečej
1997–98
Details

Posillipo
8–6
Pescara

Mladost

Spartak Volgograd
1998–99
Details

POŠK
8–7
Bečej

Dynamo Moscow

Posillipo
1999–00
Details

Bečej
11–8
Mladost

BVSC

POŠK
2000–01
Details

Jug Dubrovnik
8–7
Olympiacos

Posillipo

Bečej
2001–02
Details

Olympiacos
9–7
Honvéd

Posillipo

Jug Dubrovnik
2002–03
Details

Pro Recco
9–4
Honvéd

Mladost

Spandau 04
2003–04
Details

Honvéd
7–6
Jadran Herceg Novi

Primorje

Shturm 2002
2004–05
Details

Posillipo
9–8
Honvéd

Pro Recco

Jug Dubrovnik
2005–06
Details

Jug Dubrovnik
9–7
Pro Recco

Posillipo

Savona
2006–07
Details

Pro Recco
9–8
Jug Dubrovnik

Partizan

Olympiacos
2007–08
Details

Pro Recco
13–12
Jug Dubrovnik

Vasas

Mladost
2008–09
Details

Primorac Kotor
8–7
Pro Recco

Jug Dubrovnik

Mladost
2009–10
Details

Pro Recco
9–3
Primorac Kotor

Partizan

Jug Dubrovnik
2010–11
Details

Partizan
11–7
Pro Recco

Mladost

Budva
2011–12
Details

Pro Recco
11–8
Primorje

Mladost

Vasas
2012–13
Details

Crvena zvezda
8–7
Jug Dubrovnik

Atlètic-Barceloneta

Partizan
2013–14
Details

Atlètic-Barceloneta
7–6
Radnički Kragujevac

Primorje

Partizan
2014–15
Details

Pro Recco
8–7
Primorje

Atlètic-Barceloneta

Jug Dubrovnik
2015–16
Details

Jug CO
6–4
Olympiacos

Szolnok

Pro Recco
2016–17
Details

Szolnok
10–5
Jug Dubrovnik

Pro Recco

Eger
2017–18
Details

Olympiacos
9–7
Pro Recco

Atlètic-Barceloneta

Jug Dubrovnik
2018–19
Details

Ferencváros
10–10 (PSO: 4–3)
Olympiacos

Pro Recco

Atlètic-Barceloneta
2019–20
Details
Cancelled Cancelled

Titles by club

Rank Club Titles Runner-up Champion years
1. Pro Recco 8 7 1964–65, 1983–84, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2014–15
2. Mladost 7 4 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1995–96
3. Partizan 7 3 1963–64, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1970–71, 1974–75, 1975–76, 2010–11
4. Jug Dubrovnik 4 4 1980–81, 2000–01, 2005–06, 2015–16
Spandau 04 4 4 1982–83, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1988–89
6. Posillipo 3 1996–97, 1997–98, 2004–05
7. Olympiacos 2 3 2001–02, 2017–18
8. OSC Budapest 2 2 1972–73, 1978–79
9. Vasas 2 1 1979–80, 1984–85
10. Jadran Split 2 1991–92, 1992–93
11. Honvéd 1 3 2003–04
12. CSK VMF Moscow 1 2 1976–77
Újpest 1 2 1993–94
Catalunya 1 2 1994–95
15. Canottieri Napoli 1 1 1977–78
Pescara 1 1 1987–88
Bečej 1 1 1999–00
Primorac Kotor 1 1 2008–09
19. MGU Moscow 1 1973–74
Barcelona 1 1981–82
POŠK 1 1998–99
Crvena zvezda 1 2012–13
Barceloneta 1 2013–14
Szolnok 1 2016–17
Ferencváros 1 2018–19
26. Dynamo Moscow 3
27. Primorje 2
28. Dynamo Magdeburg 1
Dinamo București 1
Zian 1
Montjuïc 1
Dynamo Alma-Ata 1
Alphen 1
BVSC 1
Savona 1
Jadran Herceg Novi 1
Radnički Kragujevac 1

