Denmark beat Germany to return to the top of Europe for the first time in 14 years.
Denmark defeated Germany 34-27 in the final of the 2026 European Men’s Handball Championship at Jyske Bank Boxen in Henning, Denmark, on the 1st (local time). As a result, Denmark won the European Championship trophy for the third time in 14 years since 2012.
The game was fierce from the beginning. In the 14th minute of the first half, Germany’s Tom Kiesler received a direct red card for committing a rough foul on Mathias Gidsel. Denmark finished the first half with a slight 18-16 lead, with the backcourt triangle following Simon Pytlick, Thomas Arnoldsen and Guisele scoring 12 of the 18 goals in the first half.
사진 확대 Photo 2026 Denmark Wins European Men’s Handball Championship Photo Source = European Handball Federation
In the second half, Germany tried to counterattack with goalkeeper Andreas Wolff’s good defense, but Denmark also did not give up the flow as Kevin ø made a series of decisive saves. With about two minutes left before the end, Emil Nielsen blocked Nils Lichtlin’s 7-meter draw, and Niklas Kirkel ø scored a fastball to make it 31-27, effectively sealing the game.
The top scorer in the final was Pitlick, who scored eight goals, and Germany struggled with five goals each by Marko Grgicé, Johannes Golla and Juri Knorr. In the goal, Möller was named the man of the match with eight saves, and Germany’s Wolf also showed his presence with 14 saves.
Denmark’s Giselle won the MVP of the tournament. Gisele scored a total of 68 goals in the tournament, setting a new record for the most goals scored in a single European championship. This is more than the 65 goals set by Sander Sagosen in 2020. In addition, Rasmus Lauge of Denmark was the only remaining member of the 2012 championship to win his second European championship gold medal.
Denmark has recently shown its strongest performance on the world stage, including four consecutive World Championships and Olympic gold, but at the European Championships, it was regrettable that it was eliminated from the 2020 finals, a bronze medal in 2022, and a silver medal in 2024. Several players also left the tournament due to injuries, but after losing to Portugal in the preliminary round, he beat France to turn the mood around and eventually reached the top with eight wins in nine games.
Denmark’s coach Nikolaaj Jacobsen told the European Handball Federation, “It was a tough tournament as I had high expectations, but the players remained focused until the end. The final score difference can make the game look easy, but in reality, it was a fierce match where the result was unknown until four to five minutes before the end,” he said.
German coach Alfred Gislason said, “Denmark fully deserved the win. We improved every game, and we were disappointed in only one game,” he said, acknowledging his opponent’s victory.
[Kim Yongpil, MK Sports Reporter]