How it unfolded
CSM Bucuresti was a city-owned club founded in 2007, and 2015-16 was its first-ever season in this competition. Its opponent, Gyor, had dominated European women's handball, including back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014, and the final was held in Budapest, a two-hour drive from Gyor. Regulation ended 22-22 and extra time settled nothing either. CSM won the shootout 4-1, and goalkeeper Jelena Grubisic was named finals MVP. CSM's Isabelle Gullden scored 15 goals in this match alone, while Gyor's Heidi Loke answered with eight. CSM's roster also included Cristina Neagu, named IHF Player of the Year that season; since she never won a major title with the Romanian national team, this win stands as one of the biggest team achievements of her career.
Why it still matters
This was a signal that the financial structure of women's club handball was shifting. A new club, built by a city budget buying national-team-level players from across Europe all at once, reached the top of the continent in its debut season, and this model was later carried forward by Vipers Kristiansand. When Vipers went bankrupt in January 2025 right after its own three-peat, the same model's limits were exposed too. This match is the point where both the growth and the fragility of women's handball began.