Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia are bidding for EHF EURO 2034 - together

This is the biggest handball news from the region this year. The handball federations of Serbia, Macedonia and Slovenia have officially submitted a joint bid to host the men's EHF EURO 2034. The president of the Handball Federation of Macedonia, Aleksandar Stefanov, framed it like this: "Macedonia is a handball country. For decades handball has been deeply rooted in our sporting tradition and history," adding that by popularity and results "handball is the number one sport in Macedonia". From the Serbian side, president Bozidar Djurkovic claims all three federations have the capacity, experience and human resources, and that the bid covers all the necessary infrastructure - from sports halls to hotels. Here comes the part the announcement does not say: 2034 is eight years away, and the arenas being talked about today have to exist in concrete, not in bids. The Balkans has a long tradition of joint applications that are written better than they are delivered. If this goes through, the test will be whether the infrastructure gets built from 2027, and not from 2033.

HC Ohrid defended its title in Struga - Vardar fell by one goal

The final of the 54th edition of the traditional international tournament in Struga was decided by a single attack. HC Ohrid won 31:30 and defended its title, and for coach Boris Rojevic this is only a second win against the reigning champion. The drama was complete: Ohrid led 15:13 at half-time, Vardar then went 18:19 up with a 6:3 run, Taleski levelled at 19:19, and then Ohrid reached 25:22 with three goals in a row. Chupic's team pressed until the end, with Malus closing it to 31:30 a minute before the finish. Ohrid failed to convert the attack that would have sealed it, the ball went out, and Vardar got three seconds for a final attack. Chupic drew up the play, the play did not come off, and goalkeeper Slavic recorded his 11th save. The best individual in the final was Taleski. Third place went to Prilep with a 30:29 win over Struga.

The Champions League with 24 teams - Veszprem, Barcelona and Magdeburg start on 9 September

The EHF has confirmed the schedule for the group phase of the men's Champions League 2026/27, in an expanded format with 24 teams in six groups of four clubs. The first round is on 9 September: at 18:45 Veszprem plays Porto, Aalborg plays PSG, Zagreb plays Celje Pivovarna Lasko, and Kielce plays Kriens-Lucerne. At 20:45 the same evening Barcelona plays Aarhus and Magdeburg plays Kolstad. The second round brings a rerun of last year's quarter-final tie - Berlin against Veszprem, on Wednesday 16 September at 20:45. The group phase runs for six rounds and ends on 29 October, after which the main phase begins on 18 November and runs to 4 March 2027, with the top two from each group going through. The expansion to 24 teams means more European handball for the region - Zagreb and Celje are there, and the question every fan from this region asks is when a Macedonian club will be on that list again.

The Croatian federation fined 10,000 euros over a flag on the podium

The EHF Court of Appeal has ruled in the case of the Croatian Handball Federation and player Matej Mandic, who displayed a prohibited flag at the medal ceremony of EHF EURO 2026 - a breach of the EHF Flag Protocol and of the ceremony procedure itself. The court rejected the federation's appeal and confirmed the fine of 10,000 euros, of which 2,500 is suspended for two years. Furthermore, it partly upheld the EHF's appeal and additionally fined the player 2,500 euros. The parties have 21 days to appeal to the European Handball Court of Arbitration. Wherever the line between sport and politics sits on Balkan podiums, this decision sets it with a price list. The question is whether 12,500 euros is a high enough price to stop what has been repeating for decades at every ceremony in the region.

Germany took the U18 EURO title, Slovenia in its first final

At the U18 European Championship, played in Serbia, Germany dismantled Slovenia 36:27 in the final at the Aleksandar Nikolic hall. Half-time was 17:11, but the real blow came in the run between the 15th and 35th minutes - 15:3, for a 20:11 lead. Top scorer was Vincent Faciejew with eight goals, with Thilicke and Eisend adding five each. For Slovenia, Zan Kovac, Jaka Podvrsic and Maks Ilc scored five apiece. This is Germany's fourth title in this competition, after 2008, 2012 and 2021. For Slovenia it is the first final in the history of the competition - and silver from a generation that until recently was not getting out of the group phase. A country of two million in a final against a four-time champion is not an accident, but the result of a system that has been working with youth teams for a long time. If the EURO 2034 bid is meant to mean something more than arenas, this is the part worth copying.