When is the European Handball Men's Championships 2026?
The tournament runs from Thursday, 15 January to Sunday, 1 February
Where is the European Handball Men's Championships 2026 being played?
The men's Euros are hosted by Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The tournament will be played across four venues in four cities: one in Denmark (Herning, Groups A and B), one in Norway (Oslo/Bærum, Groups C and D), and two in Sweden (Malmö and Kristianstad, Groups E and F)
Veunues:
Herning: Jyske Bank Boxen (Capacity: 15,000)
Jyske Bank Boxen at MCH has a capacity of 15,000 spectators for handball. With an impressive 28,000 square metres, it is designed to host a huge variety of events such as sports, concerts, shows, and entertainment with world-class service and VIP facilities. Jyske Bank Boxen hosted international handball championships in 2010, 2014, 2015, 2019, and 2020.
Malmo: Malmo Arena (Capacity: 15,000)
The Malmo Arena was built in 2008. The venue has experience in hosting handball tournaments, previously hosting two World Men's Handball Championships in 2011 and 2023. In addition to handball, the arena has hosted the Eurovision Song Contest twice in 2013 and 2024, as well as the 2024 Men's World Floorball Championships.
Oslo: The Unity Arena (Capacity: 9,000)
The Unity Arena in Bærum will host Norway's games for the tournament. It has recently organised the 2025 World Men's Handball Championship as the main host. Outside of sport, it hosted Eurovision in 2010 and various concerts.
Kristianstad: Kristianstad Arena (Capacity: 4,500)
Kristianstad Arena is a multi-purpose arena with seating for 4,500 spectators in the handball setup, two restaurants, five fast food areas, six VIP lounges, a conference centre, and a media centre. The arena is located 1.5 kilometres from the train station and 500 metres from the nearest bus station. From Kristianstad airport, it's approximately 15 kilometres to the arena.
European Handball Men's Championships 2026: Groups and format
The 24 teams were drawn into six groups of four sides with the top two teams going through to the main round.
Group A: Germany, Spain, Austria, Serbia (Herning)
Group B: Denmark, Portugal, Romania, North Macedonia(Herning)
Group C: France, Norway, Ukraine, Czech Republic (Oslo)
Group D: Slovenia, Faroe Islands, Montenegro, Switzerland (Oslo)
Group E: Sweden, Croatia, Netherlands, Georgia (Malmö)
Group F: Hungary, Iceland, Poland, Italy (Kristianstad)
European Handball Men's Championships 2026 Schedule
Here's a basic schedule when the action is set to happen. You can find a detailed schedule on the official tournament site here.
Preliminary Round
15-21 January
Main Round
22-28 January
Semi-finals
30 January
Final
1 February