EHF EURO Cup 2026 champions France ended the tournament undefeated with a close win over Norway in Rouen, while Sweden beat Denmark but were unable to take a big enough margin to clinch second place overall.

EHF EURO Cup 2026

Denmark vs Sweden 30:33 (16:13)

There were goals galore in Denmark’s capital as the Olympic champions and the bronze medallists from the EHF EURO 2024 played a close first half, with Lasse Møller and Felix Claar scoring five goals each, but a late three-goal run by Nikolaj Jacobsen’s squad put the hosts ahead (16:13) at the break. However, with Sweden on the hunt for a first win over Denmark since 2022 and for second place in the EHF EURO Cup 2026 as well, Eric Johansson and his teammates stepped up in the second half to mount a full comeback.

The Swedes took the lead in the 46th minute and starting a three-goal run to extend their advantage (26:23), which ultimately sealed the victory. Even though the Danes tried to get back into the match, Michael Apelgren’s squad celebrated a win, but a last-gasp goal by Lukas Jørgensen ensured that the world champions clinch second place in the EHF EURO Cup 2026 despite the defeat.

 First and foremost, I think it was a great experience in front of the crowd — a fantastic atmosphere. It was fun to play against a good team here at home. I also think that, for most of the game, it was a really good match, and both teams played well. But yes, towards the end, unfortunately, we made a few too many mistakes and weren’t sharp enough in defence, and the Swedes are simply too good a team for us to win when that happens. 

Lukas Jørgensen

Line player, Denmark

 The win means a lot for us. We have done a lot of work after the World Championship and today we could see some results of that. We are, of course, happy with an away victory against Denmark. All of our players took a lot of responsibility and today we could see the strength we have in our team. Before the game we lost Felix Möller due to an injury and then Felix Claar got injured, but we solved it in a good way. 

Michael Apelgren

Head coach, Sweden

Highlight Match: France vs Norway 35:34 (14:16)

In a true thriller, EHF EURO Cup winners France almost gave away their first point, with Norway scoring twice in the last minute to close the gap to a single goal. However, the defending EHF EURO champions held on for a perfect record in the EHF EURO Cup.

The match was fully open; the visitors had the upper hand before the break, but France came out of the locker room stronger and equalised within three minutes of the second half starting. In the 35th minute, France took their first lead at 19:18 and then extended the gap to 25:22 10 minutes later.

But Norway struck back in the re-match of the 2017 World Championship final and levelled the result again at 29:29. France then again asserted control and when Melvyn Richardson scored with less than 60 seconds on the clock at 35:32 the victory seemed certain. Sindre Heldal and Lien used their opportunities in the following minute, but Norway had run out of time and France celebrated their sixth victory.

Top scorer of the match was French right back Richardson with eight goals, while Heldal and Kevin Gulliksen both scored six for Norway.

 We expected it to be a complicated match, not an easy one, and we had to find other balances as we began to stabilise certain things. And then this Norwegian team presented a different face than the one from a few days ago, when they were very far from what they were capable of. 

Guillaume Gille

Head coach, France

 It worked much better than in the last match against Denmark. We’re showing that we have a higher level within us, and that we can fight for the win, even though we lost in the end. The atmosphere in the arena was what I would call typically French — hot and packed, and the crowd was incredible. 

Kevin Gulliksen

Right wing, Norway

Source: EHF