2026 European Men's Handball Championship

2026 EHF European Men's Handball Championship
EM i håndbold for mænd 2026 (in Danish)
EM i håndball for menn 2026 (in Norwegian)
EM i handboll för herrar 2026 (in Swedish)
Pure Greatness
Tournament details
Host countries Denmark
 Norway
 Sweden
Venues4 (in 4 host cities)
Dates15 January – 1 February[1]
Teams24 (from 1 confederation)

The 2026 EHF European Men's Handball Championship, commonly referred to as the EHF Euro 2026, will be the 17th edition of the EHF European Men's Handball Championship, the biennial international men's handball championship of Europe organized by EHF. It will be co-hosted by Denmark, Norway and Sweden from 15 January to 1 February 2026, marking the second time the event is held in three countries, after 2020. The final will be held in Herning, Denmark.

24 teams will participate for the fourth time. Qualification took place in January 2023 to May 2025 to decide the final 12 spots. The three co-hosts qualified automatically, alongside the defending champions, France.

This tournament will act as a qualifier for the 2027 World Men's Handball Championship in Germany and 2028 edition.

France are the defending champions, beating Denmark, 33–31, after extra time in the final in Cologne.

Bid process

Bids

On 11 May 2021 it was announced that the following nations sent in an official expression of interest:[1]

Host selection

As only the Scandinavian bid remained it was unanimously selected at the 14th EHF Extraordinary Congress on 20 November 2021.[3][4]

Preparations

  • Site visits in Denmark and Sweden took place in September 2024.[5]
  • As of April 2025, the EHF states that preparations are going smoothly.[6]
  • On 18 September 2025, the three co-hosts are joining forces on common sustainability concept called Pure Promise.[7]
  • On 13 November 2025, Swedish hotel company, Scandic, was announced as a national supplier for Norway.[8]
  • On 21 November 2025, it was announced that Harald V will watch Norway's opening game against Ukraine.[9]

Tickets

On 5 November 2024, tickets in Sweden were released.[10] Denmark and Norway's were put on sale on 14 February 2025.[11] More tickets were released on 29 October 2025.[12] More tickets in Denmark were available for purchase.[12]

Official ticket websites

Qualification

36 teams registered for participation and competed for 20 places at the final tournament. After the qualification round 1, the remaining 32 teams take part in qualification round 2, where each team is drawn into eights groups of four. The top-two placed teams in each group qualified for the final tournament, alongside the four best-ranked third-placed teams, not counting the matches against fourth-placed teams. The draw took place on 21 March 2024 in Copenhagen, Denmark.[13][14] Round 2 started in November 2025 and ended in May 2026.

Of the 24 qualifiers, 22 return from the previous edition. Italy qualified for only their second appearance, with their first being back in 1998. Ukraine come back having missed out in 2024.

Of the non-qualifiers, Bosnia and Herzegovina miss out for the first time since 2018, while 2024 debutants, Greece also failed to qualify.

The lowest ranked team from the EHF rankings to qualify was Ukraine, ranked 30th. The highest ranked team to not qualify was Greece, ranked 22nd.

Qualified teams

Team Qualification method Date of qualification Appearance(s) Previous best performance[a] Rank[15]
Total First Last Streak
 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 17 Champions (2006, 2010, 2014, 2024) 2
 Iceland Top two in Group 3 15 March 2025 14th 2000 14 Third place (2010) 9
 Croatia Top two in Group 5 15 March 2025 17th 1994 17 Runners-up (2008, 2010, 2020) 5
 Slovenia Top two in Group 1 15th 6 Runners-up (2004) 11
 Portugal Top two in Group 8 16 March 2025 9th 4 Sixth place (2020) 7
 Hungary Top two in Group 2 7 May 2025 15th 12 Fifth place (2024) 6
 Czech Republic Top two in Group 5 13th 1996 5 Sixth place (1996) 17
 Germany Top two in Group 7 16th 1994 6 Champions (2004, 2016) 3
 Georgia Top two in Group 3 8 May 2025 2nd 2024 2 18th place (2024) 26
 Montenegro Top two in Group 2 8th 2008 7 Eleventh place (2022) 14
 Spain Top two in Group 4 17th 1994 17 Champions (2018, 2020) 10
 Faroe Islands Top two in Group 6 2nd 2024 2 20th place (2024) 21
 Netherlands 4th 2020 4 Tenth place (2022) 12
 Austria Top two in Group 7 11 May 2025 7th 2010 5 Eighth place (2020, 2024) 13
 North Macedonia Top two in Group 1 9th 1998 8 Fifth place (2012) 19
 Poland Top two in Group 8 12th 2002 4 Fourth place (2010) 16
 Serbia Top two in Group 4 14th 1996 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 2 Twelfth place (2004) 15
 Ukraine 8th 2000 2022 1 Eleventh place (2002) 30

