Germany, Hungary and Czechia join EHF EURO 2026 line-up

• Hungary booked their place at the EHF EURO 2026 with a decisive win over Slovakia, while Germany secured a last-gasp draw against Switzerland to clinch their berth
• Czechia’s place at the EHF EURO 2026 was confirmed due to their victory over Luxembourg and Belgium’s loss to Croatia
• Austria took a vital win that kept the group 7 race tight, and will meet Switzerland in a direct clash to decide the group’s second ticket to the final tournament in round 6
• previously qualified Slovenia, Croatia and Iceland all maintained their perfect records in the qualifiers, beating Lithuania, Belgium and Bosnia and Herzegovina, respectively
• recording their fifth defeats, Türkiye and Slovakia were knocked out of the race for the final tournament

GROUP 1

Lithuania vs Slovenia 28:31 (12:18)

Slovenia coach Uroš Zorman had opted to rest most of the big names in his squad, and the young guns extended the side’s perfect streak through the qualifiers. Perhaps most notable was goalkeeper Miljan Vujovic’s 11 saves at a rate of 37.93 per cent. Lithuania kept pace through the opening 10 minutes before Slovenia pulled away to lead 12:7 in the 20^th. Lithuania briefly decreased the deficit, but Slovenia held command at half-time and were clearly on track for victory. The visitors were in front 28:18 with 12 minutes to go, and then Lithaunia reduced the gap significantly, ensuring a final score line that did not reflect Slovenia’s dominance. Lithuania will have to wait for Thursday’s result between Estonia and North Macedonia to know exactly what they face in the qualification race — should Estonia beat North Macedonia or draw, Lithuania will be through to the final tournament. If the Macedonians win, then they will set up a direct clash with Lithuania to decide the group’s second ticket to the final tournament in round 6. 

GROUP 2

Slovakia vs Hungary 24:39 (15:20)

Propelled by their back court, Hungary took the lead immediately and had already established command by the 10^th minute, when the score board showed 8:4. Backs Zoltan Szita and Zoran Ilic contributed three goals apiece in the first 15 minutes, and as the Slovakia defence attempted to quieten them, gaps opened for line player Bence Bánhidi to work with centre back Gergö Fazekas and drive the attack. For anything Slovakia threw at them defensively, Hungary had a great answer ready. A direct red card for Matúš Moravcík combined with a two-minute suspension for Jakub Petržela at the 23-minute mark, when Hungary led 15:11, hurt Slovakia right when they might have still had a chance. The home side kept the gap relatively steady until the early minutes of the second half, but Hungary were simply stronger and cruised through the remainder of the match to win and secure their berth at the final tournament. 

GROUP 3

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Iceland 25:34 (13:18)

Bosnia and Herzegovina are in danger of ending their run of participations in the Men’s EHF EURO following the clear loss to Iceland. The home side had made their EURO debut in 2020 and qualified for every edition since, but the clear loss to the Nordic side left Bosnia and Herzegovina with two points in their account and sitting third on the group table. The tone was set immediately, as Iceland scored four unanswered goals, from three different players, before Bosnia and Herzegovina netted their first. The hosts could not keep pace with their visitors, who led 11:6 at the end of the first quarter and kept that distance at half-time. Such a difference at the break is always ominous, and Iceland delivered on the threat — after allowing their hosts the first goal when the match resumed, Iceland pulled away more clearly and hit a double-digit lead with 15 minutes to go. Their perfect record was safe long before the end. Wing Bjarki Mar Elisson netted 11 goals for Iceland to top score the match. 

GROUP 5

Belgium vs Croatia 22:34 (8:16)

With several players missing due to injury, 2025 IHF World Championship silver medallists Croatia still had no problem adding another win to their perfect record. In an atmospheric clash in Belgium, Croatia established the lead from the outset and had a comfortable advantage at the break, which they increased as the second half progressed. Both teams rotated their line-ups extensively, but the clearest individual standout was Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Kuzmanovic, who recorded a save rate of 42.86 per cent. Kuzmanovic had great help from his teammates, as the flow of goals was low, and he only needed six saves to record the impressive ratio. Croatia wing Mario Sostaric, who is among the leading scorers of the qualifiers, added five goals to his tally and now has a total of 32 in five games.

Luxembourg vs Czechia 22:35 (8:19)

Czechia could see the vital two points at the end of the tunnel quite clearly when they went to the half-time break, as they had already passed a 10-goal lead. Although they took six minutes to score their first goal, Luxembourg had a good start — they had allowed two against them at that point, then netted three in a row to turn the match on its head, 3:2 in the eighth. But Luxembourg could not extend the challenge past the 15^th minute. After the home side’s last goal at 5:6 in the 14^th, Czechia recorded a 6:0 run to establish a dominant advantage and set themselves on course for victory. Following a slow start in goal, Jan Hrdlicka ended the first half with seven saves at a rate of 46.67 per cent for Czechia. Šimon Mizera came into the visitors’ goal for the second period and added six saves, while their attack ran rampant and continued increasing their lead to the final whistle. 

GROUP 7                            

Türkiye vs Austria 29:34 (14:19)

Fighting to keep the dream of their first EHF EURO participation alive, Türkiye had a strong start, outscoring Austria 5:1 in the opening minutes — but Austria netted four unanswered goals to draw level just three minutes later. And then the match was on, at least for a short period, as the scoring race stayed one-for-one until the last 10 minutes of the first half when Austria started to pull clear. The heroics of Türkiye back Doruk Pehlivan, who netted half of the goals scored by his team in the first period and 12 overall, were not enough to match Austria’s level on the day. After Constantin Möstl started in goal and went to the bench with one save from 22 shots, Florian Kaiper came in and emphatically showed Türkiye’s attack would not be enough, making seven saves at a rate of 46.67. In the second half, the closest the home side could come was four goals, latest in the 43^rd minute.

Switzerland vs Germany 32:32 (14:11)

The match saw two of the top-ranked goalkeepers in the qualifiers coming face to face, and they delivered an entertaining battle in the first half — but Nikola Portner came out on top of his counterpart Andreas Wolff in the early minutes and was crucial in Switzerland grabbing the upper hand. Germany started with All-star Team centre back of the EHF EURO 2024 and 2024 Olympic Games Juri Knorr on the bench. He came on around the 10-minute mark and helped bring the visitors into the game. But after Germany came within one at 5:4 in the 15^th minute, Switzerland did not allow that again. Multiple times, Germany closed the gap to two, but more often Switzerland had a comfortable edge. Both keepers were replaced as their saves slowed and the volume of goals increased as the clock ticked on, always with the home side in front. In a thrilling finish, Knorr brought Germany within one inside the last two minutes, and it was Knorr again who netted the penalty that secured the draw and his side’s qualification.