Five more teams through; last-round showdown for remaining eight slots

• Spain became third team on Thursday to qualify — they have never missed a spot since first edition in 1994, while Italy will seek their first EURO breakthrough against Serbia in the last round; Serbia managed to secure an important win in their hunt for a place at the European Championship, but it was anything but easy, as Latvia kept pushing them until the final whistle
• Israel celebrated their first win in the Men's EHF EURO 2026 Qualifiers, defeating Poland to stay in the race for the spot at the final tournament; Portugal suffered first defeat in the qualifiers and pushed Romania to the second spot in Group 8 ahead of the decisive last round
• Georgia's historic first win against Greece secured their place at the Men's EHF EURO 2026 — marking their second appearance at the European championship after making debut in 2024 edition
• strong first half performance lift Montenegro past Finland to secure their seventh EHF EURO berth, despite Finnish late comeback
• North Macedonia secured second win against Estonia in the qualifiers, leaving everything open for the last round against Lithuania
• in a tough battle, the Faroe Islands held on for a win against Kosovo, securing their second EHF EURO berth; the Netherlands cruised past Ukraine and also clinched the EURO ticket 

GROUP 1

Estonia vs North Macedonia 17:36 (10:19)

North Macedonia grabbed an important win against Estonia, keeping their qualification hopes alive. From the outset, the Macedonians had the upper hand, racing to a six-goal lead within the first 15 minutes. They continued to build on it, reaching a double-digit advantage in the 24th minute when Pavle Atanasievikj scored his first, while Estonia struggled at both ends of the court.

Little changed in the second half — North Macedonia stayed firmly on course, maintaining a lead of over ten goals throughout. Nikola Mitrevski had a solid performance with seven saves at a 29 per cent efficiency, but Martin Tomovski shone even brighter, recording 13 saves at a remarkable 69 per cent. The pair were instrumental in supporting a clinical Macedonian attack — only Dener Jaanimaa managed to score more than three goals, as Estonia were handed their fifth consecutive defeat in the qualifiers.

GROUP 2

Finland vs Montenegro 28:33 (12:19)

Montenegro return from Vantaa, Finland with a Men's EHF EURO 2026 ticket in hand. Even without their usual goalkeepers — Nebojša Simić and Nikola Matović — Montenegro had strong support from Haris Suljević, whose four saves at 50 per cent efficiency helped the visitors build an early three-goal lead.

Finland relied heavily on Santeri Vainionpää, who remained their sole goalscorer in the opening ten minutes. However, Montenegro’s experience soon began to show — with a more composed attack and fewer errors, they surged to a 19:11 lead, which could have been even greater if not for some key stops from Joonas Klama in the Finnish goal. Montenegro appeared to ease off with an eight-goal cushion, allowing Finland to mount a brief comeback midway through the second half, closing the gap to 21:25 in the 40th minute. But while Finland tried to strike again, Suljević responded with several important saves, and Luka Radović alongside Branko Vujović sealed the crucial victory.

GROUP 3

Georgia vs Greece 29:26 (14:16)

Georgia are heading to the Men's EHF EURO 2026 following a thrilling clash with Greece. The hosts struggled early on, scoring their first goal only four minutes into the game, which allowed Greece to establish a 6:4 lead, largely thanks to Dimitrios Tziras.

However, Georgia refused to fade and gradually clawed their way back, levelling the score at 8:8. Although Greece occasionally pulled ahead, Georgia always found a reply — until the unfortunate injury of their captain, Teimuraz Orjonikidze, visibly disrupted their rhythm. Greece capitalised on the setback and went into the break with a two-goal cushion.

Everything changed in the second half, as Giorgi Arvelodi Dikhaminjia, Erekle Arsenashvili and goalkeeper David Nikabadze took control at a crucial moment. Georgia turned a 17:20 deficit into a 22:20 lead and held off Greece, who came close a few times in the closing minutes but never fully recovered.

Greece must now beat Bosnia and Herzegovina and hope to rank among the four best third-placed teams to keep their qualification hopes alive.

GROUP 4

Latvia vs Serbia 26:27 (8:12)

Both sides had a slow start to the game, but Serbia were the ones with the advantage, as goalkeeper Dejan Milosavljev made an incredible nine saves with a 53 per cent save efficiency in the first 30 minutes. However, both Cutura coaches, Davor on the Latvian side and Dalibor on the Serbian side, could not have been satisfied with their teams' attacking efficiency — only Valdis Kalnins and Nemanja Ilic scored three goals each. As the second half commenced, attacking efficiency improved, but Serbia’s lead from the first 30 minutes — which was six at its highest — slowly melted away. Latvia put Serbia under pressure when they came within 21:22, but Serbia’s much-needed wake-up call never came. Latvia were close to taking their first point, but lucky Serbs snatched a tight win.

