EHF Excellence Awards 2026 nominees released; voting starts on 17 June
MEDIA RELEASE: The European Handball Federation has released female and male nominees for the 2026 edition of the EHF Excellence Awards, the annual recognition spotlighting the best players of the season. The fan vote for the ‘Team of the Season’ will open on Wednesday, 17 June at noon (12:00 CEST).
The nominees in both categories include the seven playing positions and the best defender, with six players nominated for each position. The vote will open on Wednesday, 17 June at noon (12:00 CEST) in the Home of Handball app and will finish on Sunday, 21 June at 23:59 CEST. Separate voting for women’s and men’s teams will be available in the app.
On the women’s side, 16 countries are represented among the nominees: France top the list with the most nominees (10), followed by Norway (six) and Denmark (six). On the men’s side, 15 countries are represented: Denmark sits in first place with the number of nominations (nine), with France slightly behind (eight).
All nominations are based on the national team and European club competitions' performances in the 2025/26 season and have been confirmed by the EHF Expert Group, consisting of the EHF Hall of Fame member Vid Kavticnik, EHF Expert and handball coach Bent Dahl, as well as two EHF representatives.
The female and male ‘Team of the Season 2026’ will be based on the voting of four stakeholder groups: fans, players, coaches and media, each accounting for 25 per cent of the vote. The announcement of the Team of the Season will follow on Tuesday and Wednesday, 23 and 24 June, both at noon, with the MVPs announced at the draw ceremony for the EHF Champions League group phase on 26 June.
FEMALE NOMINEES
LEFT WING
Chloé Valentini (FRA, Metz Handball)
Nina Dury (FRA, JDA Bourgogne Dijon Handball)
Camilla Herrem (NOR, Sola HK)
Emma Friis (DEN, CSM Bucuresti)
Andrea Šimara (CRO, HC Podravka)
Elma Halilcevic (DEN, Odense Håndbold)
LEFT BACK
Thale Rushfeldt Deila (NOR, Odense Håndbold)
Johanna Reichert (AUT, Thüringer HC)
Emily Vogel (GER, FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria)
Danila So Delgado (ESP, Gloria Bistrita)
Bruna de Paula (BRA, Györi Audi ETO KC)
Annika Lott (GER, Brest Bretagne Handball)
CENTRE BACK
Henny Reistad (NOR, Team Esbjerg)
Elizabeth Omoregie (SLO, CSM Bucuresti)
Kristina Jørgensen (DEN, Györi Audi ETO KC)
Clarisse Mairot (FRA, Brest Bretagne Handball)
Léna Grandveau (FRA, Metz Handball)
Daria Dmitrieva (RUS, FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria)
RIGHT BACK
Stine Skogrand (NOR, Ikast Håndbold)
Dione Housheer (NED, Györi Audi ETO KC)
Anna Vyakhireva (RUS, Brest Bretagne Handball)
Valeriia Maslova (RUS, CSM Bucuresti)
Adriana Holejova (SVK, JDA Bourgogne Dijon Handball)
Viola Leuchter (GER, Odense Håndbold)
RIGHT WING
Angela Malestein (NED, FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria)
Trine Østergaard (DEN, CSM Bucuresti)
Lucie Granier (FRA, Metz Handball)
Alicia Toublanc (FRA, DVSC Schaeffler)
Emilie Hovden (NOR, Györi Audi ETO KC)
Nathalie Hagman (SWE, Györi Audi ETO KC)
LINE PLAYER
Sarah Bouktit (FRA, Metz Handball)
Onacia Ondono (FRA, Brest Bretagne Handball)
Lysa Tchaptchet (ESP, Odense Håndbold)
Petra Tóvizi (HUN, DVSC Schaeffler)
Lorena Ostase (ROU, Gloria Bistrita)
Tatjana Brnovic (MNE, CSM Bucuresti)
GOALKEEPER
Johanna Bundsen (SWE, Metz Handball)
Evelina Eriksson (SWE, CSM Bucuresti)
Anna Kristensen (DEN, Team Esbjerg)
Hatadou Sako (FRA, Györi Audi ETO KC)
Sarah Wachter (GER, BV Borussia Dortmund)
Renata de Arruda (BRA, Gloria Bistrita)
DEFENDER
Maren Aardahl (NOR, Odense Håndbold)
Tatjana Brnovic (MNE, CSM Bucuresti)
Djurdjina Jaukovic (MNE, CSM Bucuresti)
Kelly Dulfer (NED, Györi Audi ETO KC)
Sarah Bouktit (FRA, Metz Handball)
Line Haugsted (DEN, Team Esbjerg)
MALE NOMINEES
LEFT WING
August Pedersen (NOR, TSV Hannover-Burgdorf)
Hugo Descat (FRA, One Veszprém HC)
Orri Freyr Þorkelsson (ISL, Sporting Clube de Portugal)
David Mandić (CRO, MT Melsungen)
Ian Barrufet (ESP, Barça)
Tim Freihöfer (GER, Füchse Berlin)
LEFT BACK
Simon Pytlick (DEN, SG Flensburg-Handewitt)
Elohim Prandi (FRA, Paris Saint-Germain Handball)
Lasse Andersson (DEN, Füchse Berlin)
Thibaud Briet (FRA, HBC Nantes)
Martim Costa (POR, Sporting Clube de Portugal)
Timothey N'guessan (FRA, Barça)
CENTRE BACK
Gísli Kristjánsson (ISL, SC Magdeburg)
Juri Knorr (GER, Aalborg Håndbold)
Thomas Arnoldsen (DEN, Aalborg Håndbold)
Felix Claar (SWE, SC Magdeburg)
Domen Makuc (SLO, Barça)
Aymeric Minne (FRA, HBC Nantes)
RIGHT BACK
Mathias Gidsel (DEN, Füchse Berlin)
Francisco Costa (POR, Sporting Clube de Portugal)
Ómar Ingi Magnússon (ISL, SC Magdeburg)
Blaž Janc (SLO, Barça)
Melvyn Richardson (FRA, Orlen Wisla Plock)
Mads Hoxer (DEN, Aalborg Håndbold)
RIGHT WING
Aleix Gómez (ESP, Barça)
Lukas Zerbe (GER, THW Kiel)
Bence Imre (HUN, THW Kiel)
Mario Šoštarić (CRO, OTP Bank - PICK Szeged)
Kristian Bjørnsen (NOR, Aalborg Håndbold)
Hákun av Teigum (FAR, Füchse Berlin)
LINE PLAYER
Johannes Golla (GER, SG Flensburg-Handewitt)
Luís Frade (POR, Barça)
Magnus Saugstrup (DEN, SC Magdeburg)
Bence Bánhidi (HUN, OTP Bank - PICK Szeged)
Felix Möller (SWE, Aalborg Håndbold)
Kamil Syprzak (POL, Paris Saint-Germain Handball)
GOALKEEPER
Emil Nielsen (DEN, Barça)
Andreas Wolff (GER, THW Kiel)
Niklas Landin (DEN, Aalborg Håndbold)
Nebojsa Simić (MNE, MT Melsungen)
Dejan Milosavljev (SRB, Füchse Berlin)
Kevin Møller (DEN, SG Flensburg-Handewitt)
DEFENDER
Karl Konan (FRA, Paris Saint-Germain Handball)
Adrián Sipos (HUN, MT Melsungen)
Borut Mačkovšek (SLO, OTP Bank - PICK Szeged)
Ludovic Fabregas (FRA, Barça)
Salvador Salvador (POR, Sporting Clube de Portugal)
Mijajlo Marsenić (SRB, Füchse Berlin)
