ebt Finals 2026: 32 teams target trophies in Trapani

Both competitions start Thursday with four groups of four. The three best-ranked teams from each group will advance to the main round beginning on Friday. The top four of both main round groups continue in the knockout phase, beginning with the quarter-finals on Saturday; the medal matches are scheduled for Sunday.

Click here for the preliminary round groups and the full playing schedule.

Trapani, on the north-western tip of Sicily, is the host venue for the second straight year. Italy stages the ebt Finals for the fourth time in total.

Men's competition

• the last six ebt Finals were won by teams from five different countries: Croatia, Portugal (twice), Hungary, Denmark, and Spain
• in the field for 2026, a total of 12 nations are represented; Croatia, Spain, Hungary, and Portugal all have two teams in the mix
• headlining group A are defending champions BHC Zagreb, who are also the record champions: the Croatian club won seven of the 15 ebt Finals (since 2010) so far, though last year's triumph was their first since 2017
• Zagreb arrive in Trapani with a vastly different team from last year's, since only three members from that winning squad have been included again; among the notable absentees are star players Ivan Jurić and Lucian Bura
• last year's semi-finalists 12Monkeys Köln BHC are also in group A, but — like Zagreb — are missing several key players due to national team commitments, like Severin Henrich, Moritz Ebert or Robin John
• Blue Team hope to spring a surprise at their home event, as their core consists of Italian national team players
• group B includes BMP Algeciras, with several players from Spain's silver-winning team at the EHF Beach Handball EURO 2025, and Portuguese side GRD Leça – Spar, the winners of the 2024 Champions Cup, who are a medal threat at each event they play
• last year's bronze medallists Aarhus Beach start their campaign in group C, but are missing their main goalgetter, Jakob Magne Merrild, when they take on opponents like Göteborg BHC, who bring a strong blend of experience (Jesper Knutsson, 38) and talent (Victor Paldanius, 21)
• group D sees a confrontation between teams from the traditionally strong countries Spain and Croatia, as CBMP Ciudad De Málaga are up against BHC Harena, while the Irish team from Niteroi Rugby FC will field only Brazilians an one Italian player

Women's competition

• the trophies at the last six ebt Finals all went to teams from either Spain (four) or Denmark (two)
• Hungary have three teams at the start in 2026 and Spain two, while 11 other nations are all represented once
• CATS Playas de Fuengirola, which is the new name for last year's winners Team Almeira, have included four members from their golden 2025 team again
• however, superstar Asun Batista, the two-time MVP at the EHF Excellence Awards, is missing for the Spanish side who open their campaign in group A
• among the defending champions' opponents are London GD with nine players from seven different countries and Caipiranhas Bartenbach, who arrive without Pauline Borrmann, the top scorer of the ebt Finals in both 2024 and 2025
• many eyes in group B will be on Niteroi Rugby FC again: last year's runners-up have kept the same core of their squad, which is nearly all-Brazilian with the exception of one German player
• reigning Champions Cup titleholders CBMP Ciudad De Málaga expect fierce opposition in group C from the likes of OVB Beach Girls, the Hungarian side that won the ebt Finals 12 years ago and will field players like Renáta Csiki and Dominika Kodajová, the second-best goal scorer from the ebt Finals 2025
• another strong contender from Hungary, Red Velvet BHC, are among the favourites to advance from group D despite missing key player Lili Uhrin, but backed by outstanding goalkeeper Dalma Mátéfi
• also in group D are GRD Leça – Love Tiles, a highly experienced team with the likes of Sara Pinho, Daniela Mendes and Catarina Oliveira; they won the Champions Cup in 2021 and now hope to become the first Portuguese winners of the ebt Finals

Fans can pick favourite players for All-star Teams

Alongside the awarding of the trophies to the title winners, Sunday will see the presenting of the All-star Teams. For both genders, the best goalkeeper, the best defender and the MVP will be named.

Six players will be nominated in each category before fans can take part in an public vote to determine the winners. The vote on beach.eurohandball.com will open on Saturday and close on Sunday. More details to follow in due time.

photos © Joe Pappalardo