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Handball European Championship 2026: All information about the tournament

The Handball European Championship is the first sporting highlight of 2026. The tournament kicks off on January 15, and the final will take place on February 1. The hosts are Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. Here you can find all the relevant information.

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November 26, 2025 |

Whats’ on this page

1. Where and when will the 2026 European Championship take place?

1.1 Venues: Where will the 2026 European Championship be played?

2. The Format of the 2026 Handball European Championship

2.1 Overview of the Preliminary Round Groups

3. Handball-EM 2026: Wer ist Favorit?

4. 2025 Handball European Championship: When and Where Will Germany Play?

4.1 Overview of Germany's Preliminary Round Matches

5. This is the German European Championship Squad

6. Handball European Championship 2026: Schedule and Results

7. TV and Streaming: Where can I watch the Handball European Championship live?

8. Handball-EM 2026: So viel Prämie kassieren die DHB-Stars

9. The greatest European Championship Achievements of the german team

10. All Handball European Champions at a glance

Where and when will the 2026 European Championship take place?

The 2026 Handball European Championship will take place from January 15 to February 1, 2026, across three countries: Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. A total of 24 nations will participate in the tournament.

Venues: Where will the 2026 European Championship be played?

The matches will be held in four different cities. Games will take place in Herning (Denmark), Oslo (Norway), Malmö (Sweden), and Kristianstad (Sweden).

Herning: Jyske Bank Boxen, 15,000 seats
Oslo: Unity Arena, 15,000 seats
Malmö: Malmö Arena, 13,000 seats
Kristianstad: Kristianstad Arena, 4,700 seats

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The Format of the 2026 Handball European Championship

In the preliminary round, the 24 nations will compete in six groups of four in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each group will advance to the main round. Results from the preliminary round matches between advancing teams will carry over. In the main round, two groups of six will compete for a place in the semifinals. Preliminary groups A, B, and C form Main Round Group I, while groups D, E, and F form Main Round Group II. The teams finishing first and second will advance to the final four, while the two third-placed teams will play for 5th place.

Overview of the Preliminary Round Groups

Group A (in Herning): Germany, Spain, Austria, Serbia
Group B (in Herning): Denmark, Portugal, North Macedonia, Romania
Group C (in Oslo): France, Norway, Czech Republic, Ukraine
Group D (in Oslo): Slovenia, Faroe Islands, Montenegro, Switzerland
Group E (in Malmö): Sweden, Croatia, Netherlands, Georgia
Group F (in Kristianstad): Hungary, Iceland, Poland, Italy

Handball-EM 2026: Wer ist Favorit?

Als großer Favorit geht Co-Gastgeber Dänemark ins Rennen. Die Dänen mit Welthandballer Mathis Gidsel (Füchse Berlin) sind amtierender Weltmeister. Den WM-Titel holten die Skandinavier 2024 zum vierten Mal in Serie. Ein Novum. Zudem gewann Dänemark 2024 Olympia-Gold in Paris.

Allerdings: Bei Europameisterschaften wartet Gisdel und Co. seit 2012 auf einen Triumph. Beim letzten Turnier waren sie ganz nah dran, verloren jedoch im Finale gegen Frankreich mit 31:33. Bereits 2014 mussten sich die Dänen im Endspiel den Franzosen geschlagen geben.

Titelverteidiger Frankreich zählt genau wie Deutschland (Olympia-Silber 2024) zum erweiterten Favoritenkreis.

2025 Handball European Championship: When and Where Will Germany Play?

Germany will face Austria, Serbia, and Spain in Group A. "We have drawn a strong, very balanced group. It is a European Championship – there are only good opponents anyway," said national coach Gislason after the draw.

The DHB team's European Championship campaign begins with the match against Austria on January 15. Germany will then face Serbia on January 17. The group stage concludes with a match against Spain on January 19. All games will take place at Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning. Throw-off is scheduled for 8:30 PM.

Overview of Germany's Preliminary Round Matches

Matchday 1: Thursday, January 15
Spain – Serbia, 6:00 PM
Germany – Austria, 8:30 PM

Matchday 2: Saturday, January 17
Austria – Spain, 6:00 PM
Serbia – Germany, 8:30 PM

Matchday 3: Monday, January 19
Austria – Serbia, 6:00 PM
Germany – Spain, 8:30 PM

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This is the German European Championship Squad

The squad is not finalized yet. On December 17, head coach Alfred Gislason will announce his roster of up to 20 players. Before that, the DHB must first name a pool of 35 players, from which Gislason will then form the squad for the tournament.

During the European Championship, further changes to the squad are possible, but only players from the 35-player pool may be used. Changes can be made in the preliminary round (two), main round (two), and on the final weekend (two).

