Top sides lead power rankings ahead of Men's EHF EURO 2026

10. Norway

Oslo shall be a better place compared to last year for the Norwegian side. At the 2025 IHF World Championship, the hosts’ hopes were high, but after losing to Portugal and Brazil in the preliminary round, their medal dreams came to an end — and they finished 10th, missing the quarter-finals. One year before, at the EHF EURO in Germany, Jonas Wille’s team ended in ninth position. Although top star Sander Sagosen is back after thumb surgery, Norway will miss their top shooter, Magnus Röd, due to injury. Facing France already in the first stage of the tournament will be a challenge for them. 

9. Spain

The transition in the squad of the 2018 and 2020 EHF EURO champions is in full swing — and the results of the previous events prove that Jordi Ribera has a lot of work ahead. In 2024, they failed to qualify for the main round after a defeat against Austria, while at the 2025 IHF World Championship they finished on 18th after a lacklustre performance. In the qualifiers for the EHF EURO 2026, Spain were defeated by Serbia. Right in the preliminary round, they have top clashes against Germany, Austria and Serbia, with even higher hurdles expected in the main round. Without Rodrigo Corrales and Gonzalo Pérez de Vargas, SC Magdeburg’s outstanding goalkeeper Sergey Hernández takes all the responsibility between the posts — and young guns such as Ian Barrufet will try to have their breakthrough. But compared to previous tournaments, Spain need a huge increase to return among the top sides.

8. Hungary

Fifth place at the EHF EURO 2024, an unlucky quarter-final elimination against hosts Croatia, eighth place at the 2025 IHF World Championship and unbeaten in the qualifiers — Hungary’s performance has gone up in the past years. With a mix of Hungarian and Spanish ways of playing since Chema Rodríguez took over, Bence Bánhidi and his teammates are constantly among the top 10 teams in the world. Hungary play with a physically strong defence, with Patrik Ligetvári as their “concrete-builder”. They count on tall back court shooters such as Zoran Ilić, and on Bence Bánhidi as one of the best line players in the world, as well as on young goalkeeper Kristóf Palasics, who will replace experienced Roland Mikler. But teams such as Iceland in the preliminary round or Sweden in the main round are supposed to be individually stronger. 

7. Croatia

Croatia made it to the EHF EURO finals three times and on each occasion they returned home with silver — but what about now? After an outstanding IHF World Championship on home ground, including a historic semi-final win against France, Dagur Sigurdsson’s team took another silver medal last year — but the support from the stands was crucial for this result. There, any tournament away from home is harder to play. The EHF EURO 2026 is the first event after Domagoj Duvnjak’s retirement from the national team, but Sigurdsson’s way of rejuvenating the squad is successful, with players such as Luka Lovre Klarica or Filip Glavaš strengthening the play. Besides, their goalkeeper duo — with Dominik Kuzmanović and Matej Mandić — belongs among the best in the world. But still, the gap to the top teams is big — when not playing at home.

6. Portugal

From zero to hero was Portugal’s fairytale in the last years. Step by step, they climbed up the ladder to become the biggest surprise last year at the IHF World Championship, first leaving Norway and Sweden behind in the main round, then beating Germany in the quarter-finals to make it to their very first semi-final. With the shooting power of the Costa brothers, the creative way of steering a match of playmaker Salvador Salvador and a strong goalkeeper duo, Portugal are out for their best ever EHF EURO result, after finishing sixth in 2020. A huge group of players are well-rehearsed as they all play for Sporting CP.

5. Germany

The rejuvenated German team, with six under-21 world champions in 2023, aims for the semi-final, but have high hurdles ahead from the first day on — and even higher in the main round. Those young guns, such as Renārs Uščins, David Späth, Marko Grgić or Nils Lichtlein, have gathered experience in the last years at the side of experienced stars such as goalkeeper Andreas Wolff, team captain Johannes Golla or playmaker Juri Knorr. The 2024 Olympic Games proved what they are capable of, but at the 2025 IHF World Championship,they did not have the consistency to make it to the semi-finals. On a good day, Germany can beat all teams, except Denmark, but any week day in Herning will be punished.

4. Sweden

Being hosts can put pressure on a team, but Sweden are well-trained hosts in recent years. After the EHF EURO 2024 bronze medal and the setback of missing the quarter-finals of the 2025 IHF World Championship, Michael Apelgren’s team is expected to dominate in Malmö, with a mix of experience, like goalkeeper Andreas Palicka or mastermind Jim Gottfridsson, as well as talents such as Axel Månsson. Sweden’s big advantage? Almost all players are signed by top clubs and play either in the EHF Champions League — like the 2025 winners Felix Claar and Albin Lagergren at SC Magdeburg — or the EHF European League — such as Eric Johansson at THW Kiel. With the boost of the fan support at home, Sweden will be fighting for another medal.

3. Iceland

16 years ago, Iceland won their first and, so far, only EHF EURO medal — bronze in Austria. Since then, the “Vikings” have been constantly among those teams to watch out for. Now, with all top stars fit, the chance to earn more silverware is bigger than ever. Having the three Magdeburg stars Gísli Kristjánsson, Ómar Ingi Magnússon and Elvar Örn Jonsson well-established, a strong goalkeeper duo, with Viktor Hallgrímsson and Björgvin Páll Gústavsson, and many more of their stars playing key roles in top leagues, Iceland have proved their strength in the qualifiers — and have an easier way to the semi-finals, playing their main round in Malmö. Mainly the individual skills of Kristjánsson and Magnússon shall guide their way to the final weekend.

2. France

France seem to be the only team at the moment that can endanger Denmark, taking into account that they won twice against the 2024 silver medallists in the EHF EURO Cup. Counting on a strong defence and even stronger back court shooters such as Elohim Prandi, Dika Mem or Thibaut Briet, and the world’s best line player Ludovic Fabregas, the four-time and defending EHF EURO champions are the main medal contenders, besides the Olympic and world champions Denmark. Their only weakness compared to other top teams is the goalkeeper position.

1. Denmark

Who shall stop the reigning world and Olympic champions on their way to their third EHF EURO trophy? When you have players such as Mathias Gidsel, Emil Nielsen, Simon Pytlick and Magnus Saugstrup in your squad — and, on top of that, you play at home — the way to the trophy seems to be paved. Even missing injured top players such as Emil Madsen and Thomas Arnoldsen should not be a stumbling block for the team of head coach Nikolaj Jacobsen. Besides, the 15,000 fans in Jyske Bank Boxen will be their eighth player.

Photos © kolektiff images/Axel Heimken/Anze Malovrh/Jozo Cabraja