HERNING/OSLO – Comments from players and coaches at media calls and photoshoots ahead of the Men's EHF EURO 2026.
FRANCE
Guillaume Gille (FRA) – France head coach
On France’s preparations for the EHF EURO:
“You are never really prepared for this kind of event. I don’t remember a competition where I arrived and said, OK, now we can play because we have done everything we wanted.
“We did a lot of work in the preparation, prepared for a lot of different scenarios. We played two interesting games last weekend, with two victories over Austria and Iceland. We are ready to start and excited.”
On playing against Czechia for the first game:
“First games, overall, are always something special. You need to find your feet, in a new arena, against a team that maybe you don’t know too well. Czechia can be a tough team to play against, they will give everything to beat us. We have a lot of confidence, but we play that first game with a lot of respect.”
On the absence of Nédim Rémili through injury:
“It is a huge blow for us, because Nédim is really important for us, both on and off the court. I won’t say it’s a blessing, but he was not playing in the preparation, so we had to find other solutions last weekend. Nédim is crucial in the way we play, but there is no use crying over spilled milk. We have to adapt, to move forward and to find solutions.”
Aymeric Zaepfel (FRA) – left back
On playing his first international competition:
“It is a huge honour and a huge pride to wear the France jersey in an international competition, especially a EURO. I am really motivated, really happy to be here and I will give the maximum to help the team, no matter how I can do it.”
On how he lived through the last 24 hours:
“It was an emotional rollercoaster. I was meant to go home after the preparation, the coach made that choice and I accepted it. I was disappointed, but that’s part of the game. But then, Nédim got injured and before I left, I stayed. It is hard to make the transition in the head between being ready to go home and ready to play at the EHF EURO, but I will try my best.”
On how it feels being part of the France team after watching games on TV for so long:
“There is a mental switch to do, not to be too wide-eyed and not to be a spectator of your own competition. It’s something that I have never done before, so I don’t know how things will happen. But it’s great, really, I am super excited to be here and I am sure I can bring something to the team.”
Melvyn Richardson (FRA) – right back
On finally being at the EHF EURO:
“When you train for 10 days, all you want is to be at the competition, and here we are. We are really excited, really looking forward to starting the competition. The journey to come to Oslo was a little bit hectic, but we feel ready and prepared to start the first game tomorrow.”
On France being the EHF EURO titleholders:
“Honestly, there has been so much water under the bridge that it quite does not feel like a thing. It was two years ago and we played two competitions since, a lot of the team changed since the EHF EURO.
“It’s more a thing for journalists, but I think that the handball map now is not the same as two years ago. Of course, we want to have another gold medal, and we will do everything it takes to be on top of the box.”
On playing against Czechia in the first group phase game:
“They can be a very dangerous team, we played against them not so long ago and they gave us some problems. They have a couple of experienced players, mixed with some talented players, but younger, so we have to be fully focus. It’s important to start the competition the best way to get things going and to gain a little more confidence.”
On the absence of Nédim Rémili and how this can affect his own role:
“We will see. Of course, it will change the dynamics of the team as Nédim is really important both off and on the court. Maybe I will have to play on the centre-back position, we will see. But it’s not important, we have a lot of solutions within the team and I am sure we can make things work during this competition.”
CZECHIA
Daniel Kubes (CZE) – Czechia head coach
On starting the tournament:
“There is a lot of excitement to reach a big tournament like this. The preparation went well, we did what we wanted, we had a good training camp at home and we won against Austria. We have a young team, but the players are hungry and that it is exactly what I want to see.”
On his experience at the EHF EURO as a player and how he can help his players with it:
“It’s completely different, and of course, you don’t learn those things just by clicking the fingers. It’s easier for me because I know the organisation, I know not to get angry or sad when things don’t work. But really, they are old guys, they are not too fussed by everything around.”
On starting the EHF EURO against France:
“It’s a good thing. They are one of the favourites of the tournament, it’s going to be one of the highlights for us playing against them.
“They are such a strong team, they are a team that everyone wants to watch. It’s a great opportunity for us to show what we can do and that we can look these players into the eyes.”
On having a young and unexperienced team:
“To me it’s a strength, as the players want to prove that they belong to this kind of level. This is how we work, with a young and talented generation. It’s the first experience at the EHF EURO for a lot of them, but they will learn, they will grow. I want them to approach the three games as any other game, just not to put themselves under too much pressure.”