Venues

A first draft of the venues was proposed in August 2023.[16] The tournament will be played across four venues in four cities: one in Denmark (Herning, Groups A and B), one in Norway (Bærum, Groups C and D), and two in Sweden (Malmö and Kristianstad, Groups E and F).[17] The main round will take place in Herning and Malmö, with the former organising the final weekend.[18] In regards to Norway, Oslo was chosen over Trondheim, after negotiations with Trondheim fell through due to financial reasons.[19]

In September 2024, one team per venue was selected. Denmark will play in Herning (Group B), Norway in Bærum (Group C) and Sweden in Malmö (Group E). If they qualify, Germany will play in Herning (Group A), the Faroe Islands in Bærum (Group D) and Iceland in Kristianstad (Group F).[20] The arena in Kristianstad is renovated with new seats being put in by June 2025.[21]

Overview of venues

  • The Unity Arena in Bærum will host Norway's games for the tournament. It has recently organised the 2025 as the main host. Outside of sport, it hosted Eurovision in 2010 and the various concerts.[25]
Distribution of tournament
Herning will host up to the semifinals and final.[27]
Malmö will host the knockout stage up to the main round.
Bærum and Kristianstad will host preliminary round games.


Herning, Denmark Malmö, Sweden
Jyske Bank Boxen Malmö Arena
Capacity: 15,000 Capacity: 11,800
Bærum, Norway Kristianstad, Sweden
Unity Arena Kristianstad Arena
Capacity: 9,000 Capacity: 4,500


Tournament venues information
Venue Rounds Games
Jyske Bank Boxen Group A and B, Main round Group I, Semifinals and Final 29
Malmö Arena Group E and Main round Group II 18
Unity Arena Group C and D 12
Kristianstad Arena Group F 6

Draw

The draw took place in on 15 May 2025 at 18:00 CET at the Teatersaalen in Herning, Denmark.[28][29][30] The draw was hosted by Danish journalist, Mette Cornelius. Danish international, Simon Pytlick, French national team player, Hugo Descat, Swedish player Andreas Nilsson and former Norwegian left back Kristian Kjelling were the guests and assisted with the draw. The draw started with, in order, pots 1, 2, 3 and 4 being drawn, with each team selected then allocated into the first available group alphabetically.

Chosen teams

On 2 September 2024, the three co-hosts were allowed to choose a nation to be drawn in their country if they qualified. Denmark chose Germany, Norway picked Faroe Islands while Sweden selected Iceland.[31][32][20]

2026 European Men's Handball Championship – Draw
Draw Live Stream
Team Group
 Germany A
 Denmark B
 Norway C
 Faroe Islands D
 Sweden E
 Iceland F

Seeding

The seedings were announced on 12 May 2025.[33]

Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4

Draw results

Group A in Herning
Pos Team
A1  Germany
A2  Spain
A3  Austria
A4  Serbia
Group B in Herning
Pos Team
B1  Denmark (H)
B2  Portugal
B3  North Macedonia
B4  Romania
Group C in Bærum
Pos Team
C1  France
C2  Norway (H)
C3  Czech Republic
C4  Ukraine
Group D in Bærum
Pos Team
D1  Slovenia
D2  Faroe Islands
D3  Montenegro
D4   Switzerland
Group E in Malmö
Pos Team
E1  Sweden (H)
E2  Croatia
E3  Netherlands
E4  Georgia
Group F in Kristianstad
Pos Team
F1  Hungary
F2  Iceland
F3  Poland
F4  Italy

Schedule

Schedule
Round Matchday Date
Preliminary round Matchday 1 15–17 January 2026
Matchday 2 17–19 January 2026
Matchday 3 19–21 January 2026
Main round Matchday 4 22–23 January 2026
Matchday 5 24–25 January 2026
Matchday 6 26–27 January 2026
Matchday 7 28 January 2026
Knockout stage Semi-finals 30 January 2026
Final 1 February 2026

