There could be no better fixture to kick off this European campaign! On Wednesday, Paris will take on Aalborg – who finished fourth in last season’s EHF Champions League – at their home ground, the Sparekassen Danmark Arena. It’s a familiar fixture, as the two sides faced each other in a pre-season friendly less than a month ago, in this very same venue.
However, the intensity is likely to be quite different for this high-profile fixture. With the new Champions League format, the results of the group stage will carry particular weight in the race to qualify for the main round. Beyond the purely sporting side, however, this clash will hold special significance for Stefan Madsen, who will be facing his former club - with whom he reached the very pinnacle of the sport.
When Madsen was appointed head coach in 2018, Aalborg had only three Champions League campaigns to its name and had never progressed beyond the round of 16. Under his leadership, the Danish club reached new heights, making it to the final of the competition on two occasions, in 2021 and 2024.
Over the months and years, Stefan Madsen had built a team that could rely, in particular, on a particularly impressive back line, featuring Mikkel Hansen, Felix Claar, Lukas Sandell and Aron Pálmarsson, whilst Niklas Landin stood as a wall between the posts. Joining this stellar line-up were Magnus Saugstrup, Thomas Arnoldsen and Sebastian Barthold, who helped bring to life the fast-paced transition play that characterised the Danish side at the time.
In 2021, Madsen notably denied Paris a second European final, securing a 35-33 victory in the semi-finals in Cologne. This time, he will be on the Paris bench, alongside former protégé Henrik Mollgaard, as he aims to win his first European title.
His record over these six seasons is impressive, comprising four Danish league titles, two national cups, three Danish league Coach of the Year awards, two Champions League finals, and the title of “Best coach in club history” - awarded by Aalborg.
After six seasons at the helm of Aalborg, Stefan Madsen left the club in the summer of 2024, having helped establish it firmly amongst the leading names in European handball. Following a highly successful season at Al Ahly (Egypt), the Danish coach arrived in Paris in the summer of 2025.
From his very first season, he wrote a glorious chapter in the club’s history by leading Paris Saint-Germain Handball to their 13th French league title, at the end of an historic campaign marked by an unbeaten league run: 29 wins and one draw, conceded to Nantes at the final buzzer last December. This second season has got off to an even better start, with the club winning its first Trophée des Champions since 2023 in an intense battle against Montpellier.
Stefan Madsen is therefore set for what is bound to be a special homecoming: on Wednesday he will be back with the team he copached to some of the most memorable moments of his career. But this time, he will be facing this European fixture with Paris Saint-Germain Handball, aiming to get this new Champions League campaign off to the best possible start.
