Live blog: Sweden lead Ukraine; Greece vs Spain begins

• day one of round 5 of the Women's EHF EURO 2026 Qualifiers; watch all matches live on EHFTV
• Wednesday's schedule:
  • LIVE NOW: Ukraine vs Sweden (9:16); Greece vs Spain
  • 18:00 CEST North Macedonia vs Germany; Israel vs Austria
  • 20:00 CEST Faroe Islands vs Iceland
  • 20:10 CEST Highlight Match: Belgium vs Slovenia
• six more qualifiers to come on Thursday; see all group standings and the complete match schedule here
• read the day preview, find out where to watch the games by country and check out the breakdown of the qualification scenarios
• Courtney Gahan reporting; all photos courtesy of the home teams

Wednesday 8 April

13:45

While we wait for throw-off in Slovakia, where Ukraine and Sweden meet, check out our features ahead relevant to round 5 of the qualifiers. 

Sweden had some big news ahead of the round, with stalwarts Nathalie Hagman and Jamina Roberts announcing their retirement. Both have played for Sweden for more than 15 years and will bid farewell to the team after round 6, making today's game one of your last chances to see them in action for the national side!

On the other side is a player in a very different stage of her career — debuting in this phase of the qualifiers. Belgium star Nele Antonissen enters the round as the top scorer of the qualifiers. And yet one more reason the EHF EURO 2026 Qualifiers are a special experience: Her two sisters also feature in the team. 

And a bonus, looking ahead to Thursday: Portugal will meet Montenegro in the Highlight Match of the round, so we took a special look at their story up to now. 

13:35

It is not only the qualifiers taking place on Wednesday, but three games in the Women's EHF EURO Cup 2026 — the competition for those sides directly qualified to the final tournament, which includes the five co-hosts and the EHF EURO 2024 medallists. 

The clashes for today, with all matches starting at 18:00 CEST:

• Romania vs Norway
• Slovakia vs Poland
• Türkiye vs Hungary

Below, read the preview of this round of the EURO Cup!

13:20

Good afternoon and welcome to the first day of Women's EHF EURO 2026 Qualifiers round 5! 

Six matches are coming up, getting the round started, before the conclusion with six on Thursday. And this live blog will guide you through all of Wednesday's matches.

Let's get started with some basics. Below, find the preview of Wednesday's round 5 games, check out the possible qualification scenarios and see where you can watch the matches.