The Youth EURO Leads to Macedonia in 2027, While Prolet Falls After 64 Years Over Finances

The Youth EURO Has Eight Quarter-Finalists - and All of Them Are Heading to Macedonia in 2027

The men's EHF EURO under 20 in Romania (Turda and Cluj-Napoca) has determined its eight quarter-finalists: Sweden, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Hungary, Slovenia and France. The quarter-finals are scheduled for 16 July. But this news carries a direct Macedonian interest: all eight quarter-finalists have already secured themselves a place at the World Championship for juniors (under 21) in 2027, which will be played right here in Macedonia. Of a total of 15 places, seven are still empty and will be filled through additional matches. In a year's time, Europe's best young handball players are coming to us - and that is a chance that rarely comes around for Macedonian handball to show itself in front of its own public.

EHF Europe Cup: Tikves Against Esch, the Vardar Women With an Italian Opponent

The Macedonian clubs have learned their first rivals in Europe. Tikves opens its European adventure in the first round of the EHF Europe Cup against Luxembourg's Esch - the first match is at home on 12 or 13 September, the return leg a week later. In the second round Ohrid, Alkaloid and Butel join in, and Ohrid and Alkaloid have an extra motive - they are the last two winners of the Europe Cup. Among the women, ZRK Vardar in the second round of the women's Europe Cup plays against Italy's Brixen Sudtirol (first match in Italy, return in Skopje), while Cair enters directly in the third round. Macedonian champions Djorce Petrov, meanwhile, will play in the qualifiers for the EHF European League against Czech side Banik Most. Plenty of Macedonian names on the European map - now it remains to turn that into results.

Prolet 62 Withdraws From the Super League - One of the Oldest Clubs Falls on Finances

Sad news for Macedonian handball: RK Prolet 62, one of the oldest clubs in the country, is withdrawing from the Super League for the coming season. The reason is financial - after the contract with its long-time general sponsor expired, the club made a „hard but responsible decision" not to take on obligations it could not meet. Prolet has existed for 64 years and will continue to compete in the First League, with the main priority of finding a new sponsor to return to the top. The story is painfully familiar: a club with decades of tradition falls not because of results, but because one sponsor leaves. How many clubs like this have to disappear from the elite before someone seriously speaks up about the financing of sport here at home?

Ohrid Lost Oriol Rey Morales - Wisla Plock Bought Out the Contract

Spanish handball player Oriol Rey Morales is no longer a member of GRK Ohrid. The club stresses that they did not want to part with one of their key defenders before the contract expired, but at the player's request an exit clause was activated. Polish champions Wisla Plock bought out the contract and Morales officially leaves Ohrid. „We thank Oriol for his dedication and contribution in the GRK Ohrid jersey and wish him success in the rest of his career", the statement reads. For a club that is only just entering a new European season, losing a key defender right now is a blow. The Polish clubs pay, ours see them off - and that direction of movement rarely changes.

Beach Handball: Poland and Hungary Take the EHF Championship

Familiar faces at the top of beach handball too. Poland and Hungary won the titles at the EHF Beach Handball Championship 2026 and with that completed the line-up for EHF EURO 2027. For Hungary it is a third consecutive title in the qualifying part - two years ago they beat France, and before that Poland too. The host of the next EURO will be Lithuania, and among those already qualified are Germany, Spain, Croatia, Hungary, France, Portugal, Denmark, Italy, as well as the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Turkey and Ukraine. Beach handball rarely produces titles for us, but the growth of the discipline in the Balkans - where there is both sun and courts - is a question worth raising.