2026 European Men's Handball Championship qualification

This article describes the qualification process for the 2026 European Men's Handball Championship and EHF Euro Cup.

Format

Prior to the qualification, four teams were automatically qualified:

Denmark, Norway and Sweden as co-hosts;
The best-placed team from the 2024 European Men's Handball Championship, other than the 2026 tournament co-hosts.

The remaining eligible teams contested a qualification tournament to determine the teams securing the remaining 20 places in the final tournament. The qualification tournament consisted of three rounds: qualification phase 1, promotion round, and qualification phase 2.^[1]

Qualification phase 1:
- Four teams;
- Round-robin tournament format;
- Top-ranked team after all matches played advanced to the promotion round.

Promotion round:
- Six teams:
  - Qualification phase 1 winner,
  - Four of the lowest-ranked fourth-placed teams of the previous cycle qualifiers round,
  - Best European team at the 2023 IHF Emerging Nations Championship;
- Two-legged tie format;
- Three aggregate winners advanced to the qualification phase 2.

Qualification phase 2:
- Thirty-two teams:
  - Three promotion round winners
  - Remaining eight teams eliminated in the previous cycle qualifiers round
  - Twenty teams that participated in the 2024 European Championship, but did not qualify directly to the 2026 final tournament
- Round-robin tournament format: eight groups of four teams;
- Group winners, group runners-up, and the four best third-placed teams qualified for the final tournament.

Qualification Phase 1

Since only four teams participate in this round, no draw was needed, other than the hosting rights.^[1]^[2] Although Cyprus had the hosting rights, it declined and the rights moved to Azerbaijan.

Standings

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Great Britain	3	2	1	0	108	61	+47	5^[a]	Promotion round
2	Cyprus	3	2	1	0	104	74	+30	5^[a]
3	Azerbaijan (H)	3	1	0	2	79	96	−17	2
4	Malta	3	0	0	3	65	125	−60	0

Source: EHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
(H) Hosts
Notes:

^ ^a ^b Cyprus 25–25 Great Britain

Results

All times are local (UTC+4).

13 January 2023 14:45	Cyprus	25–25	Great Britain	Baku Sports Palace, Baku Attendance: 600 Referees: Yonchev, Yovchev (BUL)
	C. Argyrou, Dimosthenous 6	(12–13)	Edgar 10
	2× 4×	Report	1× 2×

13 January 2023 17:00	Azerbaijan	34–25	Malta	Baku Sports Palace, Baku Attendance: 2,200 Referees: Peretz, Schwartz (ISR)
	Muradov 9	(18–6)	Gruppetta, Naudi 5
	1× 2×	Report	1× 3×

14 January 2023 14:45	Malta	26–47	Cyprus	Baku Sports Palace, Baku Attendance: 500 Referees: Peretz, Schwartz (ISR)
	Seifert 6	(12–23)	C. Argyrou 9
	5×	Report	2× 4×

14 January 2023 17:00	Great Britain	39–22	Azerbaijan	Baku Sports Palace, Baku Attendance: 2,100 Referees: Yonchev, Yovchev (BUL)
	White 11	(16–8)	Georgiyevski 9
	1× 1×	Report	1× 2×

15 January 2023 12:45	Great Britain	44–14	Malta	Baku Sports Palace, Baku Attendance: 450 Referees: Peretz, Schwartz (ISR)
	Pereira 17	(23–7)	Mercieca 4
	2× 2×	Report	1×

15 January 2023 15:00	Cyprus	32–23	Azerbaijan	Baku Sports Palace, Baku Attendance: 1,700 Referees: Yonchev, Yovchev (BUL)
	Dimosthenous 8	(18–15)	Mammadov 9
	2× 1×	Report	1× 4×

Promotion round

Six teams participated in this round: the winner of the Phase 1, the four of the lowest-ranked fourth-ranked teams in the 2024 European Men's Handball Championship qualification and the best European team of the 2023 IHF Emerging Nations Championship.^[1] The draw took place on 5 July 2023, in Vienna, Austria.^[3]^[4]

Participating teams

Qualification method	Team(s)
Winner of Qualification Phase 1	Great Britain
Four of the lowest-ranked fourth-ranked teams in the Men's EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers	Belgium Kosovo Luxembourg Latvia
Best European team at the 2023 IHF Emerging Nations Championship	Cyprus

Seeding

The seeding was announced on 4 July 2023.^[3]

Pot 1	Pot 2
Belgium Kosovo Luxembourg	Latvia Great Britain Cyprus

Overview

Times from November to March are UTC+1, Times in May are UTC+2.

Team 1	Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Latvia	60–61	Luxembourg	32–25	28–36
Kosovo	59–45	Great Britain	30–22	29–23
Belgium	66–40	Cyprus	30–18	36–22

Matches

11 January 2024 18:40	Latvia	32–25	Luxembourg	Valmiera Olympic Center, Valmiera Attendance: 480 Referees: Leszczyński, Piechota (POL)
	Juzups 8	(13–13)	three players 5
	1× 4× 1×	Report	8× 1×

14 January 2024 16:00	Luxembourg	36–28	Latvia	d'Coque, Luxembourg City Attendance: 1,172 Referees: Caçador, Nicolau (POR)
	Hoffmann 9	(21–13)	Geislers 9
	4×	Report	1× 2×

Luxembourg won 61–60 on aggregate.

10 January 2024 20:30	Kosovo	30–22	Great Britain	Palace of Youth and Sports, Pristina Attendance: 1,150 Referees: Erdoğan, Özdeniz (TUR)
	Dedaj 11	(13–11)	Edgar 6
	5×	Report	5×

13 January 2024 14:15	Great Britain	23–29	Kosovo	Derby Arena, Derby Attendance: 1,200 Referees: Horváth, Marton (HUN)
	Plumridge, Wardle 4	(11–13)	Dedaj 8
	1× 4×	Report	1× 6× 1×

Kosovo won 59–45 on aggregate.

