The third round of matches in Group I of the main round of the 2026 European Handball Championship has concluded. The first participant in the semi-finals of the continental championship was determined based on its results.
Germany, having carried over two points from the previous round, entered the third round as the only undefeated team in Group I. Starting from the bottom, the Germans defeated Portugal (32:30) and Norway (30:28). In second and third place with four points were the reigning champions France and world ranking leaders Denmark, respectively.
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In the second round, Germany suffered their first defeat in the main stage — they lost to Denmark. After the defeat, the two-time European champions lost their lead in the standings, losing to Denmark. Thus, the world ranking leaders reached the interim first place in the group and guaranteed themselves a ticket to the Euro semi-finals ahead of schedule — they will not drop below second place according to the results of the last round.
Portugal and Norway ended their match in a draw (35:35) and lost their chances of reaching the semi-finals. France, on the other hand, sensationally lost points in the match against the group's outsider Spain – they suffered a defeat, but retained third place in the table. Therefore, Germany and France will play each other in the final round match for the second place in the playoffs.