Several meetings had taken place just prior to the EXEC session and the members took note of the minutes and reports, respectively included the information their decision-making processes.
These meetings included the EURO Delegation, the Finance Delegation, the EHF Marketing Advisory Board and the Sustainability Board, all four of them took place in Budapest at the beginning of June.
Additional reports at the disposal of the EHF Executive Committee included the legal report, the report of the EHF’s Anti-doping Unit, the event report as well as the latest minutes of International Handball Federation (IHF) Council.
New playing system for EHF Champions League Women
Following the adaptation of the playing systems for the EHF Champions League Men and the EHF European League Men earlier this year, the EXEC also confirmed changes to the women’s club competitions as of the 2027/28 season.
16 teams will continue to participate in the EHF Champions League, however, those will be divided into four groups of four teams instead of the current system of two groups with eight teams.
The first three teams of each group will advance to a main round of two groups with six teams. From there, the ‘top 4’ of each group will qualify for the quarter-finals, and the competition continue to culminate in the EHF FINAL4.
24 teams will compete in the EHF European League Women, divided into six groups of four, followed by knockout matches. For the Last 16 the two best teams of each group qualify and they are joined by four teams from the EHF Champions League group phase - the bottom-ranked of each group. No qualification rounds will be played.
In a mid-term perspective, the EHF strives to introduce the same system for the women’s club competitions as it will be in place for the men's as of next season, with 24 teams participating in the EHF Champions League.
The new women’s system is thus to be seen as the initiative to also strengthen the EHF European League for a further development of middle-ranked clubs.
National team and beach handball tournaments awarded
The EHF Executive Committee has awarded several major competitions to different organisers for the years to come.
For the Women’s EHF EURO 2030 (28 November to 15 December 2030), the EXEC confirmed the bid of France and Belgium. In France, the championship will be played in Dunkirk, Nantes and Paris. Antwerp is the host city in Belgium. The EXEC also confirmed that Switzerland – with Zug as host city – could be added to the bid at a later stage and after fulfilling all organisational conditions.
The Women’s EHF EURO 2030 will be the first women’s championship to be played with a new playing system including quarter-finals.
The men’s and women’s EHF Beach Handball EURO 2027 will be played in Druskininkai, Lithuania. The event will be preceded by the YAC EHF Beach Handball EURO in the same location. It is the first time that Lithuania hosts a major beach handball championship.
The tentative event dates are 30 June to 4 July for the YAC event and 6 to 11 July for the senior championships.
In the younger age category segment, the EXEC awarded the Men’s 20 EHF EURO 2028 to Slovenia and the Men’s 18 EHF EURO to North Macedonia. The events will be played in July and August 2028.
The 2027 European Masters Handball Championships for men and women (17 to 20 June 2027) were awarded to Malaga, Spain.
Furthermore, the EHF EXEC confirmed amendments to the venue concept of the Men’s EHF EURO 2028 (hosted by Spain, Portugal and Switzerland) and the Women’s EHF EURO 2028 (hosted by Norway, Denmark and Sweden).
In Spain, the Men’s EHF EURO 2028 will be played at the “Fonteta de San Lluis” arena in Valencia (preliminary and main round) and the Movistar Arena in Madrid (final weekend). The venues and host cities (Lisbon and Zürich) for the organisation in Portugal and Switzerland remain unchanged.
For the Women’s EHF EURO 2028, the venue concept for Norway has been adapted as planned construction work at the Unity Arena in Baerum makes it impossible to use the venue. The preliminary round in Norway will be played at the “Jordal Amfi” arena, followed by the main round and the final weekend at the “Spektrum” in Trondheim. The venue concept for Denmark and Sweden remains unchanged.
Nominations to election for European Handball Players Board confirmed
The Executive Committee followed up on the topic of players’ involvement in the EHF structure after the introduction of a European Handball Players Board (EHPB) had been confirmed by the EXEC in January.
The new board will consist of six members. Two male and two female persons are elected, two persons are nominated by the EXEC. The board will have a four-year mandate, mirroring the EHF election periods.
The National Federations have nominated the following players with the elections by the players taking place in due course.
Female nominees
- Sara Senvald (CRO)
- Kathrine Heindahl (DEN)
- Jennifer Maria Gutierrez Bermejo (ESP)
- Antje Döll (GER)
- Vilde Mortensen Ingstad (NOR)
- Andrea Lekic (SRB)
- Ana Gros (SLO)
- Lea Schüpbach (SUI)
Male nominees
- Filip Glavas (CRO)
- Rasmus Lauge Schmidt (DEN)
- Gonzalo Perez de Vargas Moreno (ESP)
- Nebojsa Simic (MNE)
- Blaz Janc (SLO)
- Samuel Zehnder (SUI)
Mandate given to sign Memoranda of Understanding
The EXEC has mandated the leadership of the European Handball Federation to sign Memoranda of Understanding with different stakeholder groups of European handball, such as the Forum Club Handball, the Women’s Forum Club Handball, the European Handball League Board and the European Handball Players Union.
All memoranda cover a period up to until 2036 to provide a sound and secure basis for the further development of handball and its assets. Topics included in the respective memoranda are among others, calendar coordination, release dates for national team players and the compensation for the release, representation in EHF and EHF Marketing bodies, cooperation in the field of players agents and other.
EHF Conference of Presidents & EHF Congress 2027 in Ljubljana
The EXEC approved the application of the Slovenian Handball Federation to host EHF Congress 2027. The event is scheduled to take place from 17 to 19 September 2027 in the country’s capital, Ljubljana.
Topics were also discussed for the EHF Conference of Presidents under the preliminary working title 'Perspectives of European handball'. The conference will be held at the final weekend of the Women's EHF EURO 2026 in Katowice.
Title confirmed for EHF Scientific Conference 2027
The EXEC confirmed the title of the next EHF Scientific Conference: “From science to the arena” and the subtitle “Transforming sport through applied science and a medical approach to create real impact”. The event will be held next year at the will University of Donja Gorica in Podgorica, Montenegro.
Expert list confirmed
The list of EHF Experts used in the areas of education and coaching has been approved by EXEC. It comprises a total of 127 experts and will come into effect as of 1 July. The formal approval was preceded by a harmonisation with the Expert List of the International Handball Federation.
Matters of the International Handball Federation
The EXEC discussed the latest IHF Council notes from May 2026. Earlier, in April 2026, a working meeting between the EHF and the IHF had taken place in Basel in order to further strengthen the cooperation between the two institutions. Major topics which are of core importance for European handball were discussed and a balance regarding the interest of the sport on an international level was being sought.
The EXEC further discussed the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee on the re-admission of athletes and teams from Belarus and the potential impact on international handball. The EXEC members stated that they are bound by the specifications in that matter from their respective governments and that the feasibility of such a process is therefore to be questioned. Thus, there was no corresponding decision taken by the EXEC.
Farewell to Vesna Lazic
The meeting concluded with some emotional moments as the Executive Committee bade farewell to the Vesna Lazic, the long-standing PA to the President at the European Handball Federation. After more than 25 years with the EHF, Vesna Lazic will enter her well-deserved retirement.