Highlight Match: Italy vs Spain 29:33 (14:16)

The clash between the two leading teams lived up to its billing, but it was Spain who were celebrating at the end. Leo Prantner and Andrea Parisini led the hosts, but a few mistakes gave Spain the opportunity to open a four-goal lead midway through the first half (11:7). However, some late saves by Domenico Ebner gave new energy to Italy, who cut the deficit by half-time. Spain, determined to book their ticket for the European Championship, held a steady lead. Going into the final ten minutes, Italy were tantalisingly close, but every time they came within reach, Spain found a way to get back on track. When Aleix Gómez executed one more fast break and scored his eighth goal of the game, Spain set a 29:24 lead in the 53rd minute — a moment that proved vital, not only for the win, but also for securing a spot at the Men’s EHF EURO 2026. Italy once again delivered a strong performance, with Andrea Parisini netting 11 times.

GROUP 6

Ukraine vs Netherlands 27:35 (11:19)

While their first encounter ended in a nail-biting 40:39 win for the Netherlands, this time the Dutch side were far more convincing. Right from the start, they took control with a commanding 6:2 lead and never looked back. The closest Ukraine came was 8:5, but a dry spell between the 14th and 23rd minutes proved costly. The Netherlands capitalised with a 5:0 run, stretching their lead to 14:7. Dmytro Artemenko did his best to keep Ukraine in the fight, but the Netherlands’ second-half brilliance sealed the deal. Staffan Olsson’s team never eased off and, with good rotation, cruised to an impressive victory.

Kosovo vs Faroe Islands 23:25 (13:12)

The Faroe Islands survived a scare and secured their second consecutive EHF EURO spot. An exciting first half set the stage for a fierce battle, perfectly reflected in the half-time score. Kosovo goalkeeper Liridon Zena played a key role in keeping his team in the game, as the Faroe Islands pushed hard in this decisive clash. The Faroese briefly pulled ahead 6:4, but that would be the largest margin in the opening 30 minutes.

In the second half, Hákun Av Teigum took over, scoring seven times to help the Faroe Islands build a 19:15 lead. But Kosovo were not done yet. They mounted a late comeback, clawing their way back to within one goal at 20:19, setting up a dramatic finish. The Faroe Islands found a hero in goalkeeper Pauli Jacobsen, who stopped Kosovo’s attempt to equalise just two minutes before the final whistle and helped launch the attack that sealed the final score at 25:23

GROUP 8

Israel vs Poland 33:31 (18:18)

Israel defeated Poland and denied them the chance to secure a place at the Men's EHF EURO 2026 in the penultimate round of the qualifiers. The home team started well, with strong performances from left back Ram Turkenitz and goalkeeper Yahav Shamir, although Poland soon recovered and drew level at 5:5.

The match remained evenly poised, with neither side able to establish a meaningful lead until the final ten minutes of the first half, when the goalkeepers stepped into the spotlight. Poland briefly pulled ahead at 18:15, thanks to a series of impressive saves from Jakub Skrzyniarz, but Dan Tepper’s response in the Israeli goal halted Poland’s momentum and ensured parity at the break — 18:18.

Tepper continued to shine after the restart, helping Israel move into a 24:21 lead. Mikołaj Czaplinski was flawless for Poland, scoring an outstanding ten goals from ten attempts, but even his perfect performance couldn’t stop Israel’s charge. Yoav Lumbroso stepped up in the second half and steered the hosts to a 33:31 victory that leaves the group wide open.

Romania vs Portugal 28:24 (13:11)

Romania delivered when it mattered the most — they knew that only a win would keep them in the contest, and they did it. With their spot already secured at the Men’s EHF EURO 2026, Portugal did not have the pressure of winning. They took the opportunity to rest some of their big names, while on the other side, Romania, fully motivated, knew that only a win would keep them in the race for a spot at the final tournament. And this was evident from the fifth minute. After opening with a 2:0 lead, Portugal took control, but Romania quickly overtook them and established a 6:3 advantage. It was Demis Grigoras who proved to be crucial for the half-time lead with five goals. Portugal tried to shake things up by using all three of their goalkeepers, but they could not stop the Romanian attackers — leader Daniel Stanciuc helped Romania set a decisive five-goal lead. The gap remained until the end of the game, as Romania took over second place in the group ahead of the final round of the qualifiers.