Vardar and GRK Ohrid meet for a third trophy, and Croatia pays 10,000 euros over one flag

Vardar and GRK Ohrid meet for a trophy for the third time - this time for the Super Cup

The new handball season starts at the 26 April hall in Gevgelija, with the Super Cup match between Vardar and GRK Ohrid. It is their third meeting for silverware in a short span - the two sides already met in two finals during pre-season, and the lakeside team won both: at the Struga tournament and at the Krste Andonovski. So the favourite is not the one many would name automatically. "We are expecting an intense and difficult match. We will have to make as few mistakes as possible over 60 minutes if we want the result to go our way," says Adama Keita. In the last meeting between them Vardar was not at full strength - Milan Lazarevski, Jaka Malus and several other important names were missing. The two teams know each other inside out, which usually means a small detail decides it.

Alkaloid demolished Lovcen 40:29, but first threw away a five-goal lead

The scoreline says convincing, the match says something else. Alkaloid won in Montenegro against Lovcen 40:29 in the Regional League, but the road there was anything but calm. The Skopje side opened 4:1 and built a five-goal lead, then the hosts turned it around completely - Lovcen even went in front, and the sides went to the break level at 18:18. After the interval the hosts led again at 19:18, and that is when Alkaloid changed its approach, played more aggressively and strung together six consecutive goals for 24:19. From there the gap went into double figures. Ivan Dzonov was the top scorer with eight goals, Marko Mitev scored six, with Damjan Mitev and Nikola Kosteski on five each. Next stop is the Macedonian derby against Eurofarm Pelister, 23 September in Bitola.

The Croatian federation pays a 10,000 euro fine over a flag at the medal ceremony

The EHF Court of Appeal has upheld a 10,000 euro fine for the Croatian Handball Federation, of which 2,500 euros is suspended with a two-year probation period. The reason: at the medal ceremony of the men's EHF EURO 2026, player Matej Mandic unfurled a flag not provided for in the EHF flag protocol. The federation's appeal was rejected, while the court partly upheld the EHF's own appeal and imposed an additional 2,500 euro fine on Mandic personally. There is a 21-day window to appeal to the European Handball Court of Arbitration. The story looks small at first glance, but here it is known by heart: in the Balkans a flag on the podium always costs more than the price list says.

Gyor is the favourite for Budapest, and holders Metz go in weakened

The women's Champions League returns this weekend with the first round of the group stage - 16 teams set off on the road to Budapest and the finals at the MVM Dome. The title is held by Metz, who last season finally broke a run of narrow failures by beating Gyor 31:29 in the final. But Metz goes in weakened: the finals MVP Sarah Bouktit left for Gyor of all clubs, while Johanna Bundsen and Xenia Smits went to Odense. At the top of the predictions therefore is Gyor, which kept its core and added two quality names - Bouktit and Thale Rushfeldt Deila. Also in the top three is FTC, which after three consecutive quarter-final exits brought in Elizabeth Omoregie and goalkeeper Anna Kristensen. Metz has slipped to second, and the team that has played three finals in a row is now first - the numbers speak, but the trophy has not been handed out yet.

Barcelona lifted a 12th trophy, and the documentary came out so we do not forget

The EHF has released "Born Rivals", a documentary about the men's Final Four 2026, available on EHFTV. The story is about Barcelona's return to the top and a 12th title in the Champions League - a record the club has been pushing higher itself for years. The fifty-minute film follows brothers Petar and Djordje Cikusa in the period before leaving for Cologne and through the final weekend at the LANXESS arena, alongside Fuchse Berlin coach Nikolej Krickau, Magdeburg player Felix Claar and Aalborg playmaker Juri Knorr. Barcelona coach Carlos Ortega delivers the one sentence worth keeping from the whole project: "The hard part is not winning - the hard part is continuing to win. At a club like Barcelona, how you win matters too."