Tomáš Mrkva (CZE) – goalkeeper
On the excitement ahead of the EHF EURO:
“There is a lot, like every time I have played this competition. It is an honour to represent my country here. I was in the team in 2018, when we reached the sixth place and missed the semi-finals by one point. I was also there in 2022 and 2024 when we did not reach the main round. I have been up and down at the EHF EURO, but I am very excited to be here.”
On whether he is using his experience to help his teammates:
“I don’t think they need much advice, but my door is always open if they want some. I am not the one to shout around, so I will try to lead by example more than anything. These guys have a lot of talent, they are hungry and they have everything they need to succeed.”
On playing against France for the first game:
“I think it’s a good thing, it will show us where we are and what we can expect. Maybe this will be the toughest match in the group, but we have to take advantage of the fact that they might not be fully ready yet. We had a great preparation, we are ready for the big fight.”
On the goals for Czechia in the EHF EURO:
“There are two. Of course, we would like to qualify for the main round, even if with Norway and France in the group, that seems difficult. But overall, I want us to play good handball and to stick together, no matter what happens. we are all on the same ship and let’s see how far we can sail.”
Tomáš Piroch (CZE) – right back
On the feelings after the preparation:
“It is actually very good. We played against Algeria in December, even though not with a full squad. And then we beat Austria, which was a good sign.
“We are a tough team to beat, with a lot of young players ready to fight. Of course, we might lack a little bit of experience, but we have been playing together for a long time, so we know our strengths. For some of us, this EURO will be the first experience, but they really want to show what they are capable of.”
On playing against France in the first game on Thursday:
“It’s a good thing, really. The game will be tough, because they have a lot of quality players, but so have we. We are not afraid, we just want to show our best face.”
On being one of the most experienced players in the squad:
“It’s something that I enjoy, I work with this role but I don’t take advantage of it. I am happy to be representing my country and I am motivated. And if I can help my teammates being motivated, so it’s perfect. I don’t give advice to anyone, if they have questions on how to negotiate around, of course, I can help.”
AUSTRIA
Iker Romero (ESP) – Austria head coach
On his first tournament as Austria head coach:
“I’m extremely happy and really looking forward to this first match — it’s great fun. The anticipation for the EHF EURO is enormous.”
On their opponents:
“I know the opponents and they know us. I know Germany and Spain very well; we all know exactly how the other teams play.”
On his new style with Austria:
“We’ll have to see — let yourselves be surprised. Our biggest advantage is the unity of the group. We have experience, we are a compact team. Little by little, I want to implement my philosophy.”
Nikola Bilyk (AUT) – left back
On the team’s current strengths and weaknesses:
“We’re extremely excited for the start; the waiting always feels far too long before tournaments like this — you’re so hyped for it.
“We have many strong qualities within the team. Our greatest strength is the passion we bring. Everyone is fully committed, everyone plays for each other and for Austria. Of course, there are definitely things we still need to improve. In the preparation matches, our back shift and attacking discipline didn’t always work well, and we need to take more responsibility with the ball.”
On the opponents in the preliminary round:
“It’s a very tough group, but every team in the group says that. There are many teams who have taken big steps forward in recent years. Spain and Germany are two teams who have been at the top for a long time, but every match will be a challenge for every team.”
On their chances of reaching the main round:
“If we didn’t believe that we could progress, we could just come with a reserve team. We’re convinced that, like at the last European championship, we can pull off a small miracle — that’s our goal.
“We know our qualities, we are a strong team, and we have to manage to bring those qualities onto the court. I’m convinced we can trouble any team. 2024 was a great tournament, but now we want to do even better in 2026.”
Sebastian Frimmel (HUN) – left wing
On the mood within the team:
“The anticipation is huge — we can hardly wait for the European championship to start. We’re extremely fired up and really looking forward to it.”
On the squad and the new coach:
“We’ve been together for a long time and know each other very well. With Iker (Romero), we’ve gained new impulses. The team cohesion and the atmosphere within the squad are excellent.”
On taking three points against Spain and Germany at the EHF EURO 2024:
“I hope that’s a good omen for this year, but it’s in the past – still, they’re great memories. We have to keep proving ourselves again and again.”
