Celje open NLB season with victory over Škofljica
Celje beat Škofljica 40-33 in the opening round of the 1. NLB League on Saturday, 5 September 2026. The away side took all three points from their first game while their hosts shared theirs.
By then the table told its own story. Celje sit top after one win and two points, while Škofljica have drawn their opener and sit eleventh with none.
The visitors came off a run that included a heavy defeat to Veszprém, 32-49, and a narrow loss to Kielce, 32-49, before a convincing 35-21 win against Ivančna Gorica two days earlier. To be fair, they looked sharp in that last outing.
Škofljica's recent record shows a 24-34 loss to Slovenj Gradec on 2 September, a 40-34 win over Ruda Ribnica, and a 31-28 victory against Ivančna Gorica. They also drew 31-31 at home to Radovljica and lost 29-32 away to Ruda Ribnica.
And here's the thing — the result puts Celje in control of their opening campaign while Škofljica will need to find consistency if they want to climb from the bottom.