Spain (ESP)
Spain reached every EHF EURO final from 2016 to 2022, winning the title in 2018 and 2020 after losing in Kraków in 2016 to Germany, 27:24. In 2022 in Budapest, Jordi Ribera’s team were defeated in the final by Sweden.
In total, Spain have won nine European championship medals: two gold, five silver and two bronze. They were also world champions in 2005 and 2013 and have won five Olympic bronze medals, most recently at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
After being runners-up in 2022, Spain were sensationally eliminated in the preliminary round of the EHF EURO 2024 in Germany, losing out to Austria and finishing only 13th overall. At the 2025 World Championship, Spain again failed to reach the quarter-finals and ended up 18th, after winning bronze in both 2021 and 2023.
They qualified for the EHF EURO 2026 as winners of their group (ahead of Serbia, Italy and Latvia). In Herning they will now face Serbia again, but also two Spanish coaches, who are new to their teams: Austria’s Iker Romero and Serbia’s Raul Gonzalez. Another familiar opponent is Germany, who beat Spain twice at the Olympic Games, in the preliminary round and the semi-final.
The Spanish squad is currently undergoing a transition, with several former stars such as defence boss Gedeon Guardiola having retired. Ribera is building a new team with many young talents, such as Barça’s Djordje Cikuša, who in 2024 became the youngest Champions League winner of all time at the age of 18, or Ian Barrufet, who was top scorer of the European League season 2024/25, at the age of 21.
This tournament also marks a change in Spain's goalkeeper ranks. Gonzalo Perez de Vargas is ruled out through injury, paving the way for SC Magdeburg's Sergey Hernandez to step up to the number one spot after impressing hugely at club level in the past couple of seasons.
Competition records:
Number of EHF EURO participations, including 2026: 17
Gold: 2018, 2020
Silver: 1996, 1998, 2006, 2016, 2022
Bronze: 2000, 2014
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| # | Player | MP | Goals | Shots | % | 7m | YC | RC | 2 Min | TP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| TOTAL | {{totalGoals}} | {{totalShots}} | {{totalShotsEfficiency}} | {{total7mGoals}}/{{total7mShots}} | {{totalWarnings}} | {{totalDisqualifications}} | {{totalTwoMinPenalties}} |
| # | Goalkeeper | MP | Saves | Shots | % | 7m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| TOTAL | {{totalSaves}} | {{totalShotReceives}} | {{totalSaveEfficiency}} | {{total7mSaves}}/{{total7mShotsReceives}} |
29
27
41
25
29
33
28
26
27
25
29
38
31
30
EHF Competition History
Serbia
25
Spain
22
Spain
32
Serbia
28
Sweden
27
Spain
26
Spain
29
Denmark
25
Poland
27
Spain
28
Spain
23
Norway
27
Russia
25
Spain
26
Germany
23
Spain
29
Bosnia Herzegovina
24
Spain
28
Spain
32
Sweden
28
Spain
28
Czech Republic
26
Spain
22
Croatia
20
Spain
34
Slovenia
32
Croatia
22
Spain
22
Belarus
28
Spain
37
Spain
30
Austria
26
Spain
31
Czech Republic
25
Netherlands
25
Spain
36
Spain
33
Germany
26
Spain
33
Latvia
22
Spain
29
Sweden
23
France
23
Spain
27
Germany
27
Spain
31
Slovenia
31
Spain
26
Fyr Macedonia
20
Spain
31
Spain
22
Denmark
25
Hungary
25
Spain
27
Spain
32
Czech Republic
15
Germany
24
Spain
17
Spain
33
Croatia
29
Spain
25
Russia
23
Spain
31
Hungary
29
Spain
23
Denmark
27
Spain
24
Sweden
22
Slovenia
24
Spain
24
Spain
32
Germany
29
Croatia
28
Spain
29
France
30
Spain
27
Fyr Macedonia
22
Spain
33
Austria
27
Spain
28
Denmark
31
Spain
28
Spain
33
Iceland
28
Norway
25
Spain
27
Spain
34
Hungary
27
Croatia
31
Spain
27
Denmark
25
Spain
24
Spain
35
Slovenia
32
Spain
31
Iceland
26
Spain
24
Croatia
22
Spain
30
Russia
27
Spain
24
Hungary
24
France
26
Spain
29
Sweden
23
Spain
24
Denmark
28
Spain
24
Spain
30
Hungary
24
Iceland
24
Spain
32
Spain
32
Norway
27
France
28
Spain
28
Spain
31
Egypt
18
Spain
26
Germany
24
Tunisia
18
Spain
21
Spain
33
Bahrain
22
Denmark
34
Spain
27
Slovenia
32
Spain
40
Germany
20
Spain
25
Poland
32
Spain
26
France
24
Spain
24
Hungary
25
Spain
34
Spain
37
Czech Republic
25
Spain
32
Netherlands
29
Spain
31
Lithuania
21
Spain
30
Ukraine
21
Cyprus
25
Spain
36
Netherlands
26
Spain
35
Lithuania
22
Spain
28
Ukraine
25
Spain
23
Spain
32
Cyprus
20
Spain
23
France
31
Spain
34
Denmark
31
Slovenia
33
Spain
39
Ukraine
29
Spain
31
Poland
25
Spain
34
Spain
34
Slovakia
25
Spain
29
France
26
Germany
31
Spain
31
Spain
40
Croatia
34
Tunisia
30
Spain
33
Spain
