The preliminary phase of the European Championship is over! What the two main groups look like
Article by David Istrate – Published on Wednesday, 21 January 2026 23:23 / Updated on Wednesday, 21 January 2026 23:44
The preliminary phase of the European Men's Handball Championship concluded on Wednesday, January 21, with two matches in Group E. The Netherlands defeated Georgia, 31-26, while Sweden got past Croatia, 33-25.
Although nothing could change in the composition of the main groups from the European Championship, the last day of the preliminary phase came with two games from group E, organized in Malmo, Sweden.
Holland, the first success since the European Championship
First, the Netherlands and Georgia played in the Malmo Arena, and the game was controlled by the Dutch. They led at halftime by 3 goals, 18-15, and in the second half increased their advantage, achieving the first success since the final tournament: 31-26.
The leaders of Holland were Ivar Stavast (8 goals), Rutger ten Velde and Reinier Taboada with 7 goals each and Bobby Schagen with 4 goals.
On the other side, Giorgi Tskhovrebadze, with 11 goals, was Georgia's main scorer. Giorgi Dikhaminjia (6 goals) and George Lapiashvili (4 goals) also stood out from the losers' camp.
Sweden, victory on score with Croatia, which ensures two points in the main group II
Then, Sweden and Croatia entered the field, national teams that were already sure of their presence in the main group II. The Nordics dominated the duel, rewarded their fans for their support and won by 8 goals, 33-25, securing two points in the next phase.
The host national team had two players each with 5 goals (Nikola Roganovic and Eric Johansson), 4 goals (Felix Claar and Albin Lagergren), 3 goals (Oscar Bergendahl and Lukas Sandell) and two goals (Max Darj and Sebastian Karlsson).
Also, Andreas Palicka saved 9 of 20 shots, for a percentage of 45%.
The leaders of the visitors were Zvonimir Srna (7 goals), Filip Glavas (4 goals) and Zlatko Rauzan (3 goals).
At this moment, the rankings of the two main groups are known.
Group I
PHOTO: Flashscore.ro
Group II
PHOTO: Flashscore.ro
The matches in this phase will take place between January 22-28, with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the semi-finals. The penultimate act is scheduled for January 30, while the finals will take place on February 1.
