The 2026 European Men's U-18 Handball Championship, commonly referred to as the M18 EHF Euro 2026, was the 15th edition of the EHF European Men's U-18 Handball Championship, the biennial international under-18 men's handball championship of Europe organized by EHF. It was hosted by Serbia from 29 July to 9 August 2026, marking the first time the event was held in the country. The tournament was played in Belgrade.
24 teams participated for the second time, following the expansion in 2024. This tournament also served as a qualifier for the 2027 IHF Men's U19 Handball World Championship in an unknown country.
Sweden are the defending champions, having beaten Denmark in the 2024 final in Podgorica.
Bidding process
On 13 December 2024, at a meeting in Vienna, the hosting rights were awarded to Serbia.https://www.eurohandball.com/en/news/en/exec-confirms-ehf-youth-club-handball-competition-as-of-2025/EHF Meeting page 10 This will be the first time Serbia hosts the tournament, although it previously organised the 2004 edition as Serbia and Montenegro.
Quotes
Format The tournament consisted of three phases: The first two were played in a round-robin-groups format. The third phase was played in a playoff format with consolations.
In the First phase, 24 teams were drawn into six groups of four.
The top two teams from each group advanced to the Main round. The third- and fourth-placed teams advanced to the Intermediate round.
In the Second phase, all teams were again divided into groups of four, but this time, against the teams that advanced to the same round as them. Each separate round (Main and Intermediate) was played by 12 teams, divided into three groups of four.
In the Main round, the top two teams from each group and the best two third-placed teams advanced to the quarterfinals. The other four teams advanced to the 9th–16th place playoffs. In the Intermediate round, the winners of each group and the best second-placed team advanced to the 9th–16th place playoffs. The other eight teams advanced to the 17th–24th place playoffs.
In the Third phase, the teams were divided into three playoff tiers of eight teams each, with each team playing three more matches there. Each of the three playoffs consisted of four quarterfinals, two semifinals, two consolation semifinals, and four final placement matches.
The format changed from the previous edition. This new format was previously adopted in the 2025 women's under age European Championships.EHF Meeting page 3
Qualification Competition Dates Host Vacancies Qualified Host nation 13 December 2024 Vienna 1 Men's 18 EHF EURO 2024 7–18 August 2024 12 Qualifiers31 October – 2 November 2025 Çankaya2 Schaffhausen2 Šaľa2 Luxembourg City2 Klaipėda2
Venues All three venues are located in Belgrade.https://zurnal.politika.rs/scc/clanak/202400/rukomet/reprezentacija/srbija-domacin-evropskog-prvenstva-2026https://vecernjenovosti.ba/314335/sport/srbija-domacin-evropskog-prvenstva-2026-beograd-ce-ugostiti-najbolje-kadetske-reprezentacije/
Sportski Centar "Voždovac"Capacity: 4,738 CCS ŠumiceCapacity: 2,000 Aleksandar Nikolić HallCapacity: 8,000
Draw The draw was held on 24 February 2026 in Vienna. Pot 1Pot 2Pot 3Pot 4
Preliminary round Tiebreakers In the group stages (preliminary and main rounds), teams are ranked according to points (2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If two or more teams have the same number of points, the ranking will be determined as follows: During the round matches Superior goal difference from all group matches; Higher number of goals scored in all group matches; Alphabetical order. After completion of the round matches Highest number of points in matches between the teams directly involved; Superior goal difference in matches between the teams directly involved; Highest number of goals scored in matches between the teams directly involved; Superior goal difference in all matches of the group; Highest number of plus goals in all matches of the group; If the ranking of one of these teams is determined, the above criteria are consecutively followed until the ranking of all teams is determined. If no ranking can be determined, a decision shall be obtained by EHF through drawing of lots.
Group A
Group B
Group C
Group D
Group E
Group F
Intermediate round Group I
Group II
Group III
Ranking of second-placed teams
Main round Group I
Group II
Group III
Ranking of third-placed teams
17th–24th place playoffs
17th–24th place quarterfinals
21st–24th place semifinals
23rd place match
21st place match
17th–20th place semifinals
19th place match
17th place match
9th–16th place playoffs
9th–16 place quarterfinals
13th–16th place semifinals
15th place match
13th place match
9th–12th place semifinals
11th place match
9th place match
Championship playoffs
Quarterfinals
5th–8th place semifinals
7th place match
5th place match
Semifinals
Third place game
Final
Final standings
RankTeam456789101112
RankTeam131415161718192021222324
Awards Award Player Most Valuable Player Best Defence Player Topscorer (97 goals)
All-Star Team Position Player Goalkeeper Right wing Right back Centre back Left back Left wing Pivot
References
External links
Official website