2027 World Men's Handball Championship – European qualification
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The European qualification for the 2027 World Men's Handball Championship was contested in two rounds between October 2025 and May 2026.[1] They joined the two already qualified teams: Germany and Denmark.
Format
In the first round of qualification, six teams were drawn in to knock-out ties. The winners advanced to the qualification phase 2.[2]
All times listed are CET/CEST.
Qualification phase 1
The draw took place on 26 June 2025.[2][3] The winners of each tie advanced to phase 2.
Seeding
The seeding was announced on 24 June 2025.[2]
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 |
|---|---|
 Turkey Luxembourg Kosovo |
 Latvia Cyprus Great Britain |
Overview
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Latvia |
62–53 | Luxembourg |
28–20 | 34–33 |
| Cyprus |
46–68 | Turkey |
27–33 | 19–35 |
| Great Britain |
56–67 | Kosovo |
26–32 | 30–35 |
Matches
| 1 November 2025 20:00 |
Latvia |
28–20 | Luxembourg |
d'Coque, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg Attendance: 773 Referees: Bozhinovski, Nachevski (MKD) |
| J. Valkovskis 9 | (13–9) | D. Etute 7 | ||
1× 3× |
Report | 3×
|
| 2 November 2025 18:30 |
Luxembourg |
33–34 | Latvia |
d'Coque, Luxembourg City Attendance: 813 Referees: Bozhinovski, Nachevski (MKD) |
| S. Etute 11 | (16–15) | Kušners 8 | ||
| 1× 4× |
Report | 5×
|
Latvia won 62–53 on aggregate.
| 29 October 2025 19:00 |
Cyprus |
27–33 | Turkey |
Eleftheria Indoor Hall, Nicosia Attendance: 680 Referees: Horváth, Marton (HUN) |
| Argyrou 9 | (14–16) | Pehlivan 7 | ||
| 1× 4× |
Report | 1× 6×
|
| 2 November 2025 14:00 |
Turkey |
35–19 | Cyprus |
Ahmet Aytar Spor Salonu, Elazığ Attendance: 2,200 Referees: Sirbu, Serdiuc (MDA) |
| Biçer 6 | (22–10) | Paraskeva 4 | ||
| 2× |
Report | 3×
|
Turkey won 68–46 on aggregate.
| 29 October 2025 18:00 |
Great Britain |
26–32 | Kosovo |
Derby Arena, Derby Attendance: 1,508 Referees: Čerņavskis, Bogdanovs (LAT) |
| Pereira 5 | (11–15) | Gegaj 9 | ||
| 1× 3× |
Report | 1× 3×
|
| 2 November 2025 17:15 |
Kosovo |
35–30 | Great Britain |
Palace of Youth and Sports, Pristina Attendance: 1,000 Referees: Leszczyński, Piechota (POL) |
| Tahirukaj 7 | (17–13) | Pereira 6 | ||
| 4× |
Report | 3× 1×
|
Kosovo won 67–56 on aggregate.
Qualification phase 2
The three winners from phase 1 and 13 other countries played in March 2026 for qualification for phase 3.[4] The draw took place on 6 November 2025.[5][6] The winners of each tie advanced to phase 3.
Seeding
The seeding was announced on 5 November 2025.[5]
Overview
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bosnia and Herzegovina  |
63–54 | Kosovo |
34–21 | 29–33 |
Georgia  |
59–60 |  Israel |
29–32 | 30–28 |
Ukraine  |
56–58 |  Slovakia |
24–27 | 32–31 |
Serbia  |
75–49 |  Lithuania |
42–25 | 33–24 |
| Latvia |
49–66 |  Poland |
24–33 | 25–33 |
| Turkey |
69–68 |  Romania |
32–37 | 37–31 |
Greece  |
63–57 |  Belgium |
29–26 | 34–31 |
Finland  |
58–66 |  Montenegro |
32–36 | 26–30 |
Matches
| 19 March 2026 20:00 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina |
34–21 | Kosovo |
KSPC Mejdan, Tuzla Attendance: 1,400 Referees: Bíró, Kiss (HUN) |
| Grgić 8 | (15–13) | Tahirukaj 6 | ||
| 1× 3× |
Report | 1×
|
| 22 March 2026 17:00 |
Kosovo |
33–29 | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Palace of Youth and Sports, Pristina Attendance: 1,035 Referees: Gasmi, Gasmi (FRA) |
| Ramosaj 7 | (17–15) | Grgić, Šahinović 6 | ||
| 1× 5× |
Report | 5×
|
Bosnia and Herzegovina won 63–54 on aggregate.
