The draw for the third round of the men's Coupe de France handball tournament was held on Monday, October 5. This competition is a knockout-style tournament featuring teams from across France, with the goal of determining a national champion. Five matches are set to take place on October 27 and 28, with Saint-Raphaël making its debut in the competition. The team will host USAM in a local derby, which is a match between two teams from the same region or city. Pau Billère, which advanced after defeating Aix and Istres in earlier rounds, will face Limoges, another new entrant. This match will determine which team progresses to the quarterfinals. Other matches in the third round include Chambéry traveling to Toulouse, and Valence, which defeated Dunkerque in the previous round, facing C'Chartres Métropole Handball. However, Tremblay Handball is still waiting for its opponent, as the match between Pontault-Combault and Cesson Rennes was postponed. This match will now be played on Tuesday, October 6, at 8:00 PM. The winner of this match will face Tremblay in the third round. The complete list of third-round matches is as follows: Tremblay Handball - Pontault-Combault or Cesson Rennes Métropole Valence Drome Handball - C'Chartres Métropole Handball Pau Billère Handball - Limoges Handball Saint-Raphaël Var Handball - USAM Nîmes Gard Toulouse Fénix Handball - Chambéry Savoie Mont Blanc Handball Notably, Paris Saint-Germain, HBC Nantes, and MHB, the reigning champions, will not participate in the third round. Instead, they will enter the competition directly in the quarterfinals, skipping the earlier stages. This gives them a head start in the race for the title.