EHF EURO 2026 & 2028 hosts: Scandinavia, Russia, Spain-Portugal-Switzerland
The hosts for the Men’s and Women’s EHF EUROs in 2026 and 2028 were officially awarded at the 14th EHF Extraordinary Congress on Saturday.
Each of the four applicants to host the competitions showcased their bid before their fellow federations at the congress in Vienna, Austria.
Innovative Scandinavian connection at Men’s EHF EURO 2026
Denmark, Sweden & Norway
15 January – 1 February 2026
The pinnacle championship in European men’s international handball will return to Scandinavia in five years, with the joint-bid of Denmark, Sweden and Norway given the green light for Men’s EHF EURO 2026.
The trio have come together to bid for the EHF EURO collectively for the first time, with the main concept ‘Scandinavia connect’. The project will see Denmark, Sweden and Norway deliver an EHF EURO with innovation at its core. By connecting to new ways of exchanging best practices, new ways of reaching untapped audiences and new ways of hosting more sustainable events, Scandinavia will ultimately connect European handball to a stronger future.
Denmark, Sweden and Norway have proposed nine venues in nine different cities — Copenhagen, Herning and Aarhus in Denmark; Kristianstad and Malmö in Sweden; and Stavanger, Trondheim, Bergen and Oslo in Norway.
The final weekend would be held at Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning, where numerous major handball titles have been decided — the Men’s EHF EURO 2014, Women’s EHF EURO 2020 and 2010, Men’s World Championship 2019 and Women’s World Championship 2015.
Russians ready to make hosting debut at Women’s EHF EURO 2026
Russia
3-20 December 2026
Russia have been among the top powers in women’s handball, both at club and international level, and in 2026 it will be the home for Europe’s premier women’s championship.
The bid is built on a simple yet powerful slogan – WE CAN. Its letters represent five important areas the Russian application is focusing on: Women’s handball, experience, culture, atmosphere and a new audience.
For the 2026 bid, Russia has proposed three venues in two cities, St. Petersburg and Moscow, with the 12,000-capacity VTB Arena in Moscow to host the final weekend.
Back to the roots at Men’s EHF EURO 2028
Portugal, Spain & Switzerland
13-30 January 2028
In 1994, the very first Men’s EHF EURO took place in Portugal with the following edition taking place in Spain, two years later. Over three decades later, the neighbours have joined forces with Switzerland to take the championship back to its foundations.
2006 hosts Switzerland originally planned to bid for the event on their own but have since decided to work together with the Iberian duo to emulate the three-host approach implemented by Austria, Norway and Sweden in 2020.
Seven cities across the three countries have been proposed with Lisbon set to be Portugal’s hub, Basel, Lausanne and Zürich to host matches in Switzerland, while Valencia, Barcelona and Madrid have been put forward from Spain.
Barcelona’s Palau St. Jordi, Madrid’s Wanda Stadium and the home of Real Madrid, Santiago Bernabéu, are touted as potential venues for the final weekend.
Innovation at the core of Women’s EHF EURO 2028
Norway, Denmark & Sweden
30 November – 17 December 2028
To fully explore the advances in technologies, Denmark, Norway and Sweden have joined forces to deliver a Women’s EHF EURO that has innovation at its core, offering a first-class player and fan experience in a happy atmosphere.
In addition, the hosts promise to showcase innovative new approaches to sustainability. In a region that is easy to get to and get around in, we will connect European Handball to new sustainability standards and provide innovative solutions for future events.
2028 will also be the first time the three Scandinavian nations will join forces to welcome Europe’s top women’s teams.
Norway, Denmark and Sweden have proposed nine venues in nine different cities: Stavanger, Trondheim, Bergen and Oslo in Norway; Copenhagen, Herning and Aarhus in Denmark; while Sweden will provide venues in Helsingborg and Gothenburg.
The final weekend would be held at the Nye Fornebu in Oslo, which is the planned transformation of Telenor Arena, which would mean the women’s final will be played in Norway for the first time.
