Macedonia reached the last 16 at the cadet European Championship - and bought itself 2028 in the process

The cadet national team of Macedonia secured a place among the best 16 sides at the cadet European Championship. It took second place in its play-off group and advanced as the best-placed runner-up. What that means precisely matters here, because results like this often get read emotionally rather than concretely: with this finish, our cadets secured survival in the elite division of European handball and already qualified for the next youth European Championship in 2028. So this is not one good day - it is a stage secured two years in advance for this generation. One thing remains: if Macedonia records at least one win in the next three matches, it also qualifies for the 2027 World Championship for cadets. Three matches, one win. The arithmetic is rarely this clear.

Skopje hosts the M18 championship, with eight national teams playing in one city in mid-August

While part of the European public looks towards Belgrade, where the M18 European Championship has been running since 29 July, in Skopje the M18 EHF Championship I tipped off on Monday, 3 August, with eight national teams split into two groups. In parallel, in Telavi in Georgia, the second championship of the same age category is being played, with six teams in a single round-robin group. The finals of both tournaments are scheduled for Sunday, 9 August, with every match broadcast on EHF TV. Hosting a tournament like this does not just happen - it is recognition federations receive after proving they can organise. Macedonia is hosting in both basketball and handball this summer. Worth remembering the next time someone says nothing happens here.

Eurofarm Pelister is in Group G with Gummersbach, and the European League is changing its format

The draw for the men's EHF European League in the 2026/27 season placed 32 clubs in eight groups, and the competition debuts a new playing format. HC Eurofarm Pelister, a club with Champions League experience, landed in Group G alongside Germany's VfL Gummersbach, Spain's Logroño La Rioja and Poland's PGE Wybrzeże Gdańsk. The group stage runs over six rounds, from 29 September to 2 December, with the top two from each group going into the play-offs - where they will meet the third and fourth-placed teams from the Champions League group stage. That is the key change: those knocked out of the strongest competition now enter here. So the Bitola club must finish in the top two to continue, and will then most likely face a team that fell short one level above. The group is not merciless, but it leaves no room for a single bad weekend.

Vardar told the fans: two Champions League matches are changing time

Macedonian handball champions Vardar informed fans of changes to the EHF Champions League schedule. The home match in round two against France's Nantes will be played on 16 September at the „Jane Sandanski” sports centre, starting at 18:45. The away trip to Poland's Wisła Płock in round four has also moved - instead of 15 October, the match is on 14 October at 18:45. The rest of the schedule stays unchanged, and the club announced further information on tickets and the organisation of home matches. A trifle? Not for a fan planning a day off or a trip to Poland. It is also a reminder that the new season of Europe's strongest club competition starts on 9 September, with an expanded format of 24 teams instead of the previous 16, split into smaller groups of four.

Sanja Dabevska signed for Hapoel Ashdod, and the story of players who follow the competition abroad continues

Macedonian handball international Sanja Dabevska is a new member of Israel's Hapoel Ashdod. Until now she played for Bor of Montenegro, and now continues her international career in the Israeli league. One name, two sentences in a press release - and that is exactly why it is worth pausing here. Macedonian women's handball has for years produced players who build their careers abroad, because the domestic competition offers them neither the level of opposition nor the conditions they need. This is not a story about leaving, but about where a player can get matches at her own level. Every such name that holds its place up there is also capital for the national team - or at least it should be, if anyone is counting systematically.