Portugal believe ahead of final EHF EURO 2026 Qualifiers

The squad boast the chance to secure back-to-back EHF EURO appearances for the first time in the national team's history. Although coach José António Silva argues it is unfair to put pressure on and make comparisons between the upward trajectories of the men’s and women's Portuguese handball, the coach believes they are on the right development path.

"The women's team has been building its path consistently. We believe our trajectory has even exceeded initial expectations at certain moments. However, we are not satisfied: We want more and better. For this evolution to materialise, we have identified essential structural measures: First, clubs must provide better working conditions to allow for continuous player evolution and increase domestic competition quality. This is central, as many players are often forced to choose between handball and professional stability,” says Silva. 

“Secondly, it is essential to integrate our athletes into reference clubs across Europe, enabling participation in top-tier competitions like the Champions League. Finally, the national team must acquire the competitive consistency to be a regular fixture in final stages of World and European Championships. We need better-prepared athletes with more professional conditions.”

Positive results within the younger age competitions preceded Portugal's rise on the senior level and Silva, who has been a coach as well as coordinator of some of the younger age categories, hails the importance of playing high-profile matches at the youth level.

"We have been achieving positive results, but we aspire to do even better. The senior team's presence in the last European Championship, alongside the fourth-place finish by the U19s in their EURO and the fifth place by the U20s in the World Championship, are encouraging signs. They provide the necessary momentum to continue our work with ambition and consistency,” says Silva.

“It is also vital to underline that, beyond the federation's work, we must recognise the contribution of the clubs, as well as the talent and commitment of the athletes. In recent years, we have worked with a high-potential group of athletes, investing heavily in their development to secure the future of our national teams, which is our primary goal. In this journey, sporting success is a determining factor for our progression. Therefore, while not making it the sole objective — particularly in youth categories — we value it appropriately.”

Portugal are sitting third in EHF EURO 2026 Qualifiers group 4, with the same number of points (four) as second-ranked Faroe Islands, but with a slightly poorer goal difference. They are also only a couple of points away from first-placed Montenegro, who ranked eighth at the 2025 World Championship, for which Portugal have yet to qualify. Subsequently, the Portuguese aim to secure a ticket for the final tournament through a top-two finish or as one of the four best third-ranked teams.

"If we achieve it — and I believe we will — this participation carries very significant meaning. Beyond representing our first-ever participation in two consecutive European Championships, it would fulfil one of the structural goals of our work: Providing our athletes with international experience, exposing them to the highest competitive levels, and creating the conditions for them to establish themselves on the big stages. This allows them to be observed in contexts of excellence and to evolve according to the potential we recognise in them," says Silva.

Montenegro will travel to Porto and face Portugal in the highlight match of round 5 before Silva's squad visits Iceland in the final round of the qualifiers. The 60-year-old points out the areas in which his side must be perfect to succeed:

"We are facing two teams with more experience than us who recently had strong World Championship campaigns. Against Montenegro, a team we know well, we expect to bypass the difficulties imposed by their experience, status and physical profile. We must play very organised handball, relying on the creativity of our athletes to ensure efficiency in both offensive and defensive actions,” says Silva.

“Regarding Iceland, they play a different style. We must pay close attention to individual duels, which were a major struggle in our first encounter. As they play a game based on speed and transitions, it is imperative to ensure balance during transition phases. Regardless of their value, we believe we have the conditions to fight for the win."

Youth: Portugal's biggest quality and weakness

With an average age of 24.6, Portugal are one of the youngest squads in the EHF EURO 2026 Qualifiers. 21-year-old left back Carmen Figueiredo is the top scorer for the side, with 20 goals. Figueiredo believes in success ahead of the last qualifiers and argues that their youth might be their biggest quality.

"Yes, I am confident. We are all aligned and working towards making that happen. Our expectations for these two matches are clear: We are going to give our all to qualify for the European Championship. These are two very important games, and we are all well aware of that. I believe it [our best quality] is our youthfulness. We are a very young team, and that makes us want to learn more and more," she says.

Coach Silva shares Figueiredo's belief in success, but in contrast, feels the lack of experience might prove decisive in the short term.

"We believe it is possible. We knew from the start this was a very demanding group with a high level of parity. Having already secured two victories is a source of satisfaction. It's worth noting that our two losses occurred in the first game of each double-header, played away, which significantly reduced preparation time. Still, with four points, we are well-positioned and depend only on ourselves,” says Silva. 

“We have enormous respect for our opponents, but we maintain a clear ambition to fight for victory in every game, even when we are not the favourites. Based on the quality of play we have shown, we deserve to be seen as an ambitious team aiming for the highest levels of international handball. We believe we already have the arguments to compete with top teams.

“However, individually, our athletes are still far from reaching their maximum potential. This is largely due to the team's youth. It is a group with a significant margin for progression, but they currently lack the international experience of some of their opponents. Physically, some are still below what is expected at this level. They have the talent and the commitment; what we lack is more time working together and further investment in physical conditioning. In short, we can already challenge and beat established teams, and in the future, we will achieve high-level performances more consistently.”

Figueiredo is not only Portugal's leading scorer in the qualifiers — the talented left back was ATTICGO Bm Elche's top scorer in the EHF European Cup this season, with 42 goals. She is well aware of her key role playing for both club and country, and admits that she already feels the pressure on her shoulders. 

"Even if I don't want it to, it does affect me, as I often focus only on what I did wrong and sometimes dwell on that. In terms of pressure, I try my best not to feel it, even though I know it is part of the game," says Figueiredo.

Figueiredo's ultimate career goal is to play with Portugal at major tournaments and join one of the top clubs in the world, but her short-term mission is to help her team reach the EHF EURO 2026 and make her own debut on the big stage.

"The importance lies in the fact that this will be my first EHF EURO with the senior national team, and I am very excited about it. My dream is that we can qualify year after year for these competitions and showcase our hard work every day. At the club level, I hope to play for one of the top six clubs in the world," concludes Figueiredo.

Photos © Peter Spark/FAP; Andrei Antal/Handball Federation of the Faroe Islands; Stefan Ivanovic - HF Montenegro