THE ROUND OF EIGHT SLOTS BOOKED IN THE MEN’S EHF EURO 2026
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The last eight tickets to the Men’s EHF EURO 2026 were secured on Sunday night as phase 2 of the Qualifiers came to an end.
North Macedonia, Serbia, Austria and Poland all booked their places in the final tournament by finishing second in their groups. Meanwhile Romania, Italy, Switzerland and Ukraine are confirmed as the four best third-placed teams, and will also head to the final tournament in Denmark, Norway and Sweden next year.
Slovenia and Iceland joined Croatia in being the only three national teams with a perfect record in the EHF EURO 2026 Qualifiers
the fiery Macedonians continue their impressive run of being present at each EHF EURO edition since 2012 with a big win in group 1 against Lithuania, who missed out on a ticket for the final tournament
Italy booked a ticket for the EHF EURO 2026, despite the loss to Serbia in group 4, and the Italians will play at the European championship for the first time since 1998
in group 5, Croatia finished on top after their sixth win, against Belgium
Austria took a thrilling win in group 6 in the crucial neighbours’ duel against Switzerland to finish second below Germany in group 7, but the Swiss will be also part of the EHF EURO 2026
Poland’s last minute strike against Romania provided them with the EHF EURO ticket, second below lucky winners Portugal — but also Romania made it as the best third ranked team in group 8
With the fresh-faced Slovenia on the hunt for a faultless campaign in the EHF EURO 2026 Qualifiers, Uroš Zorman’s squad began the match on the right foot and dictated the tempo from start to finish. Even though the Estonians tried to keep up with the hosts, Slovenia’s performance improved with each passing minute, and 13 different players got on the scoresheet. Tim Cokan and Uros Knavs scored five goals each in the home end, while Dener Jaanimaa found the back of the net on 12 occasions for Estonia and was the match’s top scorer in Celje.
Honestly, before the start of the qualifiers for the EHF EURO 2026, we didn’t expect six wins and thus a perfect result. But in the first two qualifying cycles, we did what was necessary. In the last one, we were also able to give a chance to the younger generation of Slovenian handball players. I think this is an excellent thing for our future. I’m happy for that.
Uroš Zorman
Head coach, Slovenia
Slovenia are a very strong team, so we had to prepare for them primarily from a tactical standpoint. At the beginning, we played too fast, made mistakes and missed some important opportunities. We are not satisfied with the result, but I believe we played a very good and smart game.
A blistering start by Lithuania set up a thrilling first half with an impressive four-goal run (0:4) for the guests as Kiril Lazarov’s squad scored their opening goal in the eighth minute, and despite the hectic environment at the sold-out Jane Sandanski arena in Skopje, the Lithuanians held a lead up until the 21st minute. However, the introduction of Martin Tomovski between the posts completely changed the course of the match, as the goalkeeper made five saves to help the passionate Macedonians mount a full comeback ahead of the break. It was a one-way street for Lithuania in the second half as Filip Kuzmanovski and his colleagues celebrated a comfortable win and secured a place at the EHF EURO 2026, while Martin Tomovski was the ultimate match-winner and ended the clash with 11 saves and a 55 per cent save efficiency.
The Magyars capped off an unbeaten campaign in the EHF EURO 2026 Qualifiers with a clear win, as Bence Imre and his teammates cruised past Finland with ease in Nagykanizsa. José Maria Rodriguez’s squad dominated in every aspect of the match, as Hungary’s lead was on the rise throughout the game and reached a record 11 goals a few minutes ahead of the final whistle, which highlighted the hosts’ superiority. Bence Imre and Benjamin Helander were the joint top scorers with eight goals each for Hungary and Finland, respectively, while Benedek Nagy made 12 saves for the hosts as well.
I am very proud that I can be the captain of the national team today for the first time. The youngsters already know our system well, so we have a good cooperation on the field. We won our group with an unbeaten campaign and it was important for us.
Patrik Ligetvári
Left back, Hungary
We started the game quite well, but Hungary are a way better team than us, they built a bigger difference and won with confidence. We reached four points in this qualification series, more than previously. We have a young team with a good coach, I hope we will be better and better.