Referees

The 18 referee pairs were selected on 8 October 2025.[34]

Squads

Each team consists of up to 20 players, of whom 16 may be fielded for each match.[35]

Preliminary round

The schedule was released on 10 November 2024.[36]

All times are local (UTC+1).[37]

Tiebreakers

In the group stage, teams are ranked according to points (2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). After completion of the group stage, if two or more teams have the same number of points, the ranking will be determined as follows:

  1. Highest number of points in matches between the teams directly involved;
  2. Superior goal difference in matches between the teams directly involved;
  3. Highest number of goals scored in matches between the teams directly involved;
  4. Superior goal difference in all matches of the group;
  5. Highest number of plus goals in all matches of the group;

If the ranking of one of these teams is determined, the above criteria are consecutively followed until the ranking of all teams is determined. If no ranking can be determined, a decision shall be obtained by EHF through drawing of lots.

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Germany 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Main round
2  Spain 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3  Austria 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4  Serbia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: 15 January 2026. 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.
15 January 2026
18:00
Spain  v  Serbia Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning
Report
15 January 2026
20:30
Germany  v  Austria Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning
Report

17 January 2026
18:00
Austria  v  Spain Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning
Report
17 January 2026
20:30
Serbia  v  Germany Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning
Report

19 January 2026
18:00
Austria  v  Serbia Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning
Report
19 January 2026
20:30
Germany  v  Spain Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning
Report

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Denmark (H) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Main round
2  Portugal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3  North Macedonia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4  Romania 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: 16 January 2026. 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
16 January 2026
18:00
Portugal  v  Romania Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning
Report
16 January 2026
20:30
Denmark  v  North Macedonia Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning
Report

18 January 2026
18:00
North Macedonia  v  Portugal Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning
Report
18 January 2026
20:30
Romania  v  Denmark Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning
Report

20 January 2026
18:00
North Macedonia  v  Romania Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning
Report
20 January 2026
20:30
Denmark  v  Portugal Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning
Report

Group C

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  France 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Main round
2  Norway (H) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3  Czech Republic 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4  Ukraine 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: 15 January 2026. 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
15 January 2026
18:00
France  v  Czech Republic Unity Arena, Bærum
Report
15 January 2026
20:30
Norway  v  Ukraine Unity Arena, Bærum
Report

17 January 2026
18:00
Ukraine  v  France Unity Arena, Bærum
Report
17 January 2026
20:30
Czech Republic  v  Norway Unity Arena, Bærum
Report

19 January 2026
18:00
Czech Republic  v  Ukraine Unity Arena, Bærum
Report
19 January 2026
20:30
France  v  Norway Unity Arena, Bærum
Report

Group D

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Slovenia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Main round
2  Faroe Islands 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3  Montenegro 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4   Switzerland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: 16 January 2026. 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.
16 January 2026
18:00
Slovenia  v  Montenegro Unity Arena, Bærum
Report
16 January 2026
20:30
Faroe Islands  v   Switzerland Unity Arena, Bærum
Report

18 January 2026
18:00
Montenegro  v  Faroe Islands Unity Arena, Bærum
Report
18 January 2026
20:30
Switzerland  v  Slovenia Unity Arena, Bærum
Report

20 January 2026
18:00
Montenegro  v   Switzerland Unity Arena, Bærum
Report
20 January 2026
20:30
Slovenia  v  Faroe Islands Unity Arena, Bærum
Report

Group E

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Sweden (H) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Main round
2  Croatia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3  Netherlands 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4  Georgia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: 17 January 2026. 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
17 January 2026
18:00
Croatia  v  Georgia Malmö Arena, Malmö
Report
17 January 2026
20:30
Sweden  v  Netherlands Malmö Arena, Malmö
Report

19 January 2026
18:00
Netherlands  v  Croatia Malmö Arena, Malmö
Report
19 January 2026
20:30
Georgia  v  Sweden Malmö Arena, Malmö
Report

21 January 2026
18:00
Netherlands  v  Georgia Malmö Arena, Malmö
Report
21 January 2026
20:30
Sweden  v  Croatia Malmö Arena, Malmö
Report