31
Norway
24
Serbia Montenegro
28
Spain
28
Spain
32
Germany
28
Spain
35
Argentina
28
Spain
31
Croatia
33
Sweden
26
Spain
33
Australia
19
Spain
51
Spain
41
Japan
22
Croatia
30
Spain
22
Spain
41
Slovenia
28
Spain
29
Russia
26
Iceland
23
Spain
31
Korea
24
Spain
31
Spain
27
France
29
Germany
32
Spain
30
Spain
31
Korea
30
Spain
22
France
27
Spain
37
Croatia
39
Spain
32
Iceland
31
Spain
40
Qatar
15
Tunisia
25
Spain
33
Spain
45
Kuwait
18
Spain
22
Yugoslavia
20
Poland
25
Spain
34
Spain
23
Morocco
18
Spain
27
Germany
26
Sweden
28
Spain
27
Spain
31
Slovenia
28
Spain
23
France
25
Australia
23
Spain
39
Spain
24
Tunisia
22
Yugoslavia
22
Spain
26
Spain
25
Sweden
32
Spain
24
Yugoslavia
27
Spain
21
Russia
22
Spain
23
France
18
Spain
27
Brasil
17
Spain
33
Tunisia
23
Denmark
17
Spain
31
Spain
34
Morocco
18
Argentina
19
Spain
31
Spain
34
Algeria
24
Spain
33
Korea
26
Spain
23
Iceland
32
Spain
24
Sweden
28
Spain
31
Croatia
25
Spain
29
Czechia
26
Portugal
26
Spain
29
Spain
32
Brasil
11
Egypt
19
Spain
19
Spain
32
Tunisia
21
Spain
17
Spain
17
Spain
18
Spain
18
Spain
27
Korea
22
Belarus
35
Spain
34
Cuba
29
Spain
32
France
23
Spain
20
Sweden
23
Spain
21
Spain
21
Brasil
13
Spain
27
Egypt
20
Belarus
27
Spain
30
Spain
24
Kuwait
21
France
25
Spain
28
Spain
19
Sweden
22
Denmark
25
Spain
22
Spain
24
Slovenia
16
Portugal
18
Spain
24
Spain
25
Hungary
20
Poland
27
Spain
27
Letonia
22
Spain
29
Spain
21
Switzerland
15
Spain
30
Poland
24
Spain
33
Letonia
12
Cyprus
13
Spain
32
Spain
39
Cyprus
6
Switzerland
22
Spain
24
ECh Beach Handball
2025 - 2nd place
European Games
2023 - Champion
European Championship
2022 - 2nd place
EURO CUP
2022 - 3rd place
EURO CUP
2020 - Champion
European Championship
2020 - Champion
European Championship
2018 - Champion
ECh Beach Handball
2017 - Champion
European Championship
2016 - 2nd place
ECh Beach Handball
2015 - 2nd place
European Championship
2014 - 3rd place
ECh Beach Handball
2011 - 3rd place
ECh Beach Handball
2006 - Champion
European Championship
2006 - 2nd place
World Championship
2005 - Champion
ECh Beach Handball
2002 - Champion
ECh Beach Handball
2000 - 2nd place
European Championship
2000 - 3rd place
Olympic Games
2000 - 3rd place
European Championship
1998 - 2nd place
European Championship
1996 - 2nd place
Olympic Games
1996 - 3rd place
Key Players
- Sergey Hernández
- Sergey Hernández
- Goalkeeper
- Goalkeeper
- [Modules.KeyPlayers.SummaryHeadline_en-US]
-
Despite debuting for Spain in 2017, Sergey Hernández has only recently become a prominent player for the side, with 67 appearances to his name ahead of the EHF EURO 2026. His most recent success was claiming the EHF Champions League title in 2024/25 with SC Magdeburg — in the final, he made 18 saves at 42.86 per cent and finished the season as the second best goalkeeper with a total of 166 blocks. Before joining the German side in 2023, he played three seasons for Benfica and became the MVP of the EHF Finals Men 2022, when the Portuguese side lifted the trophy. Born in Russia, Hernández was adopted by Spanish parents who were both athletes.
- Aleix Gómez
- Aleix Gómez
- Right Wing
- Right Wing
- [Modules.KeyPlayers.SummaryHeadline_en-US]
-
With 402 goals scored and 98 caps ahead of the EHF EURO 2026, Aleix Gómez is a regular for Spain and a key player in major competitions. The right wing was part of the Spanish squad that lifted the EHF EURO trophy in 2020 and then claimed silver at the following edition — and he was also picked in the All-star Team in 2022. Gómez rose to prominence through Barça’s youth ranks and has now established himself as one of the most efficient goalscorers for the side. He passed the 70-goal mark in every EHF Champions League season from 2018 to 2024 except one and has been the all-time top scorer at the EHF FINAL4 since 2023, with 88 goals netted in Cologne.
Head Coach
- Jordi Ribera
- Jordi Ribera
- [Modules.KeyPlayers.SummaryHeadline_en-US]
-
Since joining as head coach of Spain in 2016, Jordi Ribera helped the team win the EHF EURO twice, in 2018 and 2020, as well as Olympic and world bronze. Before accepting this role, he previously coached Argentina (2004–2005) and Brazil (2005–2008 and 2012–2016). His most notable achievement as coach on a club level was winning the ASOBAL Cup in 2009 with Ademar Leon, during his four-year stint with the side from 2007 to 2011. Ribera’s contract with Spain is set to expire after the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