10 January 2024 18:00	Belgium	30–18	Cyprus	Sporthal Alverberg, Hasselt Attendance: 1,970 Referees: Madsen, Mortensen (DEN)
	Glorieux 7	(12–10)	three players 4
	1× 2×	Report	2×

13 January 2024 16:00	Cyprus	22–36	Belgium	Eleftheria Indoor Hall, Nicosia Attendance: 200 Referees: Boričić, Marković (SRB)
	Argyrou 7	(8–15)	Cadel 6
	1× 4×	Report	1× 5×

Belgium won 66–40 on aggregate.

Qualification Phase 2

Phase 2 was played between November 2024 and May 2025. Like in previous cycles, 32 teams were divided into eight groups of four, to be played as round-robin tournaments. The eight group winners and runners-up qualified for the final tournament, together with the four best third-placed teams, which were determined taking into account only results against top two teams in each group.^[5] The draw took place on 21 March 2024 in Copenhagen, Denmark.^[6]^[7]

Participating teams

Qualification method	Team(s)
Participated in the 2024 European Championship	Germany Hungary Slovenia Portugal Austria Iceland Croatia Netherlands Spain Montenegro Czech Republic Poland North Macedonia Georgia Serbia Faroe Islands Switzerland Romania Greece Bosnia and Herzegovina
Eliminated in Qualification Phase 2 for the 2024 European Championship	Estonia Turkey Italy Slovakia Ukraine Finland Israel Lithuania
Promotion round winners	Belgium Kosovo Luxembourg
Promotion round best loser	Latvia ¹

¹ Following another motion, submitted by the competitions department and confirmed by the EXEC, Latvia, as the best-ranked team not yet qualified, received a place in the Men’s EHF EURO 2026 Qualifiers Phase 2. This one place was open due to the non-admittance of Russia and Belarus.^[6]

Seeding

The seeding was announced on 21 February 2024.^[8]

Pot 1	Pot 2	Pot 3	Pot 4
Germany Spain Hungary Croatia Iceland Slovenia Portugal Netherlands	Austria Montenegro Serbia Poland Czech Republic North Macedonia Faroe Islands Greece	Bosnia and Herzegovina Slovakia Belgium Switzerland Romania Lithuania Ukraine Italy	Finland Israel Estonia Georgia Turkey Luxembourg Kosovo Latvia

Groups

Times from November to March are UTC+1, Times in May are UTC+2.

Group 1

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Slovenia	6	6	0	202	164	+38	12	Final tournament
2	North Macedonia	6	3	3	179	166	+13	6^[a]	Final tournament
3	Lithuania	6	3	3	164	168	−4	6^[a]
4	Estonia	6	0	6	156	203	−47	0

Source: EHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
Notes:

^ ^a ^b North Macedonia 53–46 Lithuania

6 November 2024 20:00	North Macedonia	37–33	Estonia	Boris Trajkovski Sports Center, Skopje Attendance: 4,700 Referees: Andorka, Hucker (HUN)
	Serafimov 10	(20–20)	Toom 11
	2×	Report	2× 6×

7 November 2024 18:00	Slovenia	36–25	Lithuania	Rdeča dvorana, Velenje Attendance: 1,100 Referees: Hofer, Schmidhuber (AUT)
	Makuc, Vlah 7	(17–15)	Dumčius, Malašinskas 5
	4×	Report	5×

10 November 2024 17:00	Estonia	28–29	Slovenia	Kalev Sports Hall, Tallinn Attendance: 800 Referees: Mandák, Rudinský (SVK)
	Varul 9	(14–14)	Makuc 13
	1× 6×	Report	5×

10 November 2024 17:00	Lithuania	29–27	North Macedonia	Twinsbet Arena, Vilnius Attendance: 1,500 Referees: Budzák, Záhradník (SVK)
	Malašinskas 8	(13–12)	Kuzmanovski 8
	1× 4×	Report	2× 3×

12 March 2025 18:00	Estonia	20–30	Lithuania	Kalev Sports Hall, Tallinn Attendance: 800 Referees: Pétursson, Þrastarson (ISL)
	Jaanimaa 6	(10–17)	Malašinskas 6
	1× 4×	Report	2× 6×

12 March 2025 20:00	North Macedonia	26–32	Slovenia	Boris Trajkovski Sports Center, Skopje Attendance: 6,963 Referees: A. Konjičanin, D. Konjičanin (BIH)
	Kuzmanovski 10	(16–15)	Vlah 10
	2× 1×	Report	1× 4×

16 March 2025 15:00	Lithuania	35–28	Estonia	Švyturys Arena, Klaipėda Attendance: 1,250 Referees: Fotakidis, Kinatzidis (GRE)
	Antanavičius 8	(15–11)	Löpp 5
	5×	Report	1× 3×

16 March 2025 18:30	Slovenia	38–27	North Macedonia	Arena Bonifika, Koper Attendance: 3,410 Referees: Bíró, Kiss (HUN)
	Vlah 9	(20–12)	Kuzmanovski 6
	3×	Report	3×

7 May 2025 18:00	Lithuania	28–31	Slovenia	Twinsbet Arena, Vilnius Attendance: 2,000 Referees: Stark, Ştefan (ROU)
	Dumčius, Malašinskas 6	(12–18)	Cokan, Mlivić 6
	3×	Report	1× 3×

8 May 2025 18:00	Estonia	17–36	North Macedonia	Kalev Sports Hall, Tallinn Attendance: 500 Referees: Maia, Nunes (POR)
	Jaanimaa 5	(10–19)	Kuzmanovski 6
	2× 1×	Report	6×

11 May 2025 18:00	Slovenia	36–30	Estonia	Golovec Hall, Celje Attendance: 1,800 Referees: Panetta, Riello (ITA)
	Cokan, Knavs 5	(20–15)	Jaanimaa 12
	1×	Report	4×

