The Azerbaijan national handball team have defeated Malta 34-25 in qualifiers phase 1 of the Men’s EHF EURO 2026.

Azerbaijan will next take on Great Britain on January 14.

The winner of the qualification tournament still has a long way to go to reach the Men’s EHF EURO 2026. The next step is the promotion (formerly relegation) round, set to be played in January 2024, which will feature a total of eight teams.

The four winners of the promotion round will then move on to qualifiers phase 2, where they will join 32 teams qualifying from the Men’s EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers phase 2 and the EHF EURO Cup 2024. The three co-hosts of the EHF EURO 2026 – Denmark, Norway and Sweden – will qualify directly for the final tournament, alongside the EHF EURO 2024 champion.

A total of 24 teams will eventually compete in the final tournament in January 2026.

Source: AZERTAC, Azerbaijan State News Agency