The HLA Meisterliga in Austria is approaching the start of the season, and with the help of expert Eric Willemsen we take a closer look at the Men’s league. Who will win the league? Which player will stand out?
Dutch journalist Eric Willemsen has been working as foreign news correspondent and sports writer in Vienna, Austria since 2005. He covered handball at the London 2012 Olympic Games for global news agency The Associated Press, started writing articles for the European Handball Federation in 2013, and has been part of EHF’s editorial team as a freelance writer, editor, and liveblogger since 2015. He published his first book about his work as a (sports) journalist, “LIVE FROM VIENNA”, in 2025.
Which team will win the league this season and why?
– Alpla HC Hard. The last seven Austrian league titles went to five different clubs, so the HLA Meisterliga is a hard-to-predict competition. Defending champions Förthof UHK Krems have won six championships in the club’s history, but never two in a row. Krems defeated Hard 2:0 in last season’s best-of-three play-off final, after Hard had dominated the regular season and clearly finished on top of the league table, seven points clear of Krems. Hard had also lost the play-off final the year before, 2:1 against HC Linz AG, after ‘winning’ the regular season.
– Coming into 2025/26, Hard have lost two players that were on the HLA Team of the Season last year – left wing Samuel Wendel (retired) and left back Karolis Antanavicius (GWD Minden) – but are bound to go for gold again. It would be their first league title since 2021.
Which player will stand out?
– Pavle Petrovic (HC Linz AG). The 25-year-old Bosnian international arrives from HC Eurofarm Pelister, where he played in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League for two seasons. The right back scored 22 times in his debut topflight season in 2022/23, including a seven-goal outing against Aalborg Håndbold. In search for more playing time, Petrovic is ready to shine in the HLA Meisterliga for Linz.
Which player will have his big breakthrough?
– Roger Giner Duran (roomz JAGS Vöslau). The talented Spanish right wing came through the youth ranks and made it into the development team of Barça. Now he just needs more minutes on the court to start blossoming. The 1.75-metre-tall wing, who turns 20 in September, boasts lots of potential and joining Vöslau seems an interesting option for him to leave his mark on the HLA Meisterliga 2025/26 season.
Which player, team or event will be the most disappointing?
– Bregenz Handball. Still the record champions of Austria with nine titles, the club from the Vorarlberg province has been waiting for another crown since 2010. Bregenz did win the Austrian cup once in the meantime – in 2021/22 – but are desperate to finally claim their 10th domestic championship. However, they saw five players leave the club, including Markus Mahr, the Player of the Season 2024/25 in Austria, and welcomed six new arrivals, all from abroad. Bregenz start the new season with an average age of just 21, and they jokingly called themselves “killers with a babyface” on the club’s website. While the rejuvenation is arguably the right direction for the future, the 2025/26 season might come too early to see Bregenz fulfil their ambitions.
What are you looking forward to the most?
– With the Austrian Handball Federation celebrating their 100th anniversary in 2025, it promises to be a joyful season, including a special celebration night on 1 November in Vienna, when the Austria men’s national team take on Hungary. Internationally, it is interesting to see how far the four Austrian clubs can go in the EHF European Cup Men 2025/26; with Förthof UHK Krems meeting HC Fivers WAT Margareten in round 2, at least one Austrian club will make it to round 3 for sure this season.