11 May 2025 18:00	North Macedonia	26–17	Lithuania	Jane Sandanski Arena, Skopje Attendance: 5,000 Referees: P. Geraets, R. Geraets (NED)
	Kuzmanovski, Serafimov 5	(13–11)	Antanavičius 8
	1× 3×	Report	1× 3×

Group 2

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Hungary	6	5	1	0	203	158	+45	11	Final tournament
2	Montenegro	6	4	1	1	188	177	+11	9	Final tournament
3	Finland	6	2	0	4	151	177	−26	4
4	Slovakia	6	0	0	6	165	195	−30	0

Source: EHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

6 November 2024 18:00	Montenegro	29–28	Finland	Bemax Arena, Podgorica Attendance: 2,245 Referees: Erdoğan, Özdeniz (TUR)
	Čepić, Vujović 7	(16–15)	Laine, Vainionpää 6
	3×	Report	3×

6 November 2024 19:00	Hungary	37–32	Slovakia	Audi Aréna, Győr Attendance: 1,800 Referees: Laron, Lindenbaum (ISR)
	Imre 9	(15–12)	Macháč 6
	5×	Report	4×

10 November 2024 15:00	Finland	23–32	Hungary	Energia Areena, Vantaa Attendance: 1,500 Referees: Kurtagic, Wetterwik (SWE)
	Hjálmarsson 5	(8–17)	Rosta 7
	3×	Report	1×

10 November 2024 17:00	Slovakia	35–38	Montenegro	Steel Arena, Košice Attendance: 3,000 Referees: R. Thiyagarajah, S. Thiyagarajah (GER)
	Prokop 8	(18–21)	Čepić 9
	4×	Report	4×

12 March 2025 18:00	Montenegro	26–29	Hungary	Morača Sports Center, Podgorica Attendance: 5,000 Referees: Leszczyński, Piechota (POL)
	Vujović 6	(12–14)	Rosta 9
	1× 2× 1×	Report	2×

13 March 2025 17:15	Finland	22–21	Slovakia	Energia Areena, Vantaa Attendance: 2,000 Referees: Fahner, Kubis (POL)
	Henriksson 5	(12–12)	Antl 6
	1× 4×	Report	2× 4×

16 March 2025 16:00	Slovakia	25–26	Finland	Sportová Hala Na Zábran, Hlohovec Attendance: 1,850 Referees: Serdiuc, Sirbu (MDA)
	Antl 10	(15–14)	Helander 9
	1× 5×	Report	1× 1×

16 March 2025 17:30	Hungary	29–29	Montenegro	Tatabányai Multifunkcionális Sportcsarnok, Tatabánya Attendance: 5,517 Referees: Mikelić, Parađina (CRO)
	Bánhidi 6	(17–14)	Vujović 8
	1× 2×	Report	3×

7 May 2025 18:00	Slovakia	24–39	Hungary	Sportová Hala Na Zábran, Hlohovec Attendance: 1,000 Referees: A. Vitaku, E. Vitaku (KOS)
	Prokop 7	(15–20)	Imre, Papp 5
	4× 1×	Report	2×

8 May 2025 17:30	Finland	28–33	Montenegro	Energia Areena, Vantaa Attendance: 2,550 Referees: Carmaux, Mursch (FRA)
	Vainionpää 8	(12–19)	Vujović 7
	4×	Report	1× 2×

11 May 2025 18:00	Hungary	37–24	Finland	Kanizsa Aréna, Nagykanizsa Attendance: 2,957 Referees: Álvarez, Soria (ESP)
	Imre 8	(19–14)	Helander 8
	1×	Report	4×

11 May 2025 18:00	Montenegro	33–28	Slovakia	Topolica Sport Hall, Bar Attendance: 1,500 Referees: Bolic, Hurich (AUT)
	Vujačić 10	(18–13)	Prokop 6
	2×	Report	3× 1×

Group 3

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Iceland	6	6	0	196	143	+53	12	Final tournament
2	Georgia	6	3	3	151	162	−11	6	Final tournament
3	Greece	6	2	4	151	168	−17	4
4	Bosnia and Herzegovina	6	1	5	143	168	−25	2

Source: EHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.

6 November 2024 16:30	Greece	27–26	Georgia	Tasos Kampouris Kanithou Indoor Hall, Chalcis Attendance: 1,000 Referees: Pavićević, Ražnatović (MNE)
	Liapis, Toskas 7	(12–13)	Tskhovrebadze 11
	2×	Report	4×

6 November 2024 20:30	Iceland	32–26	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Laugardalshöll, Reykjavík Attendance: 2,200 Referees: Martens (BEL), Schols ( NED)
	Gunnarsson 8	(12–12)	Periċ 7
	1× 3×	Report	2× 3× 1×

10 November 2024 15:00	Georgia	25–30	Iceland	Tbilisi Sports Palace, Tbilisi Attendance: 3,000 Referees: Mitrevski, Todorovski (MKD)
	Dikhaminjia 9	(13–14)	Magnússon 7
	1× 1×	Report	2× 2× 1×

10 November 2024 19:00	Bosnia and Herzegovina	23–22	Greece	Sports Hall Cazin, Cazin Attendance: 2,000 Referees: Hansen, Madsen (DEN)
	Grgić 7	(13–11)	Tziras 7
	2× 5×	Report	1× 1× 1×

12 March 2025 18:00	Greece	25–34	Iceland	Tasos Kampouris Kanithou Indoor Hall, Chalcis Attendance: 1,250 Referees: Mandák, Rudinský (SVK)
	Toskas 9	(9–19)	Kristjánsson, Ríkharðsson 6
	2×	Report	4×

13 March 2025 15:00	Georgia	28–26	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Tbilisi Sports Palace, Tbilisi Attendance: 2,850 Referees: Bolic, Hurich (AUT)
	Tskhovrebadze 11	(15–14)	Grgić 10
	1× 4×	Report	3×

