Action on sand throws off in Türkiye as Germany aim to defend title

GROUP A

Teams: Germany, Denmark, Poland, Bulgaria

Sometimes history just repeats itself. Two years ago, the two most recent gold medallists from previous EHF Beach Handball EURO events were drawn into the same preliminary round group. And guess what?! The exact same has happened at the draw for the 2025 championships, as two-time defending champions Germany and 2019 winners Denmark are again set to meet early in the
tournament in one of the matches to watch in the preliminary round in Alanya. 

No one has dominated international beach handball in recent years like the German women’s team has. Gold medallists in 2006, Germany then completely disappeared off the radar, not even qualifying for several years until current head coach Alexander Novakovic started to revive beach handball within the German Handball Federation. Initial results – 13th in 2015, 14th in 2017, 10th in 2019 – did not indicate what was going to happen at the following two events, as they lifted the trophy in 2021 and again in 2023. Add the world titles in 2022 and 2024 and it is hard to see past Germany as the gold medal favourites again.

But Denmark, appearing in four of the last seven EHF Beach Handball EURO finals and winning one of them – in 2019, are stable title contenders, too. They won their only title six years ago and backed it up with silver in 2021 but finished a disappointing seventh in Nazaré two years ago, so they arrive in Alanya with the
urge to reach at least the semi-finals again.

A group with Germany and Denmark will make life tough for the other two teams. Poland have been quarter-finalists four times, and their strong run in the 2017 European championship was only stopped by Norway in the final. And Bulgaria, hosts of the 2021 event in Varna, return to the tournament after missing out on the 2023 edition.

Group B

Teams: Portugal, Norway, France, Türkiye

One of the revelations of the EHF Beach Handball EURO 2023 was the host nation; inspired by their home crowd, Portugal made it all the way into the semi-finals for the first time. If they are to repeat that achievement in Alanya, they need to first navigate their way past two former finalists — Norway and Türkiye — as well as France in a challenging preliminary round group.

While their club teams had been at the forefront of international beach handball for some time, the national team of Portugal lacked similar impressive results for a long time. They first made an impact when they finished fifth in 2021, before they improved by another spot, placing fourth in their home tournament two years
later. They backed up that achievement by finishing sixth at the 2024 World Championships in China — their best result ever in that competition.

A semi-final spot will be on Portugal’s mind again coming into the EURO, but they have been drawn into an unpredictable group. Norway are traditionally strong contenders, who played the semi-finals in six straight editions between 2007 and 2017, winning gold at the latter event. Norway returned to the semi-finals in 2021, but lost to eventual champions Denmark, and finished fifth in 2023. Despite their rather disappointing 11th place at the 2024 World Championships, another Norwegian appearance in the medal matches on the concluding Sunday of the Beach Handball EURO 2025 would not be a major upset.

France have so far failed to fully deliver their potential, as their track record includes only one top-10 result from six previous EURO participations, when they finished seventh in 2017. And it will be interesting to see how hosts Türkiye perform in this group. Türkiye was among the leading nations in the early years of the EHF Beach Handball EURO when they placed second in 2002 and fourth in 2006. However, they have not been in another quarterfinal for the past 12 years. But their opponents Portugal might be the best example of how to make the most out of hosting the European championship.

Group C

Teams: Netherlands, Greece, Croatia, Sweden

While their youth national teams have claimed several European titles — most recently the under-16 team last year in Varna, Bulgaria — the senior team of the Netherlands still aim for their first gold. They came very close in 2023, reaching their first final and forcing defending champions Germany into a shootout. The Dutch team faces two former world champions — Greece and Croatia — in their preliminary round group, which also includes Sweden, who return to the competition after eight years.

The progression of the Netherlands at the EHF Beach Handball EURO in recent years has been clear, as they won bronze for the nation’s first ever beach handball medal on senior level in 2019, before making their first final four years later. The Dutch will aim for nothing less than the medal matches again, especially since they have confirmed their status amongst the leading teams in women’s beach handball with back-to-back bronze medals at the last two World Championships in 2022 and 2024. And they had Meike Kruijer named best beach handball player of the year at the EHF Excellence Awards in 2024.

Greece have an excellent track record in the World Championships, too. They lifted that trophy as debutants in 2018 and made it to the semi-finals again when they hosted the global event in 2022. However, Greece are yet to achieve similar results at a European championship, where three quarter-finals – in 2017, 2019, and 2023 – have been their best achievements so far. 

As the nation that dominated the sport for many years, Croatia finished amongst the medals in each of their first five Beach Handball EURO appearances, between 2004 and 2011. This golden era included two titles, including the one from their home event in Umag in 2011. However, Croatia have since been to just one more semi-final — in 2019, when they finished fourth. Their impressive medal collection has been awaiting an extension for 14 years now.

Sweden make a welcome return to the EURO after an eight-year absence. They finished sixth upon their debut in 2002 but failed to make the quarter-finals again in six more appearances until 2017, making them the dark horse in this group.

Group D

Teams: Spain, Hungary, Ukraine, Slovakia

Spain headline a group of three evergreens and one emerging nation. Both Spain and Ukraine have been present at all 14 EHF Beach Handball EURO events so far, while Hungary only missed the very first edition in 2000. Gaining useful experience, Slovakia complete this group full of teams that have left their mark on the history of the European championships.

Another deep run in the tournament can be expected from Spain. One will hardly find a more consistent force in women’s beach handball. Ever present at the Beach Handball EURO, they have never finished worse than eight. However, they are yet to appear in a final, let alone win one. But with four semi-finals over the last five European championships, including three bronze medals, there is every reason to put Spain high on the prediction lists once again — even more so since they did win a world title (in 2016) and were semi-finalists in three of the last four editions of the global championship.

Hungary landed back-to-back European titles in 2013 and 2015. Since then, and since the retirement of legend Kitti Gróz, the team’s fortunes have been going up and down. Hungary returned to the final in 2019 — losing to Denmark — but have not come close to the medal ranks again in either 2021 (seventh) or 2023 (ninth). While their under-17 team won gold and silver at recent European championships, there is every reason to believe that 2025 could be a good year again for Hungary.

Ukraine made history in 2000 by winning the first EHF Beach Handball EURO ever held. However, they have not won another medal since, though they appeared in two more semi-finals — most recently 12 years ago. The team got their worst result in Varna four years ago when they placed 14th, and they were 10th in Nazaré two years ago. This time, they will need to make it past Spain or Hungary to finally return to the quarter-finals again. 

Upon their third EURO appearance, Slovakia will be less ambitious in terms of their final placement, as the team is looking to gain as much experience as possible.

Photos © kolektiff