Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia are bidding for EHF EURO 2034: the application is in

The three handball federations have officially submitted a joint bid to host the men's EHF EURO 2034. The president of the Macedonian federation, Aleksandar Stefanov, said something hard to dispute: „Macedonia is a handball country... I can freely say that handball is the number one sport in Macedonia and that this stays that way.” From the Serbian side, Božidar Đurković stressed that the bid covers all the necessary infrastructure - halls, hotels and the rest. And here is the real weight of the story. A bid made in 2026 for an event in 2034 means eight years in which somebody has to build and maintain arenas that meet European standards. The argument „we have tradition” is used by everyone who does not have a new hall. The EHF's decision will show what tradition is worth when there is a finished building standing next to it.

Ohrid beat Vardar 31-30 and defended the title in Struga

On the open-air court beside the lake, in the 54th edition of the Struga tournament, RK Ohrid beat Macedonian champions Vardar 31-30 and became only the sixth team in the tournament's history to defend the title. Vardar started better - Abdallah Mohab took them to 4-2 - but Ohrid steadied through the saves of goalkeeper Dino Slavić and a sharp Dominik Mate, leading 15-13 at the break. In the second half Goce Georgievski turned it around for 20-19, then Ohrid pushed the run to 25-22 and held on to the end. The hero was international Filip Taleski with 9 goals; Mohab was the losers' most productive with 8. The tournament MVP is Martin Ivanovski, best goalkeeper Slavić. Vardar played without Lazarevski and Mitrović - but a champion losing a final at home by one goal does not have much room for explanations.

Alkaloid beat Egypt 33-31 ahead of the season under Kiril Lazarov

Alkaloid played their second warm-up match and beat Egypt 33-31 - a squad preparing in Skopje for the Mediterranean Games. Kiril Lazarov's team had already beaten Prilep, and they will play one more closed-doors game against Egypt. This season Alkaloid are defending on two international fronts: the EHF European Cup, where last year they made history as the first Macedonian team to win that trophy, and the Regional League. The first competitive match is on 26 August at the Avtokomanda hall, against Partizan - coached by former Macedonia head coach Raúl González. Friendlies are good news exactly to the degree the opponent is worth something, but a team with a trophy behind it is no longer playing for a surprise. Now it plays for confirmation, which is harder.

Barcelona start against Aarhus, Partizan return after 13 years

The EHF has confirmed the dates for the EHF Champions League group phase - the season starts on 9 September in Veszprém, Aalborg, Zagreb and Kielce. Veszprém host Porto, Aalborg welcome PSG, and Zagreb play a regional derby with Celje. Barcelona defend the title the same evening against debutants Aarhus. The most interesting story for our region is the return of Partizan to the elite after a 13-year break - and straight away against Füchse Berlin, last season's finalists. Round two brings a quarter-final rematch: Berlin against Veszprém, a tie decided last year after 120 minutes and a shoot-out. The group phase, under a new format, ends on 29 October, and the main round runs from 18 November to 4 March. There is no Macedonian club on that list - and that is the context in which any hosting bid should be read.

The EHF ruled against Croatia: a 10,000 euro fine over a flag at the medal ceremony

The EHF Court of Appeal rejected the Croatian Handball Federation's appeal and upheld a fine of 10,000 euros, of which 2,500 is suspended for a two-year period. In addition, player Matej Mandić was fined 2,500 euros. The reason: at the medal ceremony of the men's EHF EURO 2026 he displayed a flag not provided for in the federation's protocol. The appeal fees go to the EHF, and a further appeal to the Court of Handball Arbitration can be filed within 21 days. In the Balkans, where every flag on a podium carries more meanings than the result itself, rulings like this are read politically - even though the EHF gives them the form of a technical procedure. That is the whole point of a protocol: to reduce the question to a broken rule, so nobody has to comment on what the flag meant.