15 March 2025 17:00	Iceland	33–21	Greece	Laugardalshöll, Reykjavík Attendance: 2,100 Referees: Brkic, Jusufhodzic (AUT)
	Rúnarsson, Smárason 4	(16–9)	Tziras 6
	1× 5×	Report	1× 4×

16 March 2025 20:00	Bosnia and Herzegovina	20–22	Georgia	Sports Hall Cazin, Cazin Attendance: 1,800 Referees: Andorka, Hucker (HUN)
	Grgić 6	(10–12)	Orjonikidze 6
	1× 1×	Report	2× 1×

7 May 2025 20:00	Bosnia and Herzegovina	25–34	Iceland	Mirza Delibašić Hall, Sarajevo Attendance: 1,150 Referees: Bogdanovs, Čerņavskis (LAT)
	Avdić 7	(13–18)	Elísson 8
	2×	Report	1× 2×

8 May 2025 15:00	Georgia	29–26	Greece	Olympic Palace, Tbilisi Attendance: 9,865 Referees: Backović, Palačković (SLO)
	Dikhaminjia 7	(14–16)	Tziras 7
	1× 6× 2×	Report	3×

11 May 2025 18:00	Iceland	33–21	Georgia	Laugardalshöll, Reykjavík Attendance: 1,750 Referees: Pirvu, Potirniche (ROU)
	Þorkelsson 8	(20–11)	Tskhovrebadze 7
	3×	Report	1× 2×

11 May 2025 18:00	Greece	30–23	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Tasos Kampouris Kanithou Indoor Hall, Chalcis Attendance: 528 Referees: Álvarez, Bustamante (ESP)
	Boskos 8	(15–11)	Hadžić, Vukšic 4
	3×	Report	5×

Group 4

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Spain	6	5	1	196	166	+30	10	Final tournament
2	Serbia	6	4	2	176	159	+17	8
3	Italy^[a]	6	3	3	190	182	+8	6
4	Latvia	6	0	6	165	220	−55	0

Source: EHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
Notes:

^ Qualified as on of the four best third ranked teams.

6 November 2024 18:00	Serbia	38–25	Latvia	Kraljevo Sports Hall, Kraljevo Attendance: 3,350 Referees: Serdiuc, Sirbu (MDA)
	Pechmalbec 9	(16–10)	Kalniņš, Valkovskis 5
	1× 6×	Report	1× 4×

6 November 2024 21:00	Spain	31–30	Italy	Pabellón Municipal, Valencia Attendance: 2,728 Referees: Arnautović, Jović (BIH)
	Fernández 6	(15–17)	Helmersson 7
	1× 2×	Report	6×

10 November 2024 14:10	Latvia	29–38	Spain	Zemgale Olympic Center, Jelgava Attendance: 1,200 Referees: Me. Ilievski, Mi. Ilievski (MKD)
	Valkovskis 9	(15–20)	Fernández 7
	1× 2×	Report	2×

10 November 2024 18:00	Italy	31–30	Serbia	Palazzetto dello Sport, Fasano Attendance: 2,000 Referees: Schulze, Tönnies (GER)
	Helmersson 8	(13–14)	V. Ilić, Kojadinović 6
	1×	Report	1× 3×

13 March 2025 18:00	Serbia	27–25	Spain	Kraljevo Sports Hall, Kraljevo Attendance: 3,600 Referees: Jørum, Kleven (NOR)
	N. Ilić 5	(11–10)	A. Dujshebaev 4
	2×	Report	1× 4×

13 March 2025 18:40	Latvia	30–35	Italy	Zemgale Olympic Center, Jelgava Attendance: 850 Referees: Stark, Ştefan (ROU)
	Valkovskis 7	(15–17)	Prantner 15
	4×	Report	1× 5×

16 March 2025 17:30	Italy	41–30	Latvia	Palazzetto Dello Sport Sa Rodia, Oristano Attendance: 2,000 Referees: Charitsos, Naskos (GRE)
	Mengon 7	(23–12)	Valkovskis 9
	1× 3×	Report	1×

16 March 2025 20:00	Spain	28–26	Serbia	Quijote Arena, Ciudad Real Attendance: 5,000 Referees: Elíasson, Pálsson (ISL)
	Gómez 10	(13–11)	V. Ilić 9
	4×	Report	1× 2× 1×

8 May 2025 18:40	Latvia	26–27	Serbia	Zemgale Olympic Center, Jelgava Attendance: 453 Referees: Martens (BEL), Schols ( NED)
	Kalniņš 7	(8–12)	Marsenić, Šijan 5
	2×	Report	1× 2×

8 May 2025 19:00	Italy	29–33	Spain	Palazzetto dello Sport, Fasano Attendance: 2,095 Referees: Horáček, Novotný (CZE)
	Parisini 11	(14–16)	Gómez, Romero 6
	2×	Report	4×

11 May 2025 18:00	Spain	41–25	Latvia	Palacio Municipal de Deportes, Huesca Attendance: 4,463 Referees: Linster, Rauchs (LUX)
	Romero 7	(20–15)	Rogonovs 5
	1× 4×	Report	2×

11 May 2025 18:00	Serbia	28–24	Italy	Kraljevo Sports Hall, Kraljevo Attendance: 3,200 Referees: Bíró, Kiss (HUN)
	Kukić 6	(15–15)	Helmersson 7
	2×	Report	1×

Group 5

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Croatia	6	6	0	200	139	+61	12	Final tournament
2	Czech Republic	6	4	2	163	147	+16	8	Final tournament
3	Belgium	6	1	5	138	169	−31	2^[a]
4	Luxembourg	6	1	5	133	179	−46	2^[a]

Source: EHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
Notes:

^ ^a ^b Belgium 59–46 Luxembourg

6 November 2024 17:30	Czech Republic	23–17	Luxembourg	UNYP Arena, Prague Attendance: 1,482 Referees: Bozhinovski, Načevski (MKD)
	Solák 6	(12–10)	Weyer 4
	1× 3×	Report	2×