Titles by nation

Rank Country Titles Runners-up CL winning clubs
1. Yugoslavia [A] 14 6 3
2. Italy 13 10 4
3. Hungary 8 9 6
4. Croatia 7 9 3
5. Germany [B] 4 4 1
6. Spain 3 3 3
7. Soviet Union [C] 2 6 2
8. Greece 2 3 1
9. Serbia 2 1 2
10. Montenegro 1 1 1
11. Netherlands 2
12. East Germany 1
Romania 1

*A Results until the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991 and the self-determination of its rump state Serbia and Montenegro in 2006. Clubs from present day Serbia won the title 6 times and were runners-up additional 4 times, clubs from present day Croatia won the title 7 and were runners-up once time, clubs from present day Montenegro were runners-up once time.

*B The results of West Germany counted with those of Germany.

*C Results until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Clubs from present day Russia won the title 2 times and were runners-up additional 5 times, clubs from present day Kazakhstan were runners-up once time.

Records

  • Pro Recco has been the most successful club, having won the competition a record eight times.
  • Mladost is the only club to have won the competition three times in a row (1968, 1969, 1970).
  • Partizan is the only club to have won the European Championship twice in a row for two times (1966, 1967 & 1975, 1976).
  • Spandau 04 (1986, 1987), Mladost (1990, 1991), Jadran Split (1992, 1993), Posillipo (1997, 1998) and Pro Recco (2007, 2008) are the other five teams to have won the European Championship twice in a row, only for one time.

Players

Most Titles
Player # Clubs
#List
Maurizo Felugo6 2Posillipo 2005, Pro Recco 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015
Đorđe Perišić6 1Partizan 1964, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1975, 1976
Andrija Prlainović5 4Partizan 2011, Pro Recco 2012, 2015, Crvena Zvezda 2013, Szolnok 2017
Ozren Bonačić5 2Partizan 1964, Mladost 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972
Tibor Benedek5 2Ujpest 1994, Pro Recco 2003, 2008, 2010, 2012
Tamas Kasas5 2Posillipo 1998, Pro Recco 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012
Stefano Tempesti5 1Pro Recco 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015
Mirko Sandić5 1Partizan 1964, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1975

4 titles: Karlo Stipanić, Zlatko Šimenc, Ronald Lopatny, Miro Poljak, Marijan Žužej.

Titles with 3 different clubs: Duško Pijetlović

Players/Coaches

Most Titles
Player/Coach # as Player as Coach
#List #List
Guiseppe Porzio7 2Posillipo 1997, 1998 5Posillipo 2005, Pro Recco 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012
Ozren Bonačić6 5Partizan 1964, Mladost 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972 1Mladost 1996
Igor Milanović5 3Mladost 1990, 1991, Catalunya 1995 2Partizan 2011, Pro Recco 2015
Duško Antunović5 3Partizan 1971, 1975, 1976 2 Mladost 1990, 1991
Ivo Trumbić4 3 Mladost 1967, 1968, 1969) 1Pescara 1988
Paolo De Crescenzo3 1Canottieri Naples 1978 2Posilllipo 1997, 1998
Boris Čukvas *3 =Partizan 1964, 1966, 1967 ==

* Two players were players and coaches at the same time in the winning teams. Boris Čukvas won three titles in a dual role. He was a player and Partizan’s coach during the seasons in which the Belgrade-based club won its first three titles (1963/64, 1965/66 and 1966/67). Eraldo Pizzo was a player and Pro Recco’s coach in the season 1964/65.

Titles (2) as a player and a coach: Veselin Đuho, Marco Baldineti, Vjekoslav Kobeščak.

Coaches

Most Titles
Player # Clubs
#List
Guiseppe Porzio5 2Posillipo 2005, Pro Recco 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012
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References

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