North Macedonia (MKD)

The fiery Macedonians booked a ticket to EHF EURO 2026 after finishing as the group 1 runners-up in the qualifiers, behind the perfect Slovenia. Even though Kiril Lazarov's squad needed a final-round win against Lithuania in Skopje to secure a place at the tournament, the Red and Yellows continue to be ever-present at the European championships, and EHF EURO 2026 will mark their eighth consecutive appearance and ninth in total. An impressive feat for a small country, but not surprising for a nation that adores handball in every possible way.

With that being said and the legendary Kiril Lazarov at the helm, the fairly young squad is under pressure to deliver in Herning, despite the rich competition in group B. EHF EURO 2026 will be the coach's fifth major tournament and his third EHF EURO in charge, with reaching the main round the ultimate aim, and improving on the 17th-place finish at the 2024 edition.

The dazzling playmaker, Marko Mitev, has successfully recovered from the injury that brought his 2024/25 season to a premature end, and the 22-year-old is set to lead the Macedonian attack once again. The captain, Filip Kuzmanovski, is another key player; the left back finished as the fifth-highest scorer at the 2025 IHF World Championship by scoring 49 goals as the Macedonians finished in 15th place. Also, there are the experienced veterans; the 40-year-old Nikola Mitrevski and the 34-year-old Zharko Peshevski will provide a boost of experience for their younger compatriots to try and reach the heights of EHF EURO 2012, when they finished fifth, their best placing to date.

The Macedonians will be a tough nut to crack for their opponents and given the winning mentality of Lazarov, their coach and all-time top scorer in the history of the EHF Champions League, one can definitely expect Mitev & co. to provide a stern test for their group opponents in group B.

Competition records: 
Number of EHF EURO participations, including 2026: 9