The French handball team set a record for the number of defeats in the main round at the 2026 European Championship.
France was eliminated from the Euro 2026 handball championship after the main round. In the decisive match, the French lost to Germany (34:38).
It was the defending champions' third defeat in the main round of the competition. The French entered the main round with three wins in the preliminary stage of the competition, but then lost three of their four matches: to Denmark (29:32), Spain (32:36) before losing to Germany.
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.
Overall, it was only the second time France had lost three main round matches at a major tournament, the first time it had happened since the 1961 World Cup.
France is a four-time winner of the European Handball Championship. The team won the title in 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2024. In total, the French have appeared at the Euros 16 times, making their debut at this level in 1994.
How did you react to the defeat in the French national team?
Guillaume Gilles, head coach of France in handball : “No matter how difficult this main group was, the result is clear. And it's disappointing because we at least wanted a medal. We didn't manage to play better to reach the semi-finals, playing against Germany, who played an incredible match. The defeat against Spain was a real blow for us, but even with that we fought to reach the semi-finals.”
Dika Mem, right-back for France: “Our first half wasn't good enough, we were four points down at half-time because of stupid mistakes, substitutions and stuff. They scored a few easy goals, we managed to come back to one point, but we weren't effective enough at both ends of the pitch to equalise. We'll keep improving. Of course we didn't qualify and we're sad. But the only way forward for us is to keep working, to keep moving forward, because we saw at this Euro that other teams are working hard too.”
Ludovic Fabregas, France lineman: “It's hard to accept [the result], but when you lose three games in the main round, you probably don't deserve more. We knew before the main round that some teams would be disappointed, given the high level of play. But that didn't change our expectations. Our expectations don't change depending on who we play against. And it's hard to accept that we're not doing well.”
The group stage matches have drawn the semi-final pairs: Germany will face Croatia, while Denmark will face Iceland. The matches for this stage will take place on Friday, January 30.