The Golden Lions celebrated a win in front of the passionate Montenegrin supporters in Bar as Didier Dinart’s squad outplayed Slovakia, even though the hosts had to recover from a poor start as the Slovaks held the lead until the 19th minute. Once Montenegro established full control over the match’s result, there was no way back for the visitors, with Risto Vujacic being the match’s top scorer with 10 goals from just as many attempts, displaying a perfect performance from right back, while goalkeeper Haris Suljevic made 10 saves and played a vital role in helping Montenegro win.
The players had full availability, which gave us the opportunity to rotate frequently and secure a comfortable victory. There is clear progress since the start of these qualifiers. We showed our strength and now we await the draw, after which we will begin preparing for our opponents at the EHF EURO 2026.
The ice-cold hosts were one of only three national teams with a perfect record in the EHF EURO 2026 Qualifiers and secured a new dominant win against Georgia in Reykjavik to remain faultless. Tite Kalandadze’s squad was no match for Viktor Hallgrímsson, who made 16 saves and recorded a 51 per cent save efficiency, which enabled his teammates to finish the job on the other side of the court. Snorri Steinn Guðjónsson’s squad celebrated a 12-goal win in the end, with Orri Freyr Þorkelsson scoring eight goals and finishing as the match’s top scorer.
What I take away from this is the concentration and focus of the boys. I’ve asked for this in this qualifiers, both here at home and at the away games. In all the games, except maybe the first game against Bosnia and Herzegovina, we started extremely strong. I just feel that people show up focused on these tasks.
With third place in group 3 as a reward for the winner of this duel, the stakes were high in Chalkida, but Greece built a formidable early lead in the opening half and never let the Bosnians come close to reaching it. Georgios Zaravinas’ side won the match with Theodoros Boskos as the game’s top scorer with eight goals by his name, but unfortunately for them, Greece fell short in the race to be one of the four best third-ranked teams, although they ended the EHF EURO 2026 Qualifiers on a positive note with a home win.
It was my last game with the national team after 17 years. The emotions are indescribable. It is a supreme honor to play for your country and it cannot be compared to anything. Every time I hear the national anthem, I shiver. It is true that many thoughts are going through my mind right now. I want to say a big thank you to everyone and to my teammates who really gave everything so that my term could end with a victory.
With Spain aiming for a win in Huesca, the Jordi Ribera-led squad outplayed Latvia as each outfield player got on the scoresheet, which speaks volumes about the hosts’ outstanding performance. The Latvians kept a distance from Spain’s lead until the early part of the second half, but the Spaniards saved their best for the end and recorded a huge win, with Victor Romero finishing as the match’s top scorer with seven goals and with the top spot in group 4 as a reward for Spain.
We had one of the toughest groups. We only lost one game, achieved great results, and what better way to end the phase than in Huesca, where I played, and I’m very grateful to the fans for their support and for how everything turned out. We only have words of gratitude for the fans, and we hope to come back soon.
Agustín Casado
Left back, Spain
Congratulations to Spain on their victory. For us, the game felt very long; after the exceptional match earlier this week against Serbia, where the team gave everything, today we couldn’t compete against Spain. We have a young team and this is a long-term process.
In an extremely interesting match in Kraljevo, Serbia successfully kept their nerves calm in the decisive moments of the second half and celebrated a win in front of their own supporters and thus, a ticket for the EHF EURO 2026 as the second-placed team in group 4. Despite the scoreline swinging from one way to the other in the first half, the Serbians went on a crucial four-goal run in the second half to take a five-goal lead (22:17) in the 43rd minute, which ultimately decided the winner. Vladimir Cupara played a key role in helping Serbia win by making 14 saves with a 53 per cent save efficiency, while Mikael Helmersson was the top scorer of the clash with seven goals for Italy. In the end, despite the loss to Serbia, Italy also secured a place at the final tournament as one of the four best third-ranked teams.
I would like to congratulate these great guys who deservedly qualified for the European Championship. In the first half, we had a little problem with the execution, but in the second half we made up for it with the help of the great Vladimir Cupara and Lazar Kukic, who showed that he is the brain of the game of this generation. I have to praise the players in defence because when they attack you one on one for 60 minutes, it is extremely demanding. I am very satisfied that we are again in a big competition, which was the goal.
