Qualifiers get intense with 16 EHF EURO 2026 seats still in sight

The three hosting countries, as well as reigning champions France, will all be present at the final tournament and do not take part in the Qualifiers, but instead compete in the thrilling EHF EURO Cup 2026. 20 seats are reserved for the nations that come from the Qualifiers and four of them have already been taken.

Iceland have not missed a single EHF EURO edition since their first appearance back in 2000, and they clearly did not want to break this streak. Steered by Snorri Steinn Guðjónsson, the squad is one of the three teams with a faultless record in the four rounds of the Qualifiers, as they took their latest victory with a clear margin, 32:21 over Greece.

On Sunday, three other rising teams joined Iceland among the ones already confirmed for the final tournament, including the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship silver medallists Croatia, who sealed another EHF EURO appearance in the best way possible — in front of their fans.

Slovenia, who finished fourth at the Paris 2024 Olympics, and Portugal, who reached the IHF World Championship semi-finals for the first time at the beginning of the year, are the other two nations that will compete for the trophy. Despite having no medals at the EHF EURO so far, their recent performances are a promise that the best is yet to come — and we are all here for it.

Hungary and Germany also had the opportunity to secure their participation in the final tournament over the weekend, but a draw for the Hungarians hindered their plans, while the other results in group 7 delayed the celebrations for Alfred Gislason’s squad.

Rounds 5 and 6 will be played on 7/8 and 11 May and the top two teams in each group, as well as the four best third-ranked nations overall will secure their much-desired tickets to the Men’s EHF EURO 2026.

There is still much more to be decided, with the race for the final tournament expected to go down to the last round in some cases. Groups 3 and 6 stand out as the most competitive ones, with all teams still having a chance to grab a ticket. Estonia, Slovakia, Latvia and Türkiye are the only participants without a single point so far, and with only two games to go, their chances are slim to none.

Only four days after the final round of the Qualifiers is over, the draw to determine the preliminary round groups at Men's EHF EURO 2026 will take place in Herning, Denmark on 15 May.

In that respect, Iceland's victory answered another question as they belonged to the pre-seeded teams for the draw. They are now sure to play in group F in Kristianstad, Sweden.

Tickets for the Men's EHF EURO 2026 in Denmark, Sweden and Norway are available here.

Photos © Anikó Kovács/HHF (main), Peter Spark (in-text)