Lidl Final4: The highlight of the season
On this page you can read exciting information about the history of our premium event.
Review: SC Magdeburg is DHB-Pokal winner
"Here reigns the SCM": SC Magdeburg is DHB Cup winner for the third time after 1996 and 2016. After losing three finals in 2019, 2022 and 2023, Bennet Wiegert's team won the final at the Final4 in Cologne on Sunday by 30:19 (13:11) against MT Melsungen, who still have to wait for their first cup win.
It was the second clearest result in a DHB Cup final after THW Kiel's 30:15 win over TV Niederwürzbach in 1998, although it did not look like such a clear result until the 40th minute. Melsungen were on a par up to this point, but then SCM pulled away - and the success had the same name as the 30:25 victory in the semi-final against Füchse Berlin the day before: goalkeeper Sergey Hernandez. The Spaniard saved a total of 20 shots and was also deservedly named DKB Player of the Tournament. The best scorers for the new cup winners were Lukas Mertens with seven goals and Omar Ingi Magnusson (6).
Magdeburg had lost to Rhein-Neckar Löwen on seven-meter penalties at the premiere of the Final4 last year, but now celebrated their second success in the final in the LANXESS Arena after last year's Champions League triumph. Albin Lagergren, who moved from the Lions to SCM in the summer of 2023, is therefore the only defending champion in the DHB Cup.
Final: SC Magdeburg - MT Melsungen 30:19 (13:11)
As in the semi-final victory against Flensburg, Melsungen relied on a 7-on-6 in attack and very offensive covering. After a very hectic and nervous start by both sides, SCM took the lead, but then had enormous problems in attack and was therefore not able to open up a gap of more than two goals.
Goalkeeper Sergey Hernandez stood like a wall again, as he did in the semi-final against the Foxes. The Spaniard saved nine shots alone before the break. However, Magdeburg were not able to control the game, which was also due to the fact that MT goalkeeper Adam Morawski saved two seven-meter penalties from Omar Ingi Magnusson. The SCM relied on individual actions against the physically extremely present and agile defense of the club from North Hesse, but these were not always crowned with success. The 13:11 lead at the break for the current Champions League champions was well deserved and could have been even greater.
Magdeburg also had problems against Melsungen's solid defense after the break. The game continued to be tough and thrived on the tension. The SCM fans, who were clearly superior in numbers, tried everything to whip their team forward, but the Melsungen fans in the stands also kept up a loud fight. It was finally DHB international Lukas Mertens who broke the spell with a double to make it 20:16 and give his side its first four-goal lead in the 40th minute.
Even a timeout by Melsungen at 17:22 in the 43rd minute did not turn the game around, on the contrary: Sergey Hernandez's 13th save was followed by Lukas Mertens' sixth goal and with 14 minutes remaining the game was decided at 23:17. The thousands of SCM fans in the LANXESS arena sang "Super SC Magdeburg". And after that it became really clear, with the fans and SCM bench cheering without limits minutes before the end. And the fans knew who they had to thank: "Sergey. Sergey" echoed through the LANXESS arena after the final whistle.
History: The Lidl Final4 since 1994
It is the most popular club handball event in the world: the Lidl Final4. The four best cup teams of the season compete for the coveted DHB Cup on the final weekend, attracting thousands of fans to the LANXESS arena in Cologne every year.
The premiere of the first Final4 tournament in the history of the DHB Cup was celebrated in 1993 in the Ballsporthalle Frankfurt. The following year and for a total of 8 more years, the Hamburg Sports Hall in Hamburg Alsterdorf became the venue for the DHB Cup. The city of Hamburg remained the home of the Lidl Final4 tournament for a long time, even after the move to today's Barclays Arena in 2003, where the DHB Cup final developed into the world's most popular and traditional Final4 tournament in handball from 2003 to 2022.
A new era began with the move to the “Cathedral of Handball” in 2023: the Lidl Final4 was held in the sold-out LANXESS arena in Cologne for the first time. Almost 20,000 enthusiastic fans watched the dramatic final between Rhein-Neckar Löwen and SC Magdeburg live, which was only decided by a seven-meter throw.
Since then, the Lidl Final4 has not only stood for a unique arena atmosphere, but has also set standards as a TV and media event. Both semi-finals and the final will be shown live by Dyn on pay TV. ARD or ZDF will broadcast one of the semi-finals in parallel, ARD will also broadcast the final in addition to Dyn. In total, the Lidl Final4 tournament reaches up to 29 million viewers. The matches of the German Cup final weekend will also be broadcast worldwide on HBL TV.
The DHB Cup winners in chronological order:
2024 | SC Magdeburg |
2023 | Rhein-Neckar Löwen |
2022 | THW Kiel |
2020 | TBV Lemgo |
2019 | THW Kiel |
2018 | Rhein-Neckar Löwen |
2017 | THW Kiel |
2016 | SC Magdeburg |
2015 | SG Flensburg-Handewitt |
2014 | Füchse Berlin |
2013 | THW Kiel |
2012 | THW Kiel |
2011 | THW Kiel |
2010 | Handball Sport Verein Hamburg |
2009 | THW Kiel |
2008 | THW Kiel |
2007 | THW Kiel |
2006 | Handball Sport Verein Hamburg |
2005 | SG Flensburg-Handewitt |
2004 | SG Flensburg-Handewitt |
2003 | SG Flensburg-Handewitt |
2002 | TBV Lemgo |
2001 | VfL Bad Schwartau |
2000 | THW Kiel |
1999 | THW Kiel |
1998 | THW Kiel |
1997 | TBV Lemgo |
1996 | SC Magdeburg |
1995 | TBV Lemgo |
1994 | SG Wallau/Massenheim |
1993 | SG Wallau/Massenheim |
1992 | TuSEM Essen |
1991 | TuSEM Essen |
1990 | TSV Milbertshofen |
1989 | TV Großwallstadt |
1988 | TuSEM Essen |
1987 | TV Großwallstadt |
1986 | MTSV Schwabing |
1985 | VfL Gummersbach |
1984 | TV Großwallstadt |
1983 | VfL Gummersbach |
1982 | VfL Gummersbach |
1981 | TuS Nettelstedt |
1980 | TV Großwallstadt |
1979 | TSV Grün-Weiß Dankersen |
1978 | VfL Gummersbach |
1977 | VfL Gummersbach |
1976 | TSV Grün-Weiß Dankersen |
1975 | TSV Grün-Weiß Dankersen |