7 November 2024 18:00	Croatia	30–23	Belgium	Varaždin Arena, Varaždin Attendance: 2,800 Referees: Monitillo, Simone (ITA)
	Šoštarić 10	(16–12)	Kötters 7
	6× 1×	Report	1× 3×

9 November 2024 20:15	Luxembourg	25–35	Croatia	d'Coque, Luxembourg City Attendance: 1,388 Referees: Fabryczny, Rawicki (POL)
	Etute 5	(9–19)	Šoštarić 6
	1× 1×	Report	1× 2×

10 November 2024 16:30	Belgium	15–31	Czech Republic	Sporthal Alverberg, Hasselt Attendance: 1,200 Referees: Mitrović, Vešović (MNE)
	Colman, Glorieux 3	(9–14)	Skopár 6
	1× 7× 2×	Report	1× 4×

12 March 2025 18:00	Czech Republic	29–35	Croatia	Winning Group Arena, Brno Attendance: 4,300 Referees: Horváth, Marton (HUN)
	Piroch 7	(18–18)	Lučin 9
	1× 4×	Report	5×

12 March 2025 18:45	Luxembourg	22–32	Belgium	d'Coque, Luxembourg City Attendance: 639 Referees: Maia, Nunes (POR)
	Guden 5	(13–16)	Kötters 11
	2×	Report	1×

16 March 2025 14:00	Belgium	24–27	Luxembourg	Sporthal Alverberg, Hasselt Attendance: 1,410 Referees: Carmaux, Mursch (FRA)
	three players 4	(13–14)	Werdel 6
	1× 3×	Report	5×

16 March 2025 17:30	Croatia	36–20	Czech Republic	Arena Zagreb, Zagreb Attendance: 16,000 Referees: Pirvu, Potirniche (ROU)
	Glavaš, Šipić 6	(17–9)	Josef 5
	1× 5×	Report	1× 5× 1×

7 May 2025 18:45	Luxembourg	22–35	Czech Republic	d'Coque, Luxembourg City Attendance: 465 Referees: Pétursson, Þrastarson (ISL)
	Guden 7	(8–19)	Skopár 6
	4×	Report	2× 6×

7 May 2025 20:10	Belgium	22–34	Croatia	Sporthal Alverberg, Hasselt Attendance: 1,250 Referees: Borge, Nygren (NOR)
	Kötters 6	(8–16)	three players 5
	2×	Report	3×

11 May 2025 18:00	Croatia	30–20	Luxembourg	Centar Zamet, Rijeka Attendance: 2,349 Referees: Yonchev, Yovchev (BUL)
	Šipić 7	(15–10)	Kaysen 5
	3×	Report	4×

11 May 2025 18:00	Czech Republic	25–22	Belgium	Hala Polárka, Frýdek-Místek Attendance: 2,022 Referees: Kurtagic, Wetterwik (SWE)
	Patzel 6	(12–8)	Colman 6
	3×	Report	3×

Group 6

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Faroe Islands	6	4	1	1	188	169	+19	9	Final tournament
2	Netherlands	6	3	2	1	205	192	+13	8
3	Ukraine^[a]	6	2	0	4	194	198	−4	4
4	Kosovo	6	1	1	4	162	190	−28	3

Source: EHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
Notes:

^ Qualified as on of the four best third ranked teams.

6 November 2024 20:00	Faroe Islands	32–21	Kosovo	Høllin á Hálsi, Tórshavn Attendance: 1,700 Referees: Picard, Vauchez (FRA)
	Ó. Mittún 8	(13–9)	three players 4
	4×	Report	1× 2×

7 November 2024 19:30	Netherlands	40–39	Ukraine	Topsportcentrum, Almere Attendance: 1,250 Referees: Borge, Nygren (NOR)
	Baijens 9	(19–20)	Artemenko 13
	2×	Report	4×

10 November 2024 14:00	Ukraine	35–32	Faroe Islands	Twinsbet Arena, Vilnius, Lithuania^{[note 1]} Attendance: 250 Referees: Cindrić, Gonzurek (CRO)
	Turchenko 11	(14–17)	Ó. Mittún 8
	4×	Report	1× 1×

10 November 2024 17:15	Kosovo	33–33	Netherlands	Sport Hall 1 October, Pristina Attendance: 1,750 Referees: Lovin, Stancu (ROU)
	Dedaj 8	(19–17)	Ten Velde 13
	3×	Report	1× 4×

12 March 2025 20:00	Faroe Islands	32–32	Netherlands	Við Tjarnir, Tórshavn Attendance: 3,020 Referees: García, Marín (ESP)
	E. Ellefsen á Skipagøtu 11	(18–14)	Ten Velde 12
	1× 3×	Report	2× 7×

13 March 2025 20:15	Kosovo	31–30	Ukraine	Palace of Youth and Sports, Pristina Attendance: 2,380 Referees: Yonchev, Yovchev (BUL)
	Gegaj 9	(16–12)	Artemenko 10
	2×	Report	1× 3×

16 March 2025 15:00	Netherlands	31–32	Faroe Islands	Topsportcentrum, Almere Attendance: 2,500 Referees: Antić, Jakovljević (SRB)
	Ten Velde 8	(15–15)	E. Ellefsen á Skipagøtu 8
	2× 1×	Report	5×

16 March 2025 18:00	Ukraine	36–25	Kosovo	Švyturys Arena, Klaipėda, Lithuania^{[note 1]} Attendance: 350 Referees: Grigalionis, Šniurevičius (LTU)
	Turchenko 10	(18–8)	Shabani 5
	1× 3× 1×	Report

8 May 2025 19:30	Ukraine	27–35	Netherlands	City Sport Hall, Michalovce, Slovakia^{[note 1]} Attendance: 150 Referees: Budzák, Záhradník (SVK)
	Artemenko 8	(11–19)	four players 6
	1×	Report	3×

8 May 2025 20:15	Kosovo	23–25	Faroe Islands	Palace of Youth and Sports, Pristina Attendance: 1,200 Referees: Fabryczny, Rawicki (POL)
	Tahirukaj 8	(13–12)	Av Teigum 11
	1× 3×	Report	1× 6×

