This article describes the qualification process for the 2028 European Men's Handball Championship and EHF Euro Cup. [1]
Prior to the qualification, four teams were automatically qualified:
The remaining eligible teams contest a qualification tournament to determine the teams securing the remaining 20 places in the final tournament. The qualification tournament consists of three rounds: qualification phase 1, promotion round, and qualification phase 2.
Since only four teams participate in this round, no draw was needed.
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 92 | 67 | +25 | 5 | Promotion round |
2 | ![]() | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 91 | 67 | +24 | 4 | |
3 | ![]() | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 78 | 62 | +16 | 3 | |
4 | ![]() | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 45 | 110 | −65 | 0 |
All times are local (UTC+2).
10 January 2025 15:00 | Great Britain ![]() | 37–14 | ![]() | Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna Attendance: 50 Referees: Bujupi, Bujupi (KOS) |
Pereira 6 | (18–7) | three players 2 | ||
3×![]() | Report | 1×![]() ![]() |
10 January 2025 17:30 | Cyprus ![]() | 22–21 | ![]() | Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna Attendance: 600 Referees: Pirvu, Potirniche (ROU) |
Karkalatos 6 | (9–11) | three players 5 | ||
1×![]() ![]() | Report | 5×![]() |
11 January 2025 15:00 | Cyprus ![]() | 26–28 | ![]() | Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna Attendance: 150 Referees: Pirvu, Potirniche (ROU) |
Argyrou 6 | (11–15) | Hirel 6 | ||
2×![]() ![]() | Report | 1×![]() ![]() ![]() |
11 January 2025 17:30 | Bulgaria ![]() | 30–13 | ![]() | Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna Attendance: 1,000 Referees: Bujupi, Bujupi (KOS) |
Yorgov 9 | (13–5) | Harrison 4 | ||
2×![]() | Report |
12 January 2025 13:00 | Malta ![]() | 18–43 | ![]() | Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna Attendance: 200 Referees: Bujupi, Bujupi (KOS) |
Harrison, Spiteri 4 | (8–18) | Karkalatos 11 | ||
5×![]() | Report | 3×![]() |
12 January 2025 15:30 | Bulgaria ![]() | 27–27 | ![]() | Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna Attendance: 2,500 Referees: Pirvu, Potirniche (ROU) |
Dimitrov 6 | (11–13) | Pereira, Yonish 6 | ||
1×![]() ![]() | Report | 8×![]() |
Six teams participate in this round: the first and seconde of the Phase 1, the three of the lowest-ranked fourth-ranked teams in the 2026 European Men's Handball Championship qualification and the best European team of the 2025 IHF Emerging Nations Championship. It will be held between 6 and 12 January 2026. [2] The draw took place on 26 June 2025. [3] [4]
Qualification method | Team(s) |
---|---|
First and seconde of Qualification Phase 1 | ![]() ![]() |
Three of the lowest-ranked fourth-ranked teams in the Men's EHF EURO 2026 Qualifiers | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Best European team at the 2025 IHF Emerging Nations Championship | ![]() |
The seeding was announced on 24 June 2025. [3]
Pot 1 | Pot 2 |
---|---|
![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bulgaria ![]() | – | ![]() | 7–8 Jan | 10–11 Jan |
Cyprus ![]() | – | ![]() | 7–8 Jan | 10–11 Jan |
Great Britain ![]() | – | ![]() | 7–8 Jan | 10–11 Jan |
7–8 January 2026 | Bulgaria ![]() | v | ![]() | |
Report | ||||
10–11 January 2026 | Turkey ![]() | v | ![]() | |
Report | ||||
7–8 January 2026 | Cyprus ![]() | v | ![]() | |
Report | ||||
10–11 January 2026 | Estonia ![]() | v | ![]() | |
Report | ||||
7–8 January 2026 | Great Britain ![]() | v | ![]() | |
Report | ||||
10–11 January 2026 | Latvia ![]() | v | ![]() | |
Report | ||||
Like in previous cycles, 32 teams will be divided into eight groups of four, to be played as round-robin tournaments. The eight group winners and runners-up qualify for the final tournament, together with the four best third-placed teams, which will be determined taking into account only results against top two teams in each group. It will be played between November 2026 and May 2027.
Country | Qualified as | Date qualification was secured | Previous appearances in tournament |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | Co-hosts | 20 November 2021 | 8 ( 1994 , 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2020, 2022, 2024) |
![]() | 16 (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018 , 2020 , 2022, 2024) | ||
![]() | 5 (2002, 2004, 2006 , 2020, 2024) |
Note: Bold indicates champion for that year. Italic indicates host for that year.