Men's EHF EURO 2026 throws off in Herning and Oslo
After months of preparation, the 17th edition of the Men's EHF EURO finally gets underway on Thursday 15 January.
Groups A and C are the first to throw off, in Herning and Oslo, and reigning champions France will begin their title defence against Czechia in Norway. Later on, the co-hosts will want to impress the Oslo fans against Ukraine.
I think we play in the toughest group. It's one of the most difficult groups because I think every team can beat each other. They are good teams, but we are focusing on the first game. We have to try to win the first points as that will give us a lot of confidence for the next games of the tournament.
Spain have quality, Spain is very dangerous, normally they finish among the best five or six. So it will be a very difficult game, a very important game for us. And we have to give everything to simply have a good start.
It feels like we’re always playing against Austria, in any tournament, in any qualification. They stick to their style of play, sometimes with very long attacking phases and a lot of seven-against-six. They are an awkward team to face, especially in an opening match. The most important thing for us is simply to impose our own style of play. That means one team wants to slow the tempo down, while the other wants to keep it high.
We know our qualities, we are a strong team, and we have to manage to bring those qualities onto the court. I’m convinced we can trouble any team. 2024 was a great tournament, but now we want to do even better in 2026.
First games, overall, are always something special. You need to find your feet, in a new arena, against a team that maybe you don’t know too well. Czechia can be a tough team to play against, they will give everything to beat us. We have a lot of confidence, but we play that first game with a lot of respect.
It is an honour to represent my country here. I was in the team in 2018, when we reached the sixth place and missed the semi-finals by one point. I was also there in 2022 and 2024 when we did not reach the main round. I have been up and down at the EHF EURO, but I am very excited to be here.
All is good, we are really excited to be here and come back at the EURO. The start of the tournament will be tough, with a lot of fans cheering for Norway tomorrow, but it’s always great to play in this kind of atmosphere.