Handball European Championship 2026: Schedule and Results

Group A

Matchday 1: Thursday, January 15
Spain – Serbia, 6:00 PM
Germany – Austria, 8:30 PM

Matchday 2: Saturday, January 17
Austria – Spain, 6:00 PM
Serbia – Germany, 8:30 PM

Matchday 3: Monday, January 19
Austria – Serbia, 6:00 PM
Germany – Spain, 8:30 PM

Group B

Matchday 1: Friday, January 16
Portugal – Romania, 6:00 PM
Denmark – North Macedonia, 8:30 PM

Matchday 2: Sunday, January 18
North Macedonia – Portugal, 6:00 PM
Romania – Denmark, 8:30 PM

Matchday 3: Tuesday, January 20
North Macedonia – Romania, 6:00 PM
Denmark – Portugal, 8:30 PM

Group C

Matchday 1: Thursday, January 15
France – Czech Republic, 6:00 PM
Norway – Ukraine, 8:30 PM

Matchday 2: Saturday, January 17
Ukraine – France, 6:00 PM
Czech Republic – Norway, 8:30 PM

Matchday 3: Monday, January 19
Czech Republic – Ukraine, 6:00 PM
France – Norway, 8:30 PM

Group D

Matchday 1: Friday, January 16
Slovenia – Montenegro, 6:00 PM
Faroe Islands – Switzerland, 8:30 PM

Matchday 2: Sunday, January 18
Montenegro – Faroe Islands, 6:00 PM
Switzerland – Slovenia, 8:30 PM

Matchday 3: Tuesday, January 20
Montenegro – Switzerland, 6:00 PM
Slovenia – Faroe Islands, 8:30 PM

Group E

Matchday 1: Saturday, January 17
Croatia – Georgia, 6:00 PM
Sweden – Netherlands, 8:30 PM

Matchday 2: Monday, January 19
Netherlands – Croatia, 6:00 PM
Georgia – Sweden, 8:30 PM

Matchday 3: Wednesday, January 21
Netherlands – Georgia, 6:00 PM
Sweden – Croatia, 8:30 PM

Group F

Matchday 1: Friday, January 16
Iceland – Italy, 6:00 PM
Hungary – Poland, 8:30 PM

Matchday 2: Sunday, January 18
Poland – Iceland, 6:00 PM
Italy – Hungary, 8:30 PM

Matchday 3: Monday, January 20
Poland – Italy, 6:00 PM
Hungary – Iceland, 8:30 PM

The main round will take place from January 22 to 28 in Herning and Malmö. The final matches (semifinals, final, third-place, and fifth-place games) will be held on January 30 and February 1 in Herning.

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TV and Streaming: Where Can I Watch the Handball European Championship Live?

Good news for all handball fans. All matches of the German team will be broadcast live on free-to-air TV by ARD and ZDF, as well as via livestream. Additional European Championship matches will also be available for free on sportschau.de and the two media libraries.

For those who want to watch all matches, a Dyn subscription is required. The streaming service has secured the rights to the European Championship and will broadcast all games on its platform.

Handball-EM 2026: So viel Prämie kassieren die DHB-Stars

Ein EM-Titel würde sich für die DHB-Stars auch finanziell lohnen: Im Falle eines Titelgewinns winken den Spielern bis zu 600.000 Euro.

Aber der Reihe nach: Für den bloßen Gewinn der Gruppe A gibt es 50.000 Euro. Einen besonderen Bonus bekommt die Mannschaft, wenn sie die Hauptrunde ohne Minuspunkte (6:0-Punkte) erreicht. Die optimale Ausgangsposition bringt zusätzliche 75.000 Euro ein. Das Erreichen des Halbfinales wird mit 180.000 Euro (ab 19 eingesetzten Spielern maximal 190.000 Euro) prämiert. Die Prämie für Platz 5 beträgt 100.000 Euro.

Für Platz drei gibt es 300.000 Euro. Der Einzug ins Finale ist dem Verband 430.000 Euro wert. Krönt das DHB-Team das Turnier mit der Goldmedaille gibt es 575.000 Euro. Ab 20 eingesetzten Spielern erhöht sich diese Summe auf maximal 600.000 Euro. Die Prämienregelung hat der Mannschaftsrat um Kapitän Johannes Golla, Andreas Wolff und Julian Köster mit dem Sportvorstand Ingo Meckes ausgehandelt.

The Greatest European Championship Achievements of the German Team

Since 1994, the Men's Handball European Championships have been held. Germany has claimed the title twice: in 2004 and 2016. Before the German men became European champions for the first time, they won a bronze medal (1998) and a silver medal (2002).

At the home European Championship in 2024, Germany narrowly missed out on a medal. In the third-place match, head coach Gislason's team lost 31–34 to Sweden in front of 19,750 spectators in Cologne.