Handball today: Sweden and Hungary for the title, Pelister in a tough group, Macedonia falls to Poland

Sweden and Hungary play for the junior European title

The junior European Championship (under-20) in Romania has its final: Sweden against Hungary. The Swedes got there first, after beating the Danes 38:35 in the semi-final - a match with plenty of goals and little defence. The Hungarians, meanwhile, crushed Slovenia with fierce defence at the six-metre line and goalkeeper Laszlo Varadi-Szabo, who piled up 10 saves. At half-time Slovenia was already four goals behind (11:15), and after the break Hungary only built on the lead. Two national teams that spend years building a squad - while back home, as usual, we lean on generations, not on a system.

Eurofarm Pelister drew a tough group in the European League

The draw for the EHF European League was not kind to Bitola. Eurofarm Pelister, seeded thanks to Macedonia's strong coefficient, ended up in Group G alongside Germany's Gummersbach, Spain's La Rioja and Poland's Gdansk - representatives of two of the strongest leagues in Europe. The new format this season has five phases: group stage, play-off, round of 16, quarter-final and the F4 tournament. The group stage runs over six rounds, from 29 September to 2 December. The top two teams from each group advance to the play-off. For Bitola this is a test at European level - and it's exactly these matches that show what domestic handball is worth.

The European League final stays in Hamburg until 2027

The EHF is keeping the final weekend of the EHF European League in Hamburg, at the Barclays Arena - and that for the fourth time in a row. The event for the 2026/27 season is set for 22 and 23 May 2027. Hamburg thus cements itself as Europe's third great handball shrine, alongside Cologne (where the Champions League Final Four is played) and Budapest. Organisers talk about „new heights" and commercial growth with title sponsors. Handball is learning something other sports in the Balkans still haven't grasped: continuity in one place builds tradition, and tradition fills the stands.

Macedonia falls to Poland after a seven-metre drama

The men's junior national team of Macedonia (under-20) suffered an unlucky defeat to Poland at the same European Championship in Romania. After 28:28 in regulation, the decision came down to a seven-metre shootout, where the Poles were calmer and celebrated with 32:33. And yet, our youngsters led for most of the match - they even had a peak +4, and +1 at half-time (16:15). Poland strung together a three-goal run for 28:25, but with Marin Krstevski's goal from a seven-metre, Macedonia came back to level. Krstevski was the most efficient with 7 goals, while goalkeeper Nikolovski collected 16 saves. After this defeat, Macedonia now plays for 19th place.

Same Romania, different fates: from the final to the fight for 19th

The same tournament, the same hall, and how different the stories. While Sweden and Hungary play for gold, our youngsters fight for nineteenth - and that's not cause for mockery, but for a question. The gap between us and the teams at the top isn't in one child's talent, it's in the fact that they have a system that produces every year, while we lean on the luck of a generation being born. Krstevski and Nikolovski showed character against Poland. The question is whether anyone will use those sparks - or whether we'll wait for the next generation to plug the same holes all over again.