11 May 2025 18:00	Netherlands	34–29	Kosovo	Maaspoort, 's-Hertogenbosch Attendance: 1,000 Referees: D. Lončar, Z. Lončar (CRO)
	Ten Velde 12	(16–12)	Gegaj 8
	2×	Report	4× 1×

11 May 2025 18:00	Faroe Islands	35–27	Ukraine	Við Tjarnir, Tórshavn Attendance: 3,020 Referees: D. Martins, R. Martins (POR)
	E. Ellefsen á Skipagøtu 9	(15–13)	Artemenko 7
	4×	Report	3×

Group 7

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Germany	6	4	2	0	204	165	+39	10	Final tournament
2	Austria	6	3	2	1	180	176	+4	8
3	Switzerland^[a]	6	2	2	2	188	191	−3	6
4	Turkey	6	0	0	6	173	213	−40	0

Source: EHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
Notes:

^ Qualified as on of the four best third ranked teams.

7 November 2024 18:00	Austria	31–28	Turkey	Sporthalle Rieden-Vorkloster, Bregenz Attendance: 1,800 Referees: D. Lončar, Z. Lončar (CRO)
	Bilyk, Frimmel 7	(17–13)	Biçer 7
	4×	Report	1×

7 November 2024 18:30	Germany	35–26	Switzerland	SAP Arena, Mannheim Attendance: 12,721 Referees: D. Martins, R. Martins (POR)
	Zerbe 8	(21–13)	Rubin, Zehnder 5
	2×	Report	1×

10 November 2024 15:10	Turkey	29–36	Germany	Dr. Yaşar Sevim Sport Hall, Ankara Attendance: 2,090 Referees: Metalari, Nikolovski (MKD)
	Pehlivan 7	(14–20)	Grgić, Zerbe 8
	2× 5×	Report	3×

10 November 2024 16:00	Switzerland	29–29	Austria	BBC-Arena, Schaffhausen Attendance: 2,450 Referees: García, Marín (ESP)
	Maros, Zehnder 6	(12–12)	Wagner 8
	6× 3×	Report	2× 6× 1×

12 March 2025 18:30	Turkey	34–38	Switzerland	75. Yıl Spor Salonu, Diyarbakır Attendance: 4,500 Referees: Pavićević, Ražnatović (MNE)
	Hacıoğlu 7	(16–21)	three players 6
	1× 2× 1×	Report	2×

13 March 2025 18:00	Austria	26–26	Germany	Steffl Arena, Vienna Attendance: 6,019 Referees: Boričić, Marković (SRB)
	Wagner 8	(11–13)	Golla 5
	1× 4×	Report	1× 3×

15 March 2025 16:30	Germany	31–26	Austria	ZAG-Arena, Hanover Attendance: 10,369 Referees: A. Covalciuc, I. Covalciuc (MDA)
	Grgić 7	(16–14)	Herburger 5
	3×	Report	1× 1×

16 March 2025 16:00	Switzerland	30–27	Turkey	AXA Arena, Winterthur Attendance: 2,000 Referees: Jerlecki, Łabuń (POL)
	Aellen 7	(15–14)	Pehlivan 7
	2×	Report	2×

7 May 2025 18:00	Turkey	29–34	Austria	Taha Akgül Spor Salonu, Sivas Attendance: 3,300 Referees: K. Gasmi, R. Gasmi (FRA)
	Pehlivan 12	(14–19)	Beloš 9
	1× 1×	Report	1× 1×

7 May 2025 19:00	Switzerland	32–32	Germany	Hallenstadion, Zurich Attendance: 8,300 Referees: Lah, Sok (SLO)
	Leopold 9	(14–11)	Knorr 6
	1× 4×	Report	1×

11 May 2025 18:00	Germany	44–26	Turkey	Porsche-Arena, Stuttgart Attendance: 6,149 Referees: Balvan, Praštalo (BIH)
	Schluroff 6	(21–11)	Pehlivan 5
		Report	4×

11 May 2025 18:00	Austria	34–33	Switzerland	Raiffeisen Sportpark Graz, Graz Attendance: 3,000 Referees: Mitrevski, Todorovski (MKD)
	Božović 9	(16–15)	Sigrist 8
	1× 4×	Report	1× 5×

Group 8

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Portugal	6	4	1	1	200	177	+23	9	Final tournament
2	Poland	6	2	2	2	184	190	−6	6
3	Romania^[a]	6	2	1	3	172	174	−2	5
4	Israel	6	1	2	3	176	191	−15	4

Source: EHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
Notes:

^ Qualified as on of the four best third ranked teams.

7 November 2024 18:00	Poland	32–32	Israel	Hala Urania, Olsztyn Attendance: 4,030 Referees: Boričić, Marković (SRB)
	Moryto 10	(12–16)	Lumbroso 9
	1× 5×	Report	5×

7 November 2024 20:00	Portugal	37–30	Romania	Pavilhão Desportivo Municipal de Santo Tirso, Santo Tirso Attendance: 1,000 Referees: K. Gasmi, R. Gasmi (FRA)
	Frade 11	(12–16)	Botea 9
	1× 1×	Report	1× 5×

10 November 2024 18:00	Romania	27–28	Poland	Sala Sporturilor „Romeo Iamandi”, Buzău Attendance: 1,800 Referees: Horáček, Novotný (CZE)
	Botea 8	(9–15)	Moryto, Przytuła 6
	1×	Report	4×

10 November 2024 18:30	Portugal	36–23	Israel	Pavilhão Desportivo Municipal de Santo Tirso, Santo Tirso Attendance: 2,050 Referees: Fotakidis, Kinatzidis (GRE)
	M. Costa 6	(21–13)	Levi 5
	6×	Report	2×

