Euro Hockey League Opens in Eindhoven Today, but Orée v Löwen Is Off After a Waterlogged Pitch

The Euro Hockey League season starts today in Eindhoven. One of its best-looking ties won’t be played.

Royal Orée’s match against SK Löwen has been postponed because of a waterlogged pitch at Oranje-Rood, the Dutch club hosting the men’s preliminary round from Thursday to Sunday. No new date was in the announcement, and the postponement ripples: Orée’s Belgian league match against Braxgata, originally part of the current matchday, has already been shifted to 29 October because of their EHL trip.

Sixteen clubs are in Eindhoven for the preliminary round, chasing the road that ends at the FINAL8 over Easter. The Dutch send four: HC Bloemendaal, SV Kampong, HC Oranje-Rood and HC Rotterdam. Germany have Hamburger Polo, Mannheimer HC and Crefelder HTC. England’s Wimbledon are here, Scotland’s Western Wildcats too, with Banbridge (Ireland), Lille (France), SV Arminen (Austria) and Orée and Löwen completing a field that is exactly what the EHL is supposed to look like.

What does get played today

Two ties survive the weather on day one. Lille Métropole open against Mannheimer HC at 12:15 CEST (3:15pm PKT), and the evening match is a proper occasion: Western Wildcats, Scotland’s form team, against Wimbledon at 18:30 CEST (9:30pm PKT).

The Wildcats aren’t travelling as tourists. They’re top of the Scottish Premiership and won 6-0 at the weekend, with the Moran brothers scoring four between them. Wimbledon in Europe is a different weight of opponent, but Scottish clubs have waited a long time for nights like this, and the Wildcats have the pace to make it uncomfortable.

Friday brings the heavy Dutch artillery: SV Arminen v Hamburger Polo in the morning, then HC Bloemendaal v Banbridge. Kampong, Rotterdam and hosts Oranje-Rood all enter across the weekend, and by Sunday night the FINAL8 picture will have its shape.

For Orée and Löwen, the season starts with a waiting game instead. When the rearranged date lands, we’ll update this piece.

More European hockey: the EHL Finals 2027 draw is already made, the Scottish Premiership men’s results show the Wildcats’ form, and our Live Centre carries the day’s hockey.