The 2026 European Men’s Handball Championship begins this week across Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, with twenty-four nations vying for the title. Germany enters the tournament following a successful pre-championship run and will face Serbia today in a key opening match broadcast live on ARD. This article provides a comprehensive look at the tournament schedule, group matchups, and the German national team roster as they pursue a championship berth.
The 2026 European Men’s Handball Championship is set to begin January 15th in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. Twenty-four national teams will compete for a spot in the championship final, scheduled for February 1st in Herning, Denmark.
Germany continues its tournament run today with a crucial matchup against Serbia at 8:30 PM local time. Fans in Germany can catch all the action live on ARD television.
You can find the complete Handball-EM 2026 schedule and game times here, along with up-to-date standings and live game trackers.
Groups for the 2026 Handball-EM
Table of Contents
The preliminary round of the European Championship consists of six groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group will advance to the main round.
- Group A in Herning: Germany, Spain, Austria, Serbia
- Group B in Herning: Denmark, Portugal, North Macedonia, Romania
- Group C in Oslo: France, Norway, Czech Republic, Ukraine
- Group D in Oslo: Slovenia, Faroe Islands, Montenegro, Switzerland
- Group E in Malmö: Sweden, Croatia, Netherlands, Georgia
- Group F in Kristianstad: Hungary, Iceland, Poland, Italy
Germany at the Handball-EM 2026
Germany kicked off their campaign with a win, defeating Austria 30-27 in their opening match. Captain Johannes Golla led the scoring for Germany with seven goals. Next up, Germany faces Serbia, followed by a challenging match against two-time European champions Spain.
- January 15, 2026, 8:30 PM: Germany – Austria 30:27
- January 17, 2026, 8:30 PM: Serbia – Germany (ARD)
- January 19, 2026, 8:30 PM: Germany – Spain (ZDF)
Tournament Schedule
Germany’s National Team Roster
18 players have been named to the German national team roster for the 2026 Handball-EM, led by captain Johannes Golla. Andreas Wolff has the most caps with 185, followed by Jannik Kohlbacher. The team also includes six players who were part of the 2023 U21 World Championship-winning squad. The full DHB roster (as of December 19):
- Goalkeepers: David Späth (23 years old, Rhein-Neckar Löwen, 44 caps, 3 goals), Andreas Wolff (34, THW Kiel, 185, 15)
- Left Wingers: Rune Dahmke (32, THW Kiel, 94, 137), Lukas Mertens (29, SC Magdeburg, 68, 151)
- Left Backs: Marko Grgic (22, SG Flensburg-Handewitt, 29, 88), Tom Kiesler (24, VfL Gummersbach, 2, 0), Julian Köster (25, VfL Gummersbach, 73, 192), Matthes Langhoff (23, Füchse Berlin, 1, 1), Miro Schluroff (25, VfL Gummersbach, 6, 17)
- Center Backs: Juri Knorr (25, Aalborg Handbold, 81, 311), Nils Lichtlein (23, Füchse Berlin, 29, 32)
- Right Backs: Franz Semper (28, SC DHfK Leipzig, 28, 59), Renars Uscins (23, TSV Hannover-Burgdorf, 43, 172)
- Right Wingers: Mathis Häseler (23, VfL Gummersbach, 4, 7), Lukas Zerbe (29, THW Kiel, 45, 98)
- Line Players: Justus Fischer (22, TSV Hannover-Burgdorf, 32, 40), Johannes Golla (28, SG Flensburg-Handewitt, 106, 370), Jannik Kohlbacher (30, Rhein-Neckar Löwen, 125, 239)