| 19 March 2026 15:00 |
Georgia |
29–32 | Israel |
Telavi Handball Arena, Telavi Attendance: 1,050 Referees: Fabryczny, Rawicki (POL) |
| Tskhovrebadze 12 | (16–15) | Nizri 8 | ||
| 1× 3× |
Report | 1× 5×
|
| 21 March 2026 15:00 |
Israel |
28–30 | Georgia |
Telavi Handball Arena, Telavi, Georgia[note 1] Attendance: 950 Referees: Fabryczny, Rawicki (POL) |
| Dayan 7 | (13–12) | Tskhovrebadze 8 | ||
| 4× |
Report | 1× 5×
|
Israel won 60–59 on aggregate.
| 18 March 2026 19:30 |
Ukraine |
24–27 | Slovakia |
Weststadthalle, Bensheim, Germany[note 2] Attendance: 688 Referees: Schulze, Tönnies (GER) |
| Turchenko 11 | (11–16) | Briatka 7 | ||
| 3× |
Report | 5×
|
| 22 March 2026 13:00 |
Slovakia |
31–32 | Ukraine |
Športová Hala MŠK Považská Bystrica, Považská Bystrica Attendance: 1,500 Referees: Pavićević, Ražnatović (MNE) |
| Briatka 8 | (15–20) | Turchenko 8 | ||
| 4× |
Report | 1× 4×
|
Slovakia won 58–56 on aggregate.
| 19 March 2026 18:00 |
Serbia |
42–25 | Lithuania |
Čair Sports Center, Niš Attendance: 4,800 Referees: Pîrvu, Potîrniche (ROU) |
| Pechmalbec 10 | (21–12) | Dumčius, Urvikis 5 | ||
| 3× |
Report | 2×
|
| 22 March 2026 14:10 |
Lithuania |
24–33 | Serbia |
Utena Arena, Utena Attendance: 1,200 Referees: Kull, Tint (EST) |
| Urvikis 6 | (10–15) | Ðukić 7 | ||
| 1× 3× |
Report | 1×
|
Serbia won 75–49 on aggregate.
| 19 March 2026 18:40 |
Latvia |
24–33 | Poland |
Zemgale Olympic Center, Jelgava Attendance: 890 Referees: Lončar, Lončar (CRO) |
| Valkovskis 6 | (12–17) | Czapliński 10 | ||
| 4× |
Report | 1× 6×
|
| 22 March 2026 15:00 |
Poland |
33–25 | Latvia |
Arena Ostrów, Ostrów Wielkopolski Attendance: 2,152 Referees: Jović, Arnautović (BIH) |
| Czapliński, Tomczak 6 | (15–18) | Kalniņš 7 | ||
| 9× |
Report | 4×
|
Poland won 66–49 on aggregate.
| 19 March 2026 14:00 |
Turkey |
32–37 | Romania |
Karaçayır Kapalı Spor Salonu, Bolu Attendance: 2,500 Referees: Álvarez, Bustamante (ESP) |
| Pehlivan 8 | (15–19) | Buzle 8 | ||
| 2× |
Report | 5×
|
| 22 March 2026 18:00 |
Romania |
31–37 | Turkey |
Romeo Iamandi Sports Hall, Buzău Attendance: 2,000 Referees: Hansen, Madsen (DEN) |
| Radu, Rață 5 | (16–21) | Pehlivan, Yıldız 10 | ||
| 1× |
Report | 1× 1×
|
Turkey won 69–68 on aggregate.
| 18 March 2026 16:00 |
Greece |
29–26 | Belgium |
Tasos Kampouris Kanithou Indoor Hall, Chalcis Attendance: 1,000 Referees: Martins, Martins (POR) |
| Toskas 8 | (16–13) | Kotters 13 | ||
| 3× |
Report | 2×
|
| 21 March 2026 18:00 |
Belgium |
31–34 | Greece |
Sporthal Alverberg, Hasselt Attendance: 1,364 Referees: Marín, García (ESP) |
| three players 5 | (17–19) | Boskos, Toskas 7 | ||
| 1× 3× |
Report | 2× 3×
|
Greece won 63–57 on aggregate.