On the changes under Iker Romero:
“We don’t like to compare. We look back very fondly on the time with Pajo (Aleš Pajovič) and now look ahead to the future with Iker with excitement. He demands a lot of structure from us in defence. Everyone knows exactly what to do and what is expected of them – he’s very meticulous about that.”
On the match against Germany:
“There will be no secrets — we know each other very well. Every one of us knows the German team and their top Bundesliga players inside out. It will be an exciting and great match.”
DENMARK
Nikolaj Jacobsen (DEN) – Denmark head coach
On returning to Herning for another major championships:
“It feels great. It’s an amazing place for us, to be as a handballer. We won our first World Championships here in 2019, and played here last year (at the 2025 World Championship), six games which also was amazing.
“It’s like a little bit of coming home.”
On the boost Denmark will get from their home fans:
“Of course with this arena, with 15,000 Danish spectators it will give us a great boost. We’ve tried it before and they are ready to carry us on. There are some guys who were in ’19 here, and some who experienced it for the first time last year.
“With the home crowd we will get some extra per cent.”
On handling pressure of being the favourites:
“All players are so young. It’s only the media who are thinking about the EURO gold. They are all so young — it’s only Rasmus Lauge who was in 2012 — all the others are so young, so I don’t think they’re thinking of that.”
On the team’s strengths:
“The greatness of the team is that we have some really good players, we can play really fast. We have a great defence who is a really flexible defence. We can play a lot of different styles of defence.
“But I always say this team’s greatest thing is that you can see in the eyes of the players that they love to play handball. They have so much joy about playing handball, and have a lot of joy being together. That’s the best thing about this team, it’s the joy of playing handball.”
On the first match against North Macedonia on Friday:
“The first game’s always a little bit odd, because you have to come into the tournament. But we have now experience, and the 15,000 Danish spectators will help us a lot.
“They have a young team. We are big favourites, we know that, but the first team is always special. We are going in and we know what we have to do. We know we have to win nine games, the first one starts on Friday.
“We also know we have so much confidence, so we can look at ourselves and say if we play really good we are difficult to beat.”
On the ‘Founding Fathers’ documentary which aired on Tuesday 13 January:
“I haven’t seen it yet. Some of my friends wrote to me, and my wife, and said that it was really good.
“It’s always great to see some of the old guys. I have a lot of contact with some of the guys, with Lars Christiansen and Lasse Svan, all those guys.
“It was a great day to share some experience.”
Mathias Gidsel (DEN) – right back
On what they were working on during the preparation period:
“We have been working on quite a lot of things, a lot of new systems, and some things that we’re going to use. Some things that we’re not going to use, some are just directly thrown into the trash can again.
“Our strength is that we try to develop, even though we come here as world champions and Olympic champions we try to develop our game and to find new ways, new solutions, and make it more difficult for people to prepare on us.”
On why playing in Herning is special:
“We have an amazing support in Denmark. It’s always so loud, and the arena’s also amazing, built to this European championship with these standing stands behind the one goal. It’s not so normal to see that in handball and that makes the arena really special.
“The whole team are looking forward to coming in and feeling the energy; maybe some of the guys are a bit nervous to enter the arena on Friday, but also it’s going to be an amazing experience for the spectators, not only when they’re watching us, but the whole European tournament.”
On their first opponents, North Macedonia:
“We are well prepared. We know that always these kinds of teams makes it really difficult for you, they are playing really physical, even though we want to try to keep the pace high and play a little bit more fast speed handball, and not going so much into physical duels with them.
“For most of us it’s now come in Friday, feel the arena, feel the court, and get the most nervousness away and then we can focus on the rest of the tournament.”
On filming the ‘Founding Fathers’ documentary and discovering the evolution of Danish handball:
“That was mostly what I learned that day: I was a little bit surprised that there was a time when we didn’t play in the finals every weekend. That’s of course said with a little bit of a smile but also with the deepest respect for the work that’s been done before us.
“This generation, there’s been a lot of frustration I could feel from the guys that day. There’s also been a lot of failures but also some success. The guys — I never met them before — but it’s legends like Kasper Hvidt, Lars Christiansen and so on, that was the guys that made me dream about handball, made me play handball.
