Ukraine's Team at the 2026 European Championship
The Ukrainian women's handball team has learned its group stage opponents for the 2026 European Championship, scheduled to run from December 3 to 20, 2026, across several European cities. A total of 24 teams will compete, with 16, including Ukraine, having secured their spots through qualification. The tournament is a major showcase for European handball, drawing significant attention from fans across the continent.
For its 13th appearance at the European Championship, Ukraine was placed in the fourth seeding pot for the draw. The team qualified by finishing third in its group, which featured Sweden, Serbia, and Lithuania. Ukraine's best-ever result at the Euros remains the silver medal it won back in 2000.
Competition Format and Groups
The event will be co-hosted by five nations, with Norway, Denmark, and Hungary receiving automatic berths as medalists from Euro 2024. The preliminary round matches will be held in Oradea, Cluj-Napoca (Romania), Antalya (Turkey), Brno (Czech Republic), Katowice (Poland), and Bratislava (Slovakia). The main group stages will take place in Cluj-Napoca (Groups A, B, C) and Katowice (Groups D, E, F), with the semi-finals and final scheduled for December 18 and 20, 2026, in Katowice.
Among the notable participants is France, currently ranked third in the world. The French team are the reigning 2018 European champions and also won silver at the Olympics and bronze at the 2025 World Championship, making them one of the tournament favorites.
The groups drawn for the competition are as follows:
- Group A: Hungary, Montenegro, Slovenia, Iceland.
- Group B: Norway, Romania, Switzerland, North Macedonia.
- Group C: Denmark, Spain, Turkey, Greece.
- Group D: Netherlands, Czech Republic, Austria, Croatia.
- Group E: France, Poland, Faroe Islands, Ukraine.
- Group F: Sweden, Germany, Slovakia, Serbia.
The 2026 Women's European Championship promises to be a significant event for handball in Europe and for the Ukrainian team, which hopes for a successful campaign. This championship represents a crucial step in the development of women's handball in Ukraine, offering the squad a platform to demonstrate its progress on the international stage. Given the team's past experience and achievements, particularly its historic run in 2000, there is hope it can compete for a spot in the semi-finals. The presence of formidable opponents like France also raises the competitive level of the entire tournament.
As the Ukrainian women's handball team prepares for the upcoming European Championship, it's also essential to look ahead to future competitions. The 2028 Euro qualifiers will present new challenges and opportunities for the team, further shaping their journey in the international arena.