| 19 March 2026 17:30 |
Finland |
32–36 | Montenegro |
Energia Areena, Vantaa Attendance: 1,380 Referees: Elíasson, Pálsson (ISL) |
| Granlund 7 | (13–16) | Čepić, Vujović 8 | ||
| 1× 4× |
Report | 1× 3×
|
| 22 March 2026 18:00 |
Montenegro |
30–27 | Finland |
Bemax Arena, Podgorica Attendance: 2,100 Referees: Jørum, Kleven (NOR) |
| three players 5 | (16–13) | Helander, Henriksson 4 | ||
| 1× |
Report | 1×
|
Montenegro won 66–58 on aggregate.
Qualification phase 3
Phase 3 took place from 13 to 17 May 2026.[4] The draw took place on 31 January 2026.[7][8] Eight winners from Phase 2 and the remaining 12 teams from the 2026 European Men's Handball Championship joined.
Seeding
The seeding was announced on 30 January 2026.[9]
Overview
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slovakia |
47–69 |  North Macedonia |
24–31 | 23–38 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina |
50–57 |  Faroe Islands |
22–24 | 28–33 |
Czech Republic  |
57–73 |  France |
26–37 | 31–36 |
Switzerland  |
63–67 |  Italy |
32–29 | 31–38 |
| Greece |
67–60 |  Netherlands |
29–27 | 38–33 |
| Serbia |
61–60 |  Hungary |
31–29 | 30–31 |
Spain  |
68–56 | Israel |
32–27 | 36–29 |
| Montenegro |
57–60 |  Slovenia |
28–29 | 29–31 |
Norway  |
80–60 | Turkey |
43–30 | 37–30 |
Austria  |
55–56 | Poland |
25–26 | 30–30 |
Matches
| 14 May 2026 19:00 |
Slovakia |
24–31 | North Macedonia |
Tartan Handball Arena, Prešov Attendance: 3,024 Referees: Novykoy (UKR), Gatelis ( LTU) |
| Briatka, Macháč 4 | (13–18) | Kuzmanovski 10 | ||
| 1× 3× |
Report | 3×
|
| 17 May 2026 19:00 |
North Macedonia |
38–23 | Slovakia |
Boris Trajkovski Sports Center, Skopje Attendance: 6,000 Referees: Leszczyński, Piechota (POL) |
| Kuzmanovski 11 | (18–11) | Prokop 7 | ||
| 1× 1× |
Report | 1× 2×
|
North Macedonia won 69–47 on aggregate.
| 14 May 2026 20:00 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina |
22–24 | Faroe Islands |
KSPC Mejdan, Tuzla Attendance: 2,353 Referees: Bolic, Hurich (AUT) |
| Čolaković 7 | (10–12) | West Av Teigum 11 | ||
| 2× 1× |
Report | 2×
|
| 16 May 2026 20:00 |
Faroe Islands |
33–28 | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Við Tjarnir, Tórshavn Attendance: 3,000 Referees: Budzák, Záhradník (SVK) |
| West Av Teigum 11 | (15–17) | Šahinović 10 | ||
| 1× 4× |
Report | 1× 5×
|
Faroe Island won 57–50 on aggregate.
| 13 May 2026 20:00 |
Czech Republic |
26–37 | France |
Winning Group Arena, Brno Attendance: 4,047 Referees: Mitrevski, Todorovski (MKD) |
| Klíma, Piroch 5 | (14–20) | Briet 7 | ||
| 3× |
Report | 7×
|
| 17 May 2026 17:00 |
France |
36–31 | Czech Republic |
Arena Orléans, Orléans Attendance: 6,155 Referees: Cindrić, Gonzurek (CRO) |
| Richardson 5 | (21–13) | Josef, Piroch 6 | ||
| 3× |
Report | 1× 3×
|
France won 73–57 on aggregate.
| 14 May 2026 19:00 |
Switzerland |
32–29 | Italy |
Hallenstadion, Zurich Attendance: 4,850 Referees: Boričić, Marković (SRB) |
| Leopold 9 | (16–17) | Helmersson 8 | ||
| 1× 6× |
Report | 1× 3×
|
| 17 May 2026 18:00 |
Italy |
38–31 | Switzerland |
Pala Cattani, Faenza Attendance: 4,000 Referees: Lah, Sok (SLO) |
| Dapiran 12 | (20–12) | Leopold 7 | ||
| 2× |
Report | 1× 5×
|
Italy won 67–63 on aggregate.