Dalibor Cutura
Head coach, Serbia
This was a very difficult and demanding match. Both teams played at a high level and demanded that their opponents give their best. The crowd gave Serbia a boost in the second half, but also a great goalkeeper against whom we missed 17 shots in the second half. Nevertheless, we are celebrating, after 28 years we returned to the European Championship and we cannot be dissatisfied.
Croatia finished the EHF EURO 2026 qualification spotless: their sixth win in the same number of matches was never endangered. However, with goalkeeper Mika Herrmann again on fire, Luxembourg were equal opponents in the first 15 minutes as Croatia had early problems with the visitors’ defence. The world silver medallists then pulled ahead by five goals (15:10) at the break, with Marin Sipic contributing five goals and Filip Glavas four — the duo finished up with a combined 13 strikes. As the visitors ran out of power in the second half, Croatia easily advanced to a double-digit result.
We didn’t have enough concentration. But I was quite happy with how we played, especially with the defence and Dominik Kuzmanovic was really good at the beginning, but our shooting was not good enough. I was happy with how we played, but the shooting wasn’t good enough.
Dagur Sigurdsson
Head coach, Croatia
We knew it would be very hard against Croatia, but we tried our best to make the ball go fast and to defend hard against them, At the beginning it worked well, but as the match went along, we were losing strength. But we are happy with the game and how we played.
Before this game Czechia were already confirmed as runners-up in the group, and after it, Belgium finished third despite the defeat. In contrast to the reverse fixture (15:31), Belgium stood much stronger and were equal with their hosts for the first 20 minutes of the game. Then Czechia improved and took a four-goal lead to the locker room. With goalkeeper Jan Hrdlicka saving 50 per cent of shots in the first 30 minutes, he was a crucial factor for the hosts. However, in the second half, Belgium never let the gap extend to more than five goals, and they kept the pressure on to the buzzer. Quinten Colman (Belgium) and Jonas Patzel (Czechia) scored six goals each.
Mentally it was tough, we had to get into the game and we did. From my point of view it was not difficult to motivate the team. It’s an honour to play for the national team in front of such a big crowd. It wasn’t hard. But we had some mental mistakes. Our biggest problem was our efficiency in attack.
Daniel Kubeš
Head coach, Czechia
A very difficult match. The Czechs have small and fast players, we played with the players we currently have because we had a lot of injuries. The team played well together. Maybe if we didn’t make mistakes we would have done something but it was very difficult, we played a good game.
The winners and the losers celebrated together, as both the Faroe Islands and Ukraine qualified for the EHF EURO 2026. For the first time in their history, the Faroese finished top of their EHF EURO qualification group. The hosts started strong, but after they led 4:1 after four minutes Ukraine rallied and turned the match around to lead 7:6. But backed by their fans in the brand new arena, the hosts again took control, pulling ahead to 13:10 and 15:13 at the break. In the last 16 minutes of the game, the hosts took control to earn their eight-goal win. As usual, Óli Mittún and Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu were the driving forces of the Faroese team, netting five times each in the first half; Ellefsen á Skipagøtu ended the match as the top scorer with nine goals.
This was out of this world! Our fans really carry us and give us an extra gear. This has been a fantastic qualification tournament for us and our team just keeps on getting better.
Teis Horn Rasmussen
Line player, Faroe Islands
We knew that this was going to be a difficult game. The Faroe Islands have a very strong fan support and home ground and this was an amazing atmosphere. We are not so happy about our game, but we are very happy that we came through and qualified.
Despite Sunday’s victory, the Netherlands finished qualification second below the Faroe Islands, while Kosovo missed the chance for their first ever EHF EURO ticket. Having the chance to finish on top of their group, the Netherlands were eager to win. But in the first 22 minutes, Kosovo were a tough nut to be cracked. The Dutch managed to extend the gap to 16:12 at the break, thanks to an incredible performance from Rutger ten Velde, who scored of his 12 goals in the first 30 minutes. With 12 minutes on the clock the score stood at 26:20 and the Netherlands had decided the encounter.
I’m pleased we took four points in the last two games. I think we were playing quite good. That is making me happy for the future. This game was a little bit tough in the beginning but overall we are pleased and looking forward to playing the European championships.
Staffan Olsson
Head coach, Netherlands
We played well for the first 20 minutes. We were more focused than the last match against the Faroe Islands. But the match against the Netherlands, I live in Belgium and I know all the players, but we tried to get a better result, but the result didn’t follow because Holland is stronger.
