The reigning European handball champion, the French national team, failed to reach the semifinals of the tournament. In the last match of the main round of Euro 2026, the French lost to the German national team (34:38).
The French and German national teams came into the match on the back of defeats: the French lost to Spain, and the Germans to Denmark. Thanks to these results, Denmark guaranteed itself a place in the semi-finals of the Euro in advance, while France and Germany determined the winner of the second place in the play-offs in the decisive match of the main round of the championship.
Suspilne Sport is the official broadcaster of the Euro 2026 handball championship in Ukraine. Watch the matches live on the Suspilne Sport platforms and local Suspilne channels.
How did the match between France and Germany go?
- The teams were tied at 7:7 until the score was 7:7. After that, Germany took the initiative in the game and scored four goals against their opponents by the middle of the half. As a result, this advantage remained for the entire 30 minutes.
- At the start of the second half, Germany's lead grew to five goals, but in the second 30-minute period, the defending champions were able to get back into the game, reducing the deficit to one goal with 12 minutes left in the game.
- However, the French team was never able to turn the tide of the game in its favor, and the match ultimately ended with the victory of the German team — 38:34.
- The most productive player of the match was the right winger of the French national team, Dicka Mem, who scored 11 goals.
This means that France will not be playing in the semi-finals of the tournament for the first time since the 2020 European Championship. Germany, on the other hand, has reached the semi-finals of the Euro Handball Championship for the second time in a row after finishing fourth at the 2024 home tournament.
If Denmark wins the game against Norway, Germany will face Iceland in the semi-finals, which is the first time in 16 years that they have reached the semi-finals of the tournament.