The Road to the World Championship Leads to Macedonia, and the Youngsters Finally Tasted a Win

Twelve teams in the race for the M20 EHF EURO - and the road leads to Macedonia

Youth handball is sometimes just a distant announcement of the future, but this time the story leads straight to us. The men's EHF EURO Under-20 in Romania entered the main round with three groups, and Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Denmark, Sweden and Hungary came through unbeaten. Beyond the trophy, something bigger is in play for us: qualification for the Junior World Championship (Under-21) in 2027, which is being played in Macedonia next summer. As many as 15 European teams can qualify, and the final placings on the tournament decide the spots. For the first time, hosting is not just organisational work - it is a reason to watch every quarter closely.

Slovenia among the eight: a Balkan neighbour in the quarter-final

When the neighbours go forward, it is worth watching how they do it. Slovenia and France grabbed the last tickets for the M20 EHF EURO quarter-final, joining Sweden, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Hungary. The quarter-finals are played today, Thursday, at 16:00 and 18:30. All eight have already secured a place at the 2027 Junior World Championship - the one that will be held here. For Balkan handball, the Slovenian breakthrough is a reminder of how close the top is when there is a system behind the young generations - something our handball is still searching for.

Draw in Vienna: 19 pairings open the new season in the EHF European Cup

European handball keeps the machine running - and Macedonian clubs are in that spin too. At the European Handball House in Vienna, 19 pairings were drawn for the first round of the men's EHF European Cup for the 2026/2027 season. The first matches are on 12 and 13 September, the returns a week later. The winners are awaited in October by another 45 teams that skipped the first round. For the first time the country-protection rule also applies - teams from the same federation cannot be drawn against each other. Mechanics that look dull at first glance, but it is exactly this that decides whether a club will have a real path forward or run into a giant right at the start.

An Italian and a Luxembourg test: Vardar and Tikvesh learn the draw

For our clubs the European draw is the moment when the dream collides with reality. ZRK Vardar in the second round of the EHF European Cup will play against Italy's Brixen - the first match on 3 and 4 October, the return a week later. The men's GRK Tikvesh meanwhile start in the first round against Handball from Luxembourg, on 12 and 13 September. Neither of the two opponents is a name that frightens, which for Macedonian handball means a rare thing - a real chance to go through. The question is whether the clubs will take it, or whether Europe will end where it most often ends for us: in the second round.

First win for the youngsters: Macedonia overcame Latvia

After four defeats, the first win always tastes sweeter - and it is worth more than the number in the table. Macedonia's under-20 handballers overcame Latvia 35:31 at the European Championship, in the newly formed placement group. Macedonia led 16:13 at half-time and held the lead to the end, with a run that carried it to 30:25. The most deserving were Lazov with 9 goals and Luka Djordjievski with 8. It does not change much at the tournament, but it changes something more important - this generation has finally met the taste of victory. And it is exactly this generation that plays at home next year, at the World Championship, in front of its own crowd.