13 March 2025 18:00	Poland	36–36	Portugal	Ergo Arena, Gdańsk Attendance: 9,001 Referees: Načevski, Nikolov (MKD)
	Olejniczak 9	(16–14)	Gomes 7
	1× 3×	Report	2× 2×

13 March 2025 21:00	Israel	29–29	Romania	Kraljevo Sports Hall, Kraljevo, Serbia^{[note 2]} Attendance: 250 Referees: Metalari, Nikolovski (MKD)
	Lumbroso 8	(14–15)	Stanciuc 8
	1× 2×	Report	1× 3×

16 March 2025 18:00	Romania	29–26	Israel	Sala Sporturilor Mioveni, Mioveni Attendance: 1,500 Referees: Cipov, Klus (SVK)
	Stanciuc 10	(15–12)	Turkenitz 6
	1× 2×	Report	3×

16 March 2025 18:30	Portugal	33–27	Poland	Pavilhão Multiusos de Odivelas, Odivelas Attendance: 2,000 Referees: Cindrić, Gonzurek (CRO)
	Gomes 7	(16–12)	three players 4
	3×	Report	3×

8 May 2025 15:00	Israel	33–31	Poland	Sala Sporturilor Simona Amanar, Constanța, Romania^{[note 2]} Attendance: 0 Referees: Horváth, Marton (HUN)
	Lumbroso 9	(18–18)	Czapliński 10
	1× 1×	Report	1× 3× 1×

8 May 2025 18:00	Romania	28–24	Portugal	Sala Sporturilor Simona Amanar, Constanța Attendance: 2,900 Referees: Jovandić, Sekulić (SRB)
	Stanciuc 13	(13–11)	Caldeira, França 4
	1× 1×	Report	1×

11 May 2025 18:00	Israel	33–34	Portugal	Sala Sporturilor Simona Amanar, Constanța, Romania^{[note 2]} Attendance: 0 Referees: Ivanović, Vujisić (MNE)
	Lumbroso 9	(15–17)	Soares 6
	2× 5×	Report	1× 5×

11 May 2025 18:00	Poland	30–29	Romania	Arena Gorzów, Gorzów Wielkopolski Attendance: 4,650 Referees: Pavićević, Ražnatović (MNE)
	Daszek 8	(15–14)	Stanciuc 10
	1× 2×	Report	1× 4×

Ranking of third-placed teams

The results against the fourth-placed team are omitted.

Pos	Grp	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	8	Romania	4	1	0	3	114	119	−5	2	Final tournament
2	4	Italy	4	1	0	3	114	122	−8	2
3	7	Switzerland	4	0	2	2	120	130	−10	2
4	6	Ukraine	4	1	0	3	128	142	−14	2
5	1	Lithuania	4	1	0	3	99	120	−21	2
6	3	Greece	4	1	0	3	99	122	−23	2
7	2	Finland	4	0	0	4	103	131	−28	0
8	5	Belgium	4	0	0	4	82	120	−38	0

Source: EHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) draw.

EHF Euro Cup

The EHF Euro Cup is played between the 2026 co-hosts Denmark, Norway and Sweden, plus the champions of the 2024 European Championship, France.

Standings

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	France	6	6	0	209	194	+15	12
2	Denmark	6	3	3	204	188	+16	6^[a]
3	Sweden	6	3	3	194	192	+2	6^[a]
4	Norway	6	0	6	173	206	−33	0

Source: EHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
Notes:

^ ^a ^b Denmark 63–62 Sweden

Results

Times from November to March are UTC+1, Times in May are UTC+2.

6 November 2024 21:00	Denmark	32–27	Norway	Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning Attendance: 6,500 Referees: Bolic, Hurich (AUT)
	Gidsel 10	(15–13)	Tønnesen 5
	1×	Report	2× 1×

6 November 2024 21:10	France	37–31	Sweden	Arena Orléans, Orléans Attendance: 5,567 Referees: Mikelić, Parađina (CRO)
	Descat 9	(21–11)	Pellas 6
	1× 3×	Report	1× 1×

9 November 2024 18:15	Norway	27–31	France	Stavanger Idrettshall, Stavanger Attendance: 3,824 Referees: Bíró, Kiss (HUN)
	Pettersen 4	(14–17)	Remili, Tournat 5
	5×	Report	1×

10 November 2024 16:00	Sweden	29–33	Denmark	Saab Arena, Linköping Attendance: 6,676 Referees: Jovandić, Sekulić (SRB)
	Gottfridsson 6	(16–17)	four players 4
	3×	Report	1× 2×

12 March 2025 19:00	Sweden	38–29	Norway	Avicii Arena, Stockholm Attendance: 11,048 Referees: Lovin, Stancu (ROU)
	Mellegård 6	(20–17)	Barthold, Lyse 6
	1×	Report	4×

12 March 2025 20:45	France	33–32	Denmark	LDLC Arena, Décines-Charpieu Attendance: 10,489 Referees: Kažanegra, Vujačić (MNE)
	three players 7	(17–17)	Andersson 7
	1× 3×	Report	1× 2×

15 March 2025 14:45	Norway	30–31	Sweden	Trondheim Spektrum, Trondheim Attendance: 5,023 Referees: Barysas, Petrušis (LTU)
	Gulliksen, Pedersen 6	(12–16)	four players 5
	1× 4×	Report	1× 2×

15 March 2025 16:00	Denmark	38–40	France	Sydbank Arena, Kolding Attendance: 5,000 Referees: Weijmans, Wolbertus (NED)
	Gidsel 10	(17–16)	Prandi 8
	2× 3×	Report	1× 5×

7 May 2025 18:15	Norway	26–39	Denmark	DNB Arena, Stavanger Attendance: 3,513 Referees: Antić, Jakovljević (SRB)
	Abelvik Rød 7	(10–18)	Madsen 7
	3×	Report	2× 4×

7 May 2025 19:00	Sweden	32–33	France	Scandinavium, Gothenburg Attendance: 12,044 Referees: Bozhinovski, Načevski (MKD)
	Karlsson 5	(18–18)	Tournat 6
	2×	Report	1× 4×

