Bids
On 11 May 2021 it was announced that the following nations sent in an official expression of interest: [7]
On 20 October the final bids were presented. The Scandinavian bid was withdrawn, leaving Russia unopposed. [8] [9]
Russia
In September 2020, Russian federation president, Sergey Shishkarev, said he was discussing the bid with the European Handball Federation. [10] In October 2020, Russia's name was on list of interested nations in the tournament. [11] [12]
When the deadline for official bids ended, Russia was on the list, under the slogan We Can. [13] [14] However, they made numerous changes to their bid compared to 2024, as Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar and Astrakhan were all axed from the bid. In an interview with the development director of the Russian Handball Federation, Olga Bugaenko, she confirmed that all three were taken out to reduce the number of cities involved and that it is much easier for foreign fans to travel to Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Specifically on Rostov-on-Don, Bugaenko said the uncertainty surrounding their arena was the main reason for leaving the city out. [15]
The main round groups would be held in the Sibur Arena and VTB Arena, with the final weekend in Moscow at the VTB Arena. The Irina Viner-Usmanova Gymnastics Palace in Moscow was the only arena that did not meet the EHF's requirements and thus was axed. [16]
These were the proposed venues in Russia's bid:
| Moscow | Saint Petersburg | Saint Petersburg |
| VTB Arena Capacity: 12,000 | Yubileyny Sports Palace Capacity: 6,500 | Sibur Arena Capacity: 6,000 |
 |  |  |
Venue which was originally included, but taken out:
- Moscow – Irina Viner-Usmanova Gymnastics Palace, capacity 3,500
Withdrawn bids
Denmark, Norway and Sweden
Having first stating an interest as two separate bids (Denmark and Norway and a Swedish solo bid) the Scandinavians decided to all bid for an EHF Euro together for the first time ever for EHF Euro, under the slogan Scandinavia Connect. Their bids' aim is to use innovation and modern-day technologies to help Handball have a bright future. [17] [18]
The Swedish Handball Federation president, Frederik Rapp, stated “the commitment to finding sustainable solutions across all industries and areas of life is very clear in all of Scandinavia. To connect the Scandinavian approach and experience in sustainability with European handball is so valuable. Finding more sustainable solutions for future events could be a real game-changer for the future of our sport”.
While the Danish counterpart, Per Bertelsen said “We believe we can build on the positive momentum we see in our sport. Together, we can deliver a world-class event that will be a true celebration for European handball”.
The main round would be held in Oslo or Trondheim in Norway and either Copenhagen or Herning in Denmark. [19] The final weekend would be in the Telenor Arena in Oslo, marking the first time Norway has hosted the final of the EHF Women's Euro (they were going to host the final in 2020, but withdrew altogether due to Covid-19). Every other venue would host preliminary round matches.
However, they withdrew their 2026 bid to focus on their 2028 application, and ended up winning the hosting rights for 2028 unopposed.
These are the following 9 venues included in the Scandinavian bid: [20] [21]
Denmark
- Herning – Jyske Bank Boxen, capacity 15,000
- Copenhagen – Royal Arena, capacity 13.000
- Aarhus – Ceres Arena, capacity 5,000
Norway
- Oslo – Telenor Arena, capacity 15,000
- Bergen – Byarena, capacity 12,000
- Trondheim – Trondheim Spektrum, capacity 9,000
- Stavanger – DNB Arena, capacity 5,000
Sweden
- Gothenburg – Scandinavium, capacity 10,000
- Helsingborg – Helsingborg Arena, capacity 5,000
Venue that was deemed not suitable for tournament and is no longer part of the bid: [16]
- Kolding – Sydbank Arena, capacity 5,100
Host selection
As only the Russian bid remained it was unanimously selected at the 14th EHF Extraordinary Congress on 20 November 2021. [22] [23] Sergey Shishkarev called the awarding of the hosting rights as a historic moment. [24] [25] [26]
Withdrawal
After the war in Ukraine started, the EHF said they would monitor the situation. But on 4 July 2023, the championships were taken away from Russia. [27] After the statement, Shishkarev said they would pursue future IHF World Women's Handball Championships and EHF Euros. [28]
