It is going to be an action-packed summer in the Younger Age Categories, as the rising stars of the sport will compete for trophies in six events.
The Men’s 20 EHF EURO 2026 will be the first to take the stage and will set the tone for the whole summer, with 24 teams competing in Romania between 8 and 19 July 2026. The draw will set the six groups of four nations each for the preliminary round.
In the draw, the pot containing Romania will be drawn last, allowing the host nation the right to choose which group they will be placed into.
Simultaneously, a total of 12 other nations will participate in the two Men’s 20 EHF Championship events, which will be hosted in Kosovo between 12 and 19 July 2026. These two tournaments will both begin with one preliminary round group of six teams, before placement matches determine the medallists and final positions.
The YAC action continues with the Men’s 18 EHF EURO 2026, set to take place in Serbia between 29 July and 9 August, with the 24 participants to be drawn into six groups of four.
As with Romania in the M20 EHF EURO, Serbia will have the right to choose their preliminary round group for the M18 event.
The two Men’s 18 EHF Championships will culminate on the same day — the tournament in Georgia begins on 2 August, with the competition in North Macedonia expected to throw off on the following day.
The tournament in Georgia follows the same format as the M20 EHF Championships in Kosovo, while the event North Macedonia features eight teams, who will be split into two preliminary round groups of four. With North Macedonia playing in the M18 EHF EURO, the host's choice rule does not apply.
It will be one continuous draw event for all six YAC tournaments, starting at 14:00 CET on Tuesday 24 February, live on the Home of Handball YouTube channel.
