The race for the Men’s EHF EURO 2028, a qualification event for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, starts this week, when the Qualifiers throw off. A total of 32 national teams across eight groups embark on the road to Spain, Portugal and Switzerland, with four teams already qualified – the hosts plus reigning champions Denmark.

The top two sides from each group, together with the four best third-placed teams, which will be determined taking into account only results against top two teams in each group, will progress to the final tournament, which will take place between 13 and 30 January in Lisbon, Zürich, Madrid and Valencia.

Group 1 has two clear favourites – Croatia and the Netherlands – which will take on Lithuania and Finland. Croatia, silver medallists at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship and bronze medallists at the EHF EURO 2026, have seen key players depart – such as Domagoj Duvnjak – over the last cycle, but they are still favourites. The Netherlands will have Mark Bult make his official debut as the new coach, after he replaced Staffan Olsson just a month ago.

Group 2 seems to be a balanced one, with another team with a new coach spearheading the line-up. Magnus Andersson will make his official debut for Norway when they face Georgia on Thursday, 5 November. Austria and Türkiye complete the group, with the potential of surprise being high, as Georgia and Türkiye, who will make their debut at the 2027 IHF Men’s World Championship, can produce a surprise or two on their home courts.

In Group 3, two favourites emerge – Iceland and Serbia – both teams which are eyeing a top-10 finish, or even a medal in Iceland’s case, at the 2027 IHF Men’s World Championship. Ukraine and Estonia complete the group, as Ukraine aim to return to the EHF EURO, after finishing last – on the 24th place – in the previous edition.

As Faroe Islands are gearing up for their maiden appearance at the IHF Men’s World Championship, they will also be on the lookout for a place at the EHF EURO for the third time in a row. They face Hungary – who missed the cut at the 2027 World Championship – Montenegro and Kosovo, in another challenging group. Hungary’s László Sótonyi will also make his official debut at the helm of the powerhouse.

Slovenia, Czechia, Bosnia Herzegovina and Israel will collide in Group 5, with the first two teams eager to return to the EHF EURO, while in Group 7, Germany headline the group which contains Italy, Belgium and Slovakia, where nothing can seem to derail Alfred Gislason’s side on its way to the top place in the standings.

Romania will have a new coach too, Sandu Iacob, as they aim to seal their third consecutive appearance at the EHF EURO. However, their challenge will be tough, as France and Poland are the big favourites for the top two places, with Latvia as the outside. Romania and Poland also met in the previous EHF EURO Qualifiers and Poland won both matches by a single goal.

Group 8 also has a big favourite, Sweden, with the battle for the second place being a Balkan derby between Greece and North Macedonia. Luxembourg, with Didier Dinart as the new coach, will try to spring a surprise or two.

The EHF EURO Qualifiers will be played in a round robin format, with the first matches played on 4 and 5 November 2026, and the second ones on 7 and 8 November 2026.

The next rounds are scheduled for 10-11 and 13-14 March, with the fifth round on 5-6 May. The last round is scheduled for 9 May, when all teams will play at the same time, deciding the last qualifying places.

Men's EHF EURO 2028 Qualifiers

Group 1: Croatia, Netherlands, Lithuania, Finland

Group 2: Norway, Georgia, Austria, Türkiye

Group 3: Iceland, Serbia, Ukraine, Estonia

Group 4: Hungary, Faroe Islands, Montenegro, Kosovo

Group 5: Slovenia, Czechia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel

Group 6: France, Poland, Romania, Latvia

Group 7: Germany, Italy, Belgium, Slovakia

Group 8: Sweden, Greece, North Macedonia, Luxembourg