After a very successful 2015 season, and an incredible Final Four, Champions League is gearing up for 2016 and is proud to welcome new and old participants, where the number of teams is at 13.
First, let’s take a quick trip down memory lane. CL2015 Champion are Carlstad Crusaders, after an exciting win over Belgrade SBB Vukovi [2x CL runner up]. Belgrade and Carlstad played against London Blitz and Thonon Black Panthers respectively in the Final Four before the championship game.
Champions League Final Four
| Date | Event | Time/Results | Competition | Season | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-07-24 16:00:01July 24, 2015 | London Blitz vs Belgrade SBB Vukovi | 28 – 35 | Champions League Final Four | 2015 | TC Vozdovac Stadion |
| 2015-07-24 20:30:46July 24, 2015 | Carlstad Crusaders vs Thonon Black Panthers | 41 – 6 | Champions League Final Four | 2015 | TC Vozdovac Stadion |
| 2015-07-26 16:30:54July 26, 2015 | Carlstad Crusaders vs Belgrade SBB Vukovi | 84 – 49 | Champions League Final Four | 2015 | TC Vozdovac Stadion |
Newcomers for #CL2016 are Vejle Triangle Razorback, Prague Lions, Wroclaw Panthers [North]; Istanbul Koc Rams, St. Petersburg Griffins [East]; Budapest Wolves [Central]; and Novi Sad GAT Dukes, Vienna Danube Dragons, Lisbon Devils [South].
Conference North will be very interesting, as, it’s consisted of first-time CL participants – Triangle Razorbacks, Prague Lions and Wroclaw Panthers, while in Conference East – Istanbul Koc Rams and St.Petersburg Griffins will take on the current CL champion – Carlstad Crusaders. Belgrade SBB Vukovi will be going against familiar faces – where they will face Milan Seamen and Budapest Wolves in Conference Central. Conference South welcomes Novi Sad GAT Dukes, Vienna Danube Dragons and Lisbon Devils – who may have a tough time against a more CL experienced team – Istanbul Bogazici Sultans.
CL conferences, team pages and official visual for 2016 will be published soon, but before that, let’s take a look at the conference schedule:
North
16/17 April – Vejle Triangle Razorbacks vs Prague Lions
30 April – Wroclaw Panthers vs Vejle Triangle Razorbacks
15 May – Prague Lions vs Wroclaw Panthers
East
17 April – Istanbul Koç Rams vs St. Petersburg Griffins
30 April – Carlstad Crusaders vs Istanbul Koç Rams
14/15 May – St. Petersburg Griffins vs Carlstad Crusaders
Central
16/17 April – Belgrade SBB Vukovi vs Milan Seamen
7/8 May – Budapest Wolves vs Belgrade SBB Vukovi
28 May – Milan Seamen vs Budapest Wolves
South
23 April – Novi Sad GAT Dukes vs Vienna Danube Dragons
23/24 April – Lisbon Devils vs Istanbul Boğaziçi Sultans
7/8 May – Vienna Danube Dragons vs Lisbon Devils
14/15 May – Istanbul Boğaziçi Sultans vs Novi Sad GAT Dukes
Conferences were assigned to teams based on the distance between all participating teams, whereas the possibility of some teams to travel via plane was taken into consideration.