Even without team captain Johannes Golla, who is on a break, and goalkeeper Andreas Wolff, and playing with an under-30 squad, Germany finished their EHF EURO qualification campaign unbeaten after another clear win. They were already confirmed as group winners before the match, while Türkiye finish without a point. After eight minutes, the score was 7:0, and backed by the saves of outstanding goalkeeper David Späth, the two-time EHF EURO champions extended the gap to their first double-digit lead at 20:10 in the 29th minute. The 6,149 fans saw a match full of goals, with four German players netting four or more times.
What a match, and what an outcome for both sides. After a highly intense duel, Austria took second place in the group, but Switzerland will join their neighbours at the EHF EURO 2026 as one of the four best third-ranked teams. After nine goals against Germany on Wednesday, Swiss wing Noam Leopold was again on fire in Graz, scoring six of his seven goals before the break. After a 4:1 start, Austria allowed their neighbours to level the result for the first time at 9:9 in the 19th minute. Although the hosts were constantly ahead afterwards, Switzerland stuck with them and as the second half began, grabbed their chance to pull ahead 18:16. But then Austria shut up their goal, defended extremely well and scored in a series of counterattacks: their 6:0 run for the 22:18 lead in the 40th minute was crucial and while Switzerland produced a 3:0 run in the last couple of minutes, the clock had run out. In his last match as Austria’s national team coach, Ales Pajovic steered his side to the EHF EURO.
I knew it would be tough today, but the boys did really well. The motivation was there and you could tell straight away that it was going to be a good game. The team spirit won today. I’m very emotional now. I was afraid that we would lose this game and that we wouldn’t qualify. That would have been terrible. It’s the perfect end. It’s been a wonderful six years. We’ve really made a difference in Austria, as the full halls in recent years show.
Aleš Pajovic
Head coach, Austria
So soon after the game, I’m still disappointed that we didn’t push ourselves to the limit today. But I only want to see smiling faces on the bus at least. We’re going to the European Championship. Again!
Andrzej Widomski’s winning strike 45 seconds before the end propelled Poland to the EHF EURO 2026 — but Romania will also play in the final tournament as one of the best four third-ranked teams. After losing against Israel, and thanks to Romania’s victory over Portugal, Poland were under extreme pressure. A draw would have been enough for the visitors to proceed as runners-up, so Poland needed to win and they needed Portugal’s help against Israel. With Daniel Stanciuc once more their top scorer, Romania had a better start in this close and crucial battle before Poland’s 4:1 run gave them a 10:7 advantage after 20 minutes. Romania then reduced the gap to one goal at the break. When the match resumed, Poland pulled ahead to 24:20, but Romania were strong enough to level the result several times and even took the lead at 27:26 in the 53rd minute. Finally, Widomski decided the match with his sixth goal. The op scorers were Stanciuc (10) and Michal Daszek, who netted six goals for Poland.
This was a very important match for us! We managed to secure second place in the group and that’s the most important thing. The loss to Israel was very difficult for us, but today I am happy with the result and with my players. Now we must continue working, because there are still many things to improve. Until almost the end of the match, I didn’t know the result of the Israel versus Portugal game. We wanted to stay fully focused on ourselves and just win!
Jesus Javier Gonzalez Fernandez
Head coach, Poland
Until the end of the match, we didn’t know what the situation was in the other games. Only before the last throw did the coach tell us. We lost the match, but we are going to the EURO. I don’t know if something like this will ever happen again, so we really wanted to win! I’m happy, but the loss will definitely stay in our minds. At one point, we managed to make up a big deficit, but today’s handball is so intense that you make a lot of mistakes. Whoever makes fewer mistakes, wins.
Portugal had already been confirmed group winners before the game, but Israel knew they could book their ticket as runners-up with a victory. The prospect boosted their performance in Constanta, Romania, and they led throughout the first quarter before Portugal improved in attack to turn the match around. Paulo Pereira’s team stayed in control in the second half, taking a 22:17 lead early in the second half and maintaining the gap into the last 10 minutes. However, Portugal then decelerated too early and Israel sensationally levelled the result at 33:33 in the last minute. With the final buzzer Jose Luis Correia secured Portugal’s win.
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