Live blog: Malmö joins the action on super EHF EURO Saturday

• day 3 of the Men's EHF EURO 2026 preliminary round
• at 18:00 CET, Austria vs Spain, Ukraine vs France, Croatia vs Georgia
• at 20:30 CET, Serbia vs Germany, Czechia vs Norway, Sweden vs Netherlands
• read the day preview
• find out how to follow the men's EHF EURO online, on TV and on social media
• vote for the Player of the Match on the Home of Handball app, 15 minutes before each game's final whistle

Saturday 17 January

14:15

Georgia open their EHF EURO 2026 tonight against Croatia, in what will be a challenging match for a side with just three matches' worth of European championship experience. Two years ago in Mannheim, in their final preliminary round match, Georgia took on Bosnia and Herzegovina. In a tight game, with the score only 9:9 at half-time, goalkeeper Zurab Tsintsadze shone. Not only did he rack up seven saves, but he also made a fantastic dash with the ball and almost scored, before surrendering the ball to a teammate to score. 

EHF journalist Danijela Vekić caught up with Tsintsadze and his teammates before the start of their tournament: it's a great read!

13:45

As well as the top five saves, check out yesterday's top five goals. There were lots of them - including 81 between Slovenia and Montenegro - and the selection has everything, from long-range efforts beating the defence, to clever wing shots, and the last one is simply magical. Watch to see who scored it!

13:30

It has not yet been a vintage tournament for the goalkeepers, with several really high-scoring games and fast-paced attacks making the shot-stoppers' lives tricky. However, Hungary's Kristóf Palasics became the first goalkeeper to receive the Grundfos Player of the Match award last night with an impressive save efficiency of almost 40 per cent. Switzerland's Nikola Portner also made 13 saves, while Andreas Wolff (Germany) and Emil Nielsen (Denmark) were reliably effective too in their first games. 

So we still have some excellent saves to share with you in the top 5 saves of day 2!

13:00

Germany are staying in Silkeborg, and on yesterday's rest day they organised a fan day for the many German fans who have travelled to Denmark to support their team. The day included a talk with retired German players Sven-Sören Christophersen and Oliver Roggisch, as well as current women's national team member Katharina Filter. There was also a meet-and-greet session as well as other activities. It was really well-attended and everyone seemed to have a great time - we're sure the fans will bring the same energy to the Jyske Bank Boxen this evening!

12:30

Check out our preview of the evening's games. Some fun facts: 

• Austria are looking for only their 10th ever EHF EURO win
• Germany have never lost an official match against Serbia, and France have never lost at the EHF EURO against Ukraine
• Sander Sagosen (assuming he plays) will become the Norwegian player with the most EHF EURO games today
• Georgia's Giorgi Tskhovrebadze plays for HC Zagreb in Croatia, so will know today's opponents well
• Sweden beat the Netherlands 29:28 when they met in group E at the EHF EURO 2024 - will the result be the same tonight?

12:00

It's the weekend! And that means we're expecting plenty of fans later on in Herning, Oslo and Malmö for today's games.

Group E in Malmö play their first matches. World silver medallists Croatia open their campaign against Georgia, who are in their second EHF EURO ever, and the second in a row. Then co-hosts Sweden start against the Netherlands: a clash which promises to be one of the most exciting of the day.

Over in Herning, it's an important day for the teams in group A. Austria and Serbia lost close games on Thursday against Germany and Spain respectively, and know that defeat today could end their chances of progression. But there wasn't much in either game on Thursday, so another two tight matches are definitely on the cards. 

In Oslo, France and Norway both secured big wins in round 1, against Czechia and Ukraine. If both win again tonight, the main round beckons.

But let's start with a look back to last night, when the Faroe Islands and Switzerland drew in a thriller, and Slovenia and Montenegro broke the record for the most goals scored in a Men's EHF EURO match. Watch (or listen) to 'The Spin' for their analysis!