11 May 2025 16:00	Denmark	30–33	Sweden	Royal Arena, Copenhagen Attendance: 11,287 Referees: Kull, Tint (EST)
	Møller 7	(16–13)	Johansson 6
	3×	Report	4×

11 May 2025 18:00	France	35–34	Norway	Kindarena Rouen, Rouen Attendance: 5,186 Referees: Caçador, Nicolau (POR)
	Richardson 8	(14–16)	Gulliksen, Heldal 6
	5× 1×	Report	5× 1×

Qualified teams

Team	Qualification method	Date of qualification	App	First	Last	Streak	Best placement in tournament	Rank^[9]
Denmark	Host nation	20 November 2021	16th	1994	2024	14	Champions (2008, 2012)	1
Norway			12th	2000		11	Third place (2020)	8
Sweden			16th	1994		10	Champions (1994, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2022)	4
France	Defending champions	26 January 2024	17th	1994		17	Champions (2006, 2010, 2014, 2024)	2
Iceland	Top 2 in Group 3	15 March 2025	14th	2000		14	Third place (2010)	9
Croatia	Top 2 in Group 5	15 March 2025	17th	1994		17	Runners-up (2008, 2010, 2020)	5
Slovenia	Top 2 in Group 1	15 March 2025	15th			6	Runners-up (2004)	11
Portugal	Top 2 in Group 8	16 March 2025	9th			4	Sixth place (2020)	7
Hungary	Top 2 in Group 2	7 May 2025	15th			12	Fifth place (2024)	6
Czech Republic	Top 2 in Group 5		13th	1996		5	Sixth place (1996)	17
Germany	Top 2 in Group 7		16th	1994		6	Champions (2004, 2016)	3
Georgia	Top 2 in Group 3	8 May 2025	2nd	2024		2	18th place (2024)	26
Montenegro	Top 2 in Group 2		8th	2008		7	Eleventh place (2022)	14
Spain	Top 2 in Group 4		17th	1994		17	Champions (2018, 2020)	10
Faroe Islands	Top 2 in Group 6		2nd	2024		2	20th place (2024)	21
Netherlands	Top 2 in Group 6		4th	2020		4	Tenth place (2022)	12
Austria	Top 2 in Group 7	11 May 2025	7th	2010		5	Eighth place (2020, 2024)	13
North Macedonia	Top 2 in Group 1		9th	1998		8	Fifth place (2012)	19
Poland	Top 2 in Group 8		12th	2002		4	Fourth place (2010)	16
Serbia	Top 2 in Group 4		9th	2010		9	Runners-up (2012)	18
Italy	Four best third place teams		2nd	1998		1	Eleventh place (1998)	20
Romania			4th	1994	2024	2	Ninth place (1996)	25
Switzerland			6th	2002	2024	2	Twelveth place (2004)	15
Ukraine			8th	2000	2022	1	Eleventh place (2002)	30

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian team plays their home matches at neutral venues.
^ ^a ^b ^c Due to the Gaza war, the Israeli team plays their home matches at neutral venues.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "EHF EURO 2026 road begins with qualification phase 1 draw". eurohandball.com. 12 October 2022.
^ "Cyprus wins right to host EHF EURO 2026 qualification tournament". eurohandball.com. 13 October 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Draw set for 2025 Men's World Championship qualification". eurohandball.com. 4 July 2023.
^ "Men's World Championship Qualification draw sets up Baltic clash". eurohandball.com. 5 July 2023.
^ "Bid brochure EHF EURO 2026 & 2028". eurohandball.com. 2020.
^ ^a ^b "Exec takes key decisions for national team competitions". eurohandball.com. 1 February 2024.
^ "Familiar rivals to meet again in Men's EHF EURO 2026 Qualifiers". eurohandball.com. 21 March 2024.
^ "Draw procedure for Men's EHF EURO 2026 Qualifiers revealed". eurohandball.com. 11 March 2024.
^ Rankings

External links

EHF website

[table_hth_GBR0.60522730257606-3] Cyprus 25–25 Great Britain

[table_hth_MKD0.37658816267577-10] North Macedonia 53–46 Lithuania

[table_note_ITA0.031326490934625-11] Qualified as on of the four best third ranked teams.

[table_hth_BEL0.38071428117376-12] Belgium 59–46 Luxembourg

[table_note_UKR0.92487272244174-13] Qualified as on of the four best third ranked teams.

[table_note_SUI0.83463179219264-15] Qualified as on of the four best third ranked teams.

[table_note_ROU0.1344616492905-16] Qualified as on of the four best third ranked teams.

[table_hth_DEN0.90030325991116-18] Denmark 63–62 Sweden

[Ukraine-14] Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian team plays their home matches at neutral venues.

[Israel-17] Due to the Gaza war, the Israeli team plays their home matches at neutral venues.

[Format-1] "EHF EURO 2026 road begins with qualification phase 1 draw". eurohandball.com. 12 October 2022.

[2] "Cyprus wins right to host EHF EURO 2026 qualification tournament". eurohandball.com. 13 October 2022.

[Draw-4] "Draw set for 2025 Men's World Championship qualification". eurohandball.com. 4 July 2023.

[5] "Men's World Championship Qualification draw sets up Baltic clash". eurohandball.com. 5 July 2023.

[6] "Bid brochure EHF EURO 2026 & 2028". eurohandball.com. 2020.

[Exec-7] "Exec takes key decisions for national team competitions". eurohandball.com. 1 February 2024.

[8] "Familiar rivals to meet again in Men's EHF EURO 2026 Qualifiers". eurohandball.com. 21 March 2024.

[9] "Draw procedure for Men's EHF EURO 2026 Qualifiers revealed". eurohandball.com. 11 March 2024.

[19] Rankings

[1]

[2]

[a]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[a]

[a]

[a]

[a]

[note 1]

[a]

[a]

[note 2]

[a]

[9]