Live blog: More thrilling matches underway

• day 3 of the Men's EHF EURO 2026 preliminary round
• at 18:00 CET, Austria vs Spain, Ukraine vs France, Croatia vs Georgia
• at 20:30 CET, Serbia vs Germany, Czechia vs Norway, Sweden vs Netherlands
• read the day preview
• find out how to follow the men's EHF EURO online, on TV and on social media
• vote for the Player of the Match on the Home of Handball app, 15 minutes before each game's final whistle

Saturday 17 January

17:40

Expectations are always high for Croatia. Off the back of last year's world silver medal, how will they do at the EURO? Wing Filip Glavaš is feeling confident ... 

17:30

A few facts ahead of the evening's action:

• several players from several teams are showing their longevity and success tonight, surpassing or equalling the greats of their nations in terms of the number of EHF EURO matches played. Notably, Sander Sagosen will play his 42nd EHF EURO game, more than any other male Norwegian
• other landmarks to look out for: Aleix Gómez's 100th EHF EURO goal (he needs just one); Hampus Wanne's 100th EURO goal (he needs five); Ivan Martinović's 50th EURO goal (he needs three); Austria's 1,000th EURO goal (they need 16)
• if France beat Ukraine, it is their 75th EHF EURO victory. On the other hand, if Ukraine win, that would be both their first victory over France, and their first EHF EURO win in 20 years

17:00

An hour now until throw-off. Let's hope for more goals like this one!

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16:45

Warm-up routines are beginning in all three venues. We're in the Jyske Bank Boxen watching Spain and Austria; Spain are playing football again, and there's appears to be a rule that if you lose the ball you have to do some press-ups. Marcos Fis, who since his impressive debut against Serbia has been compared several times to Spanish footballer Lamine Yamal, should maybe stick to handball ...

16:00

Almost time for us to head over to the Boxen for tonight's games, so before then, here's the Stat of the Day. We're expecting both group C games tonight to be fast and high-scoring again!

15:15

Norway are back on court tonight, but they've warmed up bodies and mind with a few fun games before taking on Czechia!

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14:45

The teams entering round 2 tonight are all keenly aware of how important two points might be to their chances. Expect energy from start to finish!

14:15

Georgia open their EHF EURO 2026 tonight against Croatia, in what will be a challenging match for a side with just three matches' worth of European championship experience. Two years ago in Mannheim, in their final preliminary round match, Georgia took on Bosnia and Herzegovina. In a tight game, with the score only 9:9 at half-time, goalkeeper Zurab Tsintsadze shone. Not only did he rack up seven saves, but he also made a fantastic dash with the ball and almost scored, before surrendering the ball to a teammate to score. 

EHF journalist Danijela Vekić caught up with Tsintsadze and his teammates before the start of their tournament: it's a great read!

13:45

As well as the top five saves, check out yesterday's top five goals. There were lots of them - including 81 between Slovenia and Montenegro - and the selection has everything, from long-range efforts beating the defence, to clever wing shots, and the last one is simply magical. Watch to see who scored it!

13:30

It has not yet been a vintage tournament for the goalkeepers, with several really high-scoring games and fast-paced attacks making the shot-stoppers' lives tricky. However, Hungary's Kristóf Palasics became the first goalkeeper to receive the Grundfos Player of the Match award last night with an impressive save efficiency of almost 40 per cent. Switzerland's Nikola Portner also made 13 saves, while Andreas Wolff (Germany) and Emil Nielsen (Denmark) were reliably effective too in their first games. 

So we still have some excellent saves to share with you in the top 5 saves of day 2!

13:00

Germany are staying in Silkeborg, and on yesterday's rest day they organised a fan day for the many German fans who have travelled to Denmark to support their team. The day included a talk with retired German players Sven-Sören Christophersen and Oliver Roggisch, as well as current women's national team member Katharina Filter. There was also a meet-and-greet session as well as other activities. It was really well-attended and everyone seemed to have a great time - we're sure the fans will bring the same energy to the Jyske Bank Boxen this evening!

12:30

Check out our preview of the evening's games. Some fun facts: 

• Austria are looking for only their 10th ever EHF EURO win
• Germany have never lost an official match against Serbia, and France have never lost at the EHF EURO against Ukraine
• Sander Sagosen (assuming he plays) will become the Norwegian player with the most EHF EURO games today
• Georgia's Giorgi Tskhovrebadze plays for HC Zagreb in Croatia, so will know today's opponents well
• Sweden beat the Netherlands 29:28 when they met in group E at the EHF EURO 2024 - will the result be the same tonight?

12:00

It's the weekend! And that means we're expecting plenty of fans later on in Herning, Oslo and Malmö for today's games.

Group E in Malmö play their first matches. World silver medallists Croatia open their campaign against Georgia, who are in their second EHF EURO ever, and the second in a row. Then co-hosts Sweden start against the Netherlands: a clash which promises to be one of the most exciting of the day.

Over in Herning, it's an important day for the teams in group A. Austria and Serbia lost close games on Thursday against Germany and Spain respectively, and know that defeat today could end their chances of progression. But there wasn't much in either game on Thursday, so another two tight matches are definitely on the cards. 

In Oslo, France and Norway both secured big wins in round 1, against Czechia and Ukraine. If both win again tonight, the main round beckons.

But let's start with a look back to last night, when the Faroe Islands and Switzerland drew in a thriller, and Slovenia and Montenegro broke the record for the most goals scored in a Men's EHF EURO match. Watch (or listen) to 'The Spin' for their analysis!