Apelgren: “When your home country asks you, you cannot say ‘no’”

Apelgren had been Solberg’s assistant before, and he had just started as head coach of Machineseeker EHF Champions League participants OTP Bank - PICK Szeged after steering Elverum Håndball to six league titles in Norway and IK Sävehof to two in Sweden.

Last week, Apelgren’s Szeged became the first team since March 1997 to win a knockout match against record champions Barça in Barcelona, but that result was not enough to advance from the quarter-finals.

So far, Apelgren has been combining his club and national team duties. Hit hard by many injuries, Sweden missed the quarter-finals of the 2025 World Championship in January and ranked only 14th. Following two wins against Norway in March, next up in the EHF EURO Cup 2026 are the duels with France at home on Wednesday and with Denmark away on Sunday.

In January 2026, Sweden are one of the three co-hosts of the Men’s EHF EURO, alongside Denmark and Norway. The groups for the preliminary round will be drawn on 15 May at Herning.

eurohandball.com: Playing France and Denmark this week, what does the EHF EURO Cup mean to you?

Michael Apelgren: It is a really interesting competition, facing the strongest teams, but also it is good to see the progress of your players with a little bit less pressure. We are currently in a phase where we gain input. When I took over the team in October, there was no big time to prepare, neither for the EURO Cup matches, nor for the World Championship. You cannot test new players or options, and when more and more key players were out by injuries, the World Championship ended earlier than we had hoped for, and we did not make a better result.

eurohandball.com: How was your reaction when the Swedish federation asked you to take over the team?

Michael Apelgren: Glenn Solberg still had a contract for two more years, and his retirement came unexpected for everybody. Of course, it was a huge honour for me when the Swedish federation asked me to succeed, but the timing was not the best. I had just started in Szeged and there were only some weeks left before the start of the EHF EURO Cup and some month before the World Championship. But when your home country asks you, you cannot say ‘no’ – as you do not know, if they ask you again. So, it is very special.

eurohandball.com: What are major differences between coaching a club team and a national team?

Michael Apelgren: Being club and national team coach at the same time means two completely different jobs. With the national team you meet for one week, have two matches, then you meet again several months later and then you play a big tournament. As a club coach you simply have more time to develop the players, develop the system, and also develop yourself. And of course, you need a strong staff around you for the national team when you have both jobs at the same time. This is why we have a coaching team in Sweden with former national team players Patrick Fahlgren and Tobias Karlsson, who just joined this team 1 May. Everybody has his own tasks.

eurohandball.com: How do you describe the current mix of generations in the Swedish team?

Michael Apelgren: We have many players of the golden generation we have been counting on for many years, but who also might retire sooner or later. This means that we have a smooth process of integrating the young players — and we have many talents in Sweden. They need to jump in at a certain point and gain experience and then take responsibility. But of course, you cannot just throw those players in against teams like Denmark or France, you need to do it step by step.

eurohandball.com: Sweden won bronze at the EHF EURO 2024 but then missed the quarter-finals of the 2025 World Championship. Is it getting harder every year to continue at the highest level?

Michael Apelgren: The top-eight teams below Denmark, who are a class of their own right now, and maybe France are so close at the moment… Any team can beat any team. Little things, like one missed shot, one save, decide whether you win or not. We are on a good path right now, as now we had some time to work with the team in March.

eurohandball.com: In January, Sweden are one of three EHF EURO hosts. What is bigger: The anticipation of playing on home ground, or the pressure of being the hosts?

Michael Apelgren: Playing a tournament like an EHF EURO on home ground is not so special anymore like it maybe was in the past. Back then, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, now we have had many World and European Championships in Sweden. But still, the focus of the public and the interest is growing when you play at home. It is a mix of a huge anticipation and also the pressure when everybody expects a top result because you are the hosts.

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