Coupe de France de Handball Final 4 format change, Digi Mart USA News: The Coupe de France is set to receive a Final 4 format for the 2027/2028 edition, a change intended to revive a competition that has seemed to lose momentum in recent seasons. The question is whether the new format can disrupt the dominance of Metz Handball observed in recent years.
Changes are underway in French women’s handball competitions. The Ligue Butagaz Energie returned to playoffs starting with the 2026/2027 season, and the Champions League will change its format in 2027/2028, following the model of the men’s competition.
The Coupe de France is now announcing its new formula for the upcoming season.
The preliminary rounds are not expected to change significantly, but the finals will be overhauled in 2027/2028. The separate men’s final on Saturday and women’s final on Sunday, or vice versa, are being eliminated, as they divided the public and rarely delivered the advertised “celebration of handball.” A Final 4 format will take their place, running from Friday, March 31 to Sunday, April 2, 2028, again at the Accor Arena in Bercy.
The first semifinals will be scheduled on Friday evening, while amateur handball will keep a “classic” format over the weekend.
According to the French Handball Federation (FFHB), the timing aims to make room for championship finals, held from mid-April to late May, and major European competitions in late May and early June. The article notes that this could also stretch the intensity of major efforts over two full months and make it harder for teams to compete on every front.
It may, however, benefit supporters with more modest budgets, who would spend less within a shorter period. The Final 4 format will also bring supporters of four teams instead of two, which should fill the arena more fully.
It remains to be seen whether this new event will be enough to restore prestige to a competition that appeared to be losing momentum in recent seasons. The 2026/2027 edition is already underway.
Metz Handball, as a European club, will enter the competition only at the quarterfinal stage at the end of February 2027.
