The Ukrainian handball team, despite losing in the final round of the qualifying stage, managed to secure a spot in the 2026 European Championship. This was made possible by the results of the last matches in the qualifying group, which allowed the team to rise to third place and qualify for the continental forum.
This is reported by Kyiv24
How Ukrainian Handball Secured Its Spot
According to reports, the Ukrainian team, after losing to the Netherlands with a score of 27:35, had no chance of finishing in first or second place in their group. However, to guarantee their passage to Euro 2026, the Ukrainians needed either to avoid losing to the Faroe Islands, whom they had already defeated in the second round (35:32), or to watch Kosovo lose in their match against the Netherlands.
In the end, in a parallel game between the Netherlands and Kosovo, the Dutch secured a victory with a score of 34:29. This allowed Ukraine to finish in third place in their qualifying group, surpassing their rivals on goal difference and advancing to Euro 2026 from the last qualifying spot.
“The Ukrainian handball team managed to qualify for Euro 2026, despite losing in their final qualifying match.”