"Check it off": Magdeburg's show of strength in the Super Cup

Overjoyed, successful coach Bennet Wiegert high-fived his assistant coach, Yves Grafenhorst, and embraced him just moments later following SC Magdeburg’s dominant performance in the Super Cup. The German handball champions, who had recently enjoyed a string of successes, had to wait 25 years to win this trophy again. For Wiegert himself, it was only his fourth attempt as a coach that proved successful—and how: Magdeburg overwhelmed their archrival, Füchse Berlin, 38–31 (20–15).

“I was surprised myself at how happy, how satisfied this made me. I had to calm myself down first,” said the 44-year-old. A success like this boosts self-confidence and shows just how far along the team is already ahead of the Bundesliga season opener, he noted.

Nevertheless, this performance a week before Sunday’s season opener hardly allows for any conclusions. “We’re kicking off in Gummersbach—that’s going to be incredibly tough. Now we have our first title. But nonetheless, Berlin is a top-tier team, and nothing in sports is more fleeting than yesterday’s success,” said Matthias Musche. 

Hunger for success far from satisfied

After twelve club titles under Wiegert, who has been on the sidelines since 2015, the Magdeburg team is far from satisfied. His team was able to enjoy the championship—won in impressive fashion—during the summer break, the coach said. “But after four weeks, that hunger has to be back. It’s also my job to help foster that.” The inner drive of his players is “extremely strong” and brings “immense joy,” he said.

Led by Gísli Kristjánsson, who converted nine out of nine shots, and Albin Lagergren, who also played brilliantly, Magdeburg held an eight-goal lead at times against the Füchse in front of 10,199 spectators (31:23/45.). “We were simply very concentrated from the start, very focused on all levels, and made very few mistakes,” said Kristjánsson, who added about the importance of the match: “It’s always fun to win titles, even if it’s not the biggest one of the season. But there’s a catch.”

The Füchse are counting on a long season

As well-coordinated as Magdeburg seems to be, the Füchse’s shortcomings were just as glaring—especially on defense. Following this setback and the departures of key players like Lasse Andersson and Dejan Milosavljev, Nicolej Krickau has little time to prepare before the league kicks off on Thursday evening with a top-of-the-table clash against MT Melsungen.

Despite the drastic changes to the roster, it’s part of the Füchse’s identity to play an attacking style. While the club faces “major challenges, this season is certainly not a stopgap,” managing director Bob Hanning recently explained. As the 2025 champions and last season’s cup winners, the Berlin team “always has high goals.”

For Krickau, the challenge lies in driving this process forward. “It’s not about Magdeburg at all. Everyone in Germany names Magdeburg as the favorite, and I understand that,” said the Dane. “But we’re working every day to improve our starting point. That’s where our focus lies. Yes, the gap today was big, but it’s a long season ahead.”

Wiegert is also aware of this. The 44-year-old never tires of emphasizing that in Magdeburg, “no one can walk on water.” “That won’t work; we have to do our job and find the right mindset.” If the Magdeburg team manages to take the next step in their development, then “this could become something big, and I can’t even see the limit,” said Wiegert. His team has already made a strong first impression.