Next generation meet in Serbia to contest M18 EHF EURO title

24 teams will be participating in the competition, just the second time that so many sides have competed in the final tournament, with the action beginning this Wednesday, 29 July, and the medals being won on 9 August.

The entire tournament will be played in the Serbian capital across three venues; the Aleksandar Nikolić Hall, the Prof. Dr. Branislav Pokrajac Hall, and UVC Šumice. Full ticketing details can be found here.

Fans can look forward to seeing Europe's rising stars on the international stage for what will be the 18th edition of the M18 EHF EURO. The action begins withe the teams divided into six preliminary round groups of four teams each. The top two teams in each group advance to the main round.

Group A: Sweden, Slovenia, France, North Macedonia

• Sweden will take to the court in group A as they begin the defence of the title they won in Montenegro two years ago
• they beat Denmark after overtime in a thrilling final, to secure their third M18 EHF EURO title, and their second in four editions
• but there are no guarantees of success in a group that contains two-time champions France and three-time semi-finalists Slovenia, both of whom will want more than their respective 12th and 9th-placed finishes in 2024
• North Macedonia are back again having finished 19th in 2024 and will be keen to push on from that

Group B: Germany, Serbia, Italy, Türkiye

• group B is where we find the host nation, Serbia, whose only medal at this level was gold in 2004, when the country was part of Serbia & Montenegro
• the omens, therefore, are good for the Serbian squad, as the 2004 edition was the only other time Serbia hosted
• they will not have it easy in a group containing Germany, the only other three-time winners of this event, who finished a creditable fifth in 2024
• Italy are set to make their fourth successive appearance in the M18 EURO having never previously qualified, while Türkiye are making just their second appearance, 20 years on from their first

Group C: Portugal, Croatia, Czechia, Israel

• Croatia have reached the final of the M18 EHF EURO five times, but in 2026 are aiming to return to the semi-finals after missing out at the last two editions
• cracking the top four is something Portugal haven't done since winning gold then silver at the first two tournaments, in 1992 and 1994. If they are going to do it this year, they need an improvement on 10th in 2024
• silver in 1997 is Czechia's best result, and after finishing 14th in 2024, will be aiming to challenge for a place in the main round
• Israel will be making their seventh appearance at this level in Serbia, looking to improve on 17th place in 2024

Group D: Hungary, Iceland, Switzerland, Montenegro

• Hungary's M18 team will be keen to continue the country's golden summer by emulating their M20 side by winning the title. Fourth in 2022 and third in 2024, going further is surely the aim
• they will face a repeat of the bronze medal match from 2024 in the preliminary round, as they face Iceland. Hungary's "Class of 2024" won that meeting after overtime, making former champions Iceland desperate for revenge
• two years ago, Switzerland pulled off a few surprises by finishing 11th after a hiatus from the tournament, and will want to do the same again this time
• Montenegro make the short trip to Serbia looking to banish memories of a 23rd-place finish on home soil in 2024

Group E: Denmark, Norway, Slovakia, Poland

• so close to gold in 2024, Denmark's next products from their talent factory will come to Serbia aiming to be the Danish side to finally win the M18 EHF EURO. They have zero golds and four silver medals to their name
• another Scandinavian rival awaits them in the preliminary round, though Norway are back in the final tournament having missed out in 2024 and have never medalled at M18 level
• Slovakia's wait has been longer; they last took part in this tournament in 2016 and haven't finished in the top 10 since 2004
• Poland have qualified for their third final tournament in a row, having made a preliminary round exit in the previous two

Group F: Spain, Faroe Islands, Austria, Finland

• Spain ended a 28-year wait for a second M18 EHF EURO title in 2024, but could only manage eighth place when defending the crown in 2026
• Faroe Islands narrowly missed the main round in their only previous appearances in 2024 and 2026, though they still provided the MVP and top scorer on debut in 2024, Óli Mittún. Will it be third time lucky in 2026?
• trying to stop the Faroese will be Austria, whose 16th-place finish in 2024 was only one below the Faroe Islands. Their meeting in the final round of preliminary matches could be one of the ties of the round
• but having something to say about that are Finland, who will be making their third appearance at this level after finishing 16th in both 2008 and 2012

All photos © HF Montenegro / Stefan Ivanovic