The 2026 European Handball Championship starts the tournament with six preliminary round groups with four teams each. The two best teams in each group move into the main round of the European Handball Championship. There are two groups with six teams each: One consists of the qualified teams from groups A to C and the other consists of the qualified teams from groups D to F.
Each team that survives the preliminary round of the European Handball Championship takes the number of points it earned against the other qualified team from its preliminary round group into the main round. Another direct duel in the main round is also not possible at the 2026 European Handball Championship. In the main round, each team has four games against the four qualified teams from the other two preliminary round groups.
The best two teams from each main round group advance to the semi-finals of the European Handball Championship, while the two third-placed teams play for fifth place. The winners of the two semi-finals will play in the final for the title, the losers in a small final for third place at the 2026 European Handball Championship.
Group A: Germany, Spain, Austria, Serbia
Group B: Denmark, Portugal, North Macedonia, Romania
Group C: France, Norway, Czech Republic, Ukraine
Group D: Slovenia, Faroe Islands, Montenegro, Switzerland
Group E: Sweden, Croatia, Netherlands, Georgia
Group F: Hungary, Iceland, Poland, Italy
In order to watch the entire European Handball Championship live, you need a paid subscription to the streaming service Dyn, which has secured the rights. But there is good news for the German fans. Because the DHB team’s games at the 2026 European Handball Championships will be shown on free TV. You can read here how you can follow the team’s games at the European Handball Championships without a subscription.
At the 2026 European Handball Championships, the star line-up from Denmark will once again be above all else. The team around the two-time world handball player Mathias Gidsel from Bundesliga club Füchse Berlin is the current world champion and Olympic champion. At the 2025 World Cup they even secured their fourth title in a row. But there is also a bit of hope for the upcoming European Handball Championships.