Group F

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Hungary 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Main round
2  Iceland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3  Poland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4  Italy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: 16 January 2026. 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.
16 January 2026
18:00
Iceland  v  Italy Kristianstad Arena, Kristianstad
Report
16 January 2026
20:30
Hungary  v  Poland Kristianstad Arena, Kristianstad
Report

18 January 2026
18:00
Poland  v  Iceland Kristianstad Arena, Kristianstad
Report
18 January 2026
20:30
Italy  v  Hungary Kristianstad Arena, Kristianstad
Report

20 January 2026
18:00
Poland  v  Italy Kristianstad Arena, Kristianstad
Report
20 January 2026
20:30
Hungary  v  Iceland Kristianstad Arena, Kristianstad
Report

Main round

Points and goals gained in the preliminary group against teams that advance were transferred to the main round.

Group I

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 A1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Semifinals
2 B1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 C1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Fifth place game
4 A2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 B2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 C2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: 22 January 2026. 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.
22 January 2026 C1 v B2 Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning
22 January 2026 A2 v C2 Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning
22 January 2026 A1 v B1 Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning

24 January 2026 C1 v B1 Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning
24 January 2026 A1 v C2 Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning
24 January 2026 A2 v B2 Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning

26 January 2026 A1 v B2 Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning
26 January 2026 A2 v C1 Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning
26 January 2026 B1 v C2 Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning

28 January 2026 A1 v C1 Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning
28 January 2026 A2 v B1 Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning
28 January 2026 B2 v C2 Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning

Group II

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 D1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Semifinals
2 E1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 F1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Fifth place game
4 D2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 E2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 F2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: 23 January 2026. 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.
23 January 2026 F1 v E2 Malmö Arena, Malmö
23 January 2026 D2 v F2 Malmö Arena, Malmö
23 January 2026 D1 v E1 Malmö Arena, Malmö

25 January 2026 F1 v E1 Malmö Arena, Malmö
25 January 2026 D1 v F2 Malmö Arena, Malmö
25 January 2026 D2 v E2 Malmö Arena, Malmö

27 January 2026 D1 v E2 Malmö Arena, Malmö
27 January 2026 D2 v F1 Malmö Arena, Malmö
27 January 2026 E1 v F2 Malmö Arena, Malmö

28 January 2026 D1 v F1 Malmö Arena, Malmö
28 January 2026 D2 v E1 Malmö Arena, Malmö
28 January 2026 E2 v F2 Malmö Arena, Malmö

Knockout stage

Bracket

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
30 January
 
 
 
 
1 February
 
 
 
 
 
30 January
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Third place
 
 
1 February
 
 
 
 
 
 

Semifinals

30 January 2026
17:45
v Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning

30 January 2026
20:30
v Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning

Fifth place game

30 January 2026
15:00
v Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning

Third place game

1 February 2026
15:15
v Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning

Final

1 February 2026
18:00
v Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning

Ranking and statistics

Final ranking

The teams ranked fourth in each group after the completion of the preliminary round matches will be ranked 19 to 24, while teams ranked third in each group after the completion of the preliminary round matches will be ranked 13 to 18 according to the number of points won in the preliminary round. Places seven or eight will be attributed to the two teams ranked fourth in the main round groups, places nine and ten to the two teams ranked fifth in the main round groups, places eleven and twelve to the two teams ranked sixth in the main round groups according to the number of points won by the respective teams after completion of the main round matches. Places one to six will be decided by play–off or knock–out.

Notes

  1. ^ Bold text indicates they hosted that edition.

References

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  11. ^ "Herning and Oslo tickets for Men's EHF EURO 2026 on sale". www.eurohandball.com.
  12. ^ a b "More tickets released for Men's EHF EURO 2026". www.eurohandball.com.
  13. ^ "Exec takes key decisions for national team competitions". eurohandball.com. 1 February 2024.
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  15. ^ Rankings
  16. ^ "COMPETITIONS COMMISSION MEETING" (PDF). Renaissance Wien Hotel, Wien, Austria: European Handball Federation. 25 August 2024. p. 10. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  17. ^ ""Exactly what we want to show to the outside world"". www.eurohandball.com. EHF. 27 January 2024.
  18. ^ Wijkström, Maja (January 28, 2024). "EM 2026 – nästa stora mästerskap på hemmaplan! - Handbollslandslaget".
  19. ^ "Telenor Arena blir norsk VM-arena i 2025 | handball.no". handball.no - Norges Håndballforbund.
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