| 13 May 2026 18:30 |
Greece |
29–27 | Netherlands |
Tasos Kampouris Kanithou Indoor Hall, Chalcis Attendance: 900 Referees: Peretz, Schwartz (ISR) |
| Panagiotou 7 | (14–12) | Nagtegaal 8 | ||
| 1× 3× 1× |
Report | 4×
|
| 17 May 2026 15:00 |
Netherlands |
33–38 | Greece |
Topsportcentrum, Rotterdam Attendance: 1,800 Referees: Vešović, Mitrović (MNE) |
| Nagtegaal 6 | (14–20) | Panagiotou 7 | ||
| 2× 6× |
Report | 3× 1×
|
Greece won 67–60 on aggregate.
| 14 May 2026 18:00 |
Serbia |
31–29 | Hungary |
Čair Sports Center, Niš Attendance: 5,200 Referees: Erdoğan, Özdeniz (TUR) |
| Pechmalbec 8 | (18–12) | Imre 7 | ||
| 3× |
Report | 2× 2×
|
| 17 May 2026 17:30 |
Hungary |
31–30 | Serbia |
Veszprém Aréna, Veszprém Referees: Elíasson, Pálsson (ISL) |
| Imre 6 | (17–17) | Ilić 9 | ||
| 1× 2× |
Report | 1× 4×
|
Serbia won 61–60 on aggregate.
| 15 May 2026 00:00 |
Spain |
32–27 | Israel |
La Casa del Handball Argentino, Buenos Aires, Argentina[note 3] Attendance: 850 Referees: Lemes, Sosa (URU) |
| Tarrafeta 5 | (18–12) | Dayan 6 | ||
| 5× |
Report | 4×
|
| 16 May 2026 20:30 |
Israel |
29–36 | Spain |
La Casa del Handball Argentino, Buenos Aires, Argentina[note 3] Attendance: 1,700 Referees: Lemes, Sosa (URU) |
| Nziri, Lumbroso 7 | (13–16) | Fernández 6 | ||
| 5× 1× |
Report | 5× 1×
|
Spain won 68–56 on aggregate.
| 14 May 2026 18:00 |
Montenegro |
28–29 | Slovenia |
Morača Sports Center, Podgorica Attendance: 4,500 Referees: Horváth, Marton (HUN) |
| Ćorsović 7 | (12–16) | Vlah 7 | ||
| 3× |
Report | 1× 2×
|
| 17 May 2026 17:00 |
Slovenia |
31–29 | Montenegro |
Arena Bonifika, Koper Attendance: 3,090 Referees: Barysas, Petrušis (LTU) |
| Vlah 8 | (17–14) | Bakić, Vujović 5 | ||
| 1× |
Report | 1× 4×
|
Slovenia won 60–57 on aggregate.
| 13 May 2026 18:00 |
Norway |
43–30 | Turkey |
Gjøvik Olympic Cavern Hall, Gjøvik Attendance: 3,650 Referees: Merz, Kuttler (GER) |
| Pedersen 10 | (23–20) | Yıldız 9 | ||
| 1× |
Report | 2×
|
| 16 May 2026 15:00 |
Turkey |
30–37 | Norway |
THF Sport Hall, Ankara Attendance: 1,850 Referees: Weijmans, Wolbertus (NED) |
| Yıldız 9 | (9–18) | Abelvik Rød 7 | ||
| 1× |
Report | 2×
|
Norway won 80–60 on aggregate.
| 13 May 2026 18:00 |
Austria |
25–26 | Poland |
Raiffeisen Sportpark, Graz Attendance: 2,786 Referees: Sekulić, Jovandić (SRB) |
| Bilyk 5 | (13–15) | Czapliński 8 | ||
| 1× 2× |
Report | 7×
|
| 17 May 2026 15:00 |
Poland |
30–30 | Austria |
Hala Urania, Olsztyn Attendance: 4,030 Referees: Thiyagarajah, Thiyagarajah (GER) |
| Jędraszczyk 7 | (13–17) | Herburger 7 | ||
| 2× |
Report | 1× 5×
|
Poland won 56–55 on aggregate.