Alanya awaits exciting start to the Men's Beach Handball EURO 2025

GROUP A

Teams: Croatia, Poland, Denmark, Malta

Led by four-time European and world champions Croatia, group A promises to be a showcase of the very best that beach handball has on offer. The line-up for the group includes 2019 and 2021 champions Denmark and last year’s EHF Championship gold medallists Poland also in the mix, while unheralded Malta hope to spring a surprise.

Can Croatia get back on the throne after 10 years? Their European reign, which included four straight titles between 2009 and 2015, ended when they hosted the championships in Zagreb in 2017. They returned to the final in 2021, losing to Denmark, but finished only seventh in Nazaré two years ago — their worst EURO result since placing 12th back in 2002. Don’t think Croatia are on the decline, though, as they have since added another world title — in 2024 in China, where they defeated Denmark in the final.

Croatia’s struggles to add another European title are down to the immense density at the top level, of which Denmark are very much part. Always a stronghold of European beach handball, both on national team and club level, the Scandinavians have been to the semi-finals in each of the last three EURO events, lifting the trophy twice and earning bronze two years ago.

The semi-finals are a place where Poland finally want to be as well. They have had several quarter-final appearances at previous European championships but have not managed to improve from their best outing so far, when they came sixth in 2009. With a squad that has been rejuvenated in recent years, and with the confidence-boosting victory at the EHF Beach Handball Championship 2024, Poland hope that 2025 will be their year. 

Malta were also part of the EHF Championship last year and now hope to gain experience at the highest level in what will be their first appearance at the EURO.

GROUP B

Teams: Germany, Czechia, Portugal, Türkiye

Excitement is guaranteed in group B, where two teams that look like favourites on paper — Germany and Portugal — need to be wary of the power of the two other teams, including hosts Türkiye, who are ready to shine on the big stage in their home tournament.

Germany won silver in the early years of the Beach Handball EURO, then completely disappeared in the first half of the 2010s. But after the outdoor variant was put back onto the map in handball-crazy Germany, the team has been slowly working their way back ever since. A sixth-place finish in Stare Jablonki in 2019 indicated they were back at the elite level, but it took them until the event in Nazaré in 2023 to finally step back onto the podium and collect yet another silver medal, having lost the final to Hungary. 

Germany confirmed their status amongst the leading nations when they reached the semi-finals of the World Championship in China last year. They ultimately lost the bronze medal match against… Portugal, a team they will meet again at this EURO. Playing a prominent role in the various European club tournaments, Portugal have failed to produce a similar impact with their national team. But hosting the EHF Beach Handball EURO 2023 in Nazaré provided the perfect stage and in front of their home crowd, they made it all the way to the semi-finals for the first time, while youngster Gabriel Conceição received the MVP award. Winning bronze at the 2024 World Championships will certainly give Portugal’s confidence a further boost coming into the 2025 European championship.

EURO debutants Czechia are up for a challenging task if they want to reach the quarter-finals. Apart from Germany and Portugal, their opponents also include another experienced side, Türkiye. Just like Portugal two years ago, Türkiye want to build on the advantage of playing on home sand and try to relive some of the
team’s old glory, as they won two bronze medals in the past but have failed to achieve similar results in recent times.

GROUP C

Teams: Spain, Sweden, France, Bulgaria

Evergreen Spain — only one of two nations to have competed in all 14 EURO events so far (including 2025) — headline what looks like a well-balanced group C, with Sweden and France as strong contenders and Bulgaria making a return to the top level in beach handball.

Always a force to be reckoned with, Spain are going for what would be their record-equalling fourth European title. After winning two of the first four championships, in 2002 and 2006, they last lifted the trophy in 2017. Adding to their three golds are silver medals from 2000 and 2015, and a bronze from
2011. In the 13 events so far, Spain have appeared in the semi-finals no fewer than eight times but just missed out on doing so in 2023, when they were beaten 2:1 by hosts Portugal. Spain also just failed to make the semis of the World Championships last year, edged out 2:1 by Germany in the quarter-finals.

Expectations are also high in Sweden, despite their lack of a triumphant Beach Handball EURO history, with just one quarter-final from their 10 previous appearances. However, their under-17 team won the YAC EURO a couple of years ago, so the potential to finally take that next step and return to the business end of the tournament is certainly there.

The same goes for France, who were quarter-finalists at two of the last three championships but failed to qualify among the best eight teams in Nazaré two years ago. Their seventh places from 2019 and 2021 remain the team’s best ever results, since they had never had a top-10 finish before, but they will be eager to book their place in the quarter-finals again this time.

Bulgaria are making a return to the EURO four years after hosting the 2021 edition in Varna. And with 16 teams on the starting grid this time, they are guaranteed to improve from their 18th-place finish at their home event four years ago.

Group D

Teams: Hungary, Norway, Ukraine, Italy

Four of the most experienced teams in EHF Beach Handball EURO history gather in group D, as all of them have competed in at least 12 of the 14 events so far (including 2025), and three of them have won medals in the past. This group will be no walk in the park for defending champions Hungary, who meet tough challengers Norway, Ukraine, and Italy in a hard-to-predict group.

Hungary climbed onto the throne for the first time in Nazaré two years ago, winning their fifth EURO medal in total — but first in gold. They had previously played and lost one final — in 2006, against Spain. Their incredible track record has seen them reach at least the quarter-finals of almost every EURO since 2006, with their ninth place in Varna in 2021 the only exception. Hungary are eager to go deep into the tournament again, and the future of the sport in the country looks very promising with their under-16 team landing the European title in Varna last year.

Norway have been among the top eight teams in the last eight European championships but have finished in the medal ranks only once – in 2019, when they lost the all-Scandinavian final against Denmark. Two years later, they ran into Croatia in the quarterfinals, and in 2023 their run ended in the same round following another defeat against Denmark.

There has never been an EURO without Ukraine, and 2025 is no exception. Ukraine lost in the quarter-finals two years ago against eventual champions Hungary, after coming a bit under the radar at the previous two EURO events, placing 12th in 2019 and 14th in 2021. But Ukraine have been among the strongest forces from the start, earning bronze in 2000 and 2015 and appearing in two more semi-finals in-between.

The only team in this group yet to win a medal are Italy, who have not been in the quarter-finals again since hosting the inaugural 2000 championship, where they placed fifth. But they finished ninth in Nazaré in 2023 and are eager to take the next step in Alanya this year.

Photos © Uros Hocevar / kolektiff, Jozo Cabraja / kolektiff