“So it was a pleasure to meet them, to hear about their experiences, and also to understand that this generation that we have is because of them. They have been doing a lot of good things for Danish handball, also tried some failures, and learned from that. That’s maybe the greatest thing to do in life, is to learn from mistakes.”
On what the Danish team learned from losing to France in the EHF EURO 2024 final:
“A lot of good things came out of that loss against France. We showed that directly after in the Olympics and the World Cup afterwards that we’d developed as a squad, as a team; played a completely different kind of handball when we’re looking back at the Europeans two years ago now.
“We sat together as a group after that final, and even though we were seconds from becoming European champions, we sat together and tried to figure out how we could go forward from here. We are now coming here now with a completely new way of playing, and also showed the last two tournaments that we are really competitive and have an amazing culture in this team.”
Simon Pytlick (DEN) – centre back
On being in Herning ahead of the EURO:
“It’s nice to be home again and to play in the (Jyske Bank) Boxen. We are looking forward to play on Friday and hopefully we’re going to get a nice kick from the fans. They are always with us and stand behind us.”
On their first opponents, North Macedonia:
“A young, good team, with a lot of good players. They are going to give all they have to see if they can make some pressure on us and play a good game.
“I think it’s going to be tough, and hopefully we can play a good match and be there from the start. They’ll give everything they have.”
On the Danish team spirit:
“It’s a little bit typical Danish that we’re a lot together. When we’re not playing handball, we’re sitting in a room together and we are playing some other kind of games, and playing cards, and playing table tennis. We are enjoying very much the time when we’re not playing handball, but we’re also enjoying when we’re playing handball. We have a good balance between those two things, and I think that’s one of the things that makes us special.”
On the tournament as a whole:
“Going into the court on Friday and feeling the atmosphere, and hopefully going to get a good start. Then I hope that we can build on something in this tournament and go all the way, and hopefully we can stand on the last day with something special.
“The most important is that we’re playing good as a team, and building on the system we’ve been training.”
Emil Nielsen (DEN) – goalkeeper
On the tournament ahead:
“I’m excited. It’s an important championship for us, we would like to have the treble — having the World Cup, having the Olympics and having the EUROs would be a big thing for us.
“We’re in Denmark, that’s a lot of pressure but we thrive on pressure and we’re just excited.”
On the team’s strengths:
“We’re very versatile. We have a little of everything. We have the speed, we have the physicality. We have a great defence, great attack, we’re a pretty complete team.
“If we play at the levels we want to reach then I do believe we have a pretty good chance of winning.
“Everyone here plays in a top club in Europe so we’re used to the pressure, and we enjoy it.”
On filming the ‘Founding Fathers’ documentary:
“It was great. Talking to the handball stars I’ve been watching as a kid was fun, it was a great experience. We can do a reunion at some point, in a few years.”
UKRAINE
Vadym Brazhnyk (UKR) – Ukraine head coach
On the importance of being at the EHF EURO:
“Of course, given the situation at home, with the war, it’s important to be here and to show that Ukraine are present at the highest level. We are among the best 24 teams in Europe, and for my players, most of them are young, and it will be a great opportunity to gather some experience.”
On playing against Norway for the first game of the group phase:
“It’s a very important day for us, almost like a fairy tale, to be able to play against Norway in Oslo. It’s a very nice arena, there will be a lot of people to see the game, so it is really an honour.”
On what Ukraine can hope for at the EHF EURO:
“We would like to win games, and to show a great face as well. We will show the maximum we can do, and we will see what happens.”
Ihor Turchenko (UKR) – left back
On arriving at the EHF EURO:
“All is good, we are really excited to be here and come back at the EURO. The start of the tournament will be tough, with a lot of fans cheering for Norway tomorrow, but it’s always great to play in this kind of atmosphere.”
On the progress Ukraine have made since 2022:
“A lot of our players play in the best leagues in the world and we have a lot of experience, even though we are very young. We want to develop even more being here, it’s important to grow as players to play on such big stages.”
On the game against Norway on Thursday:
“They play in front of their fans, it will be really crazy. They have so many good players, like Sander Sagosen and Tobias Grøndahl, but we have good players as well. This is the first game of the tournament, we will try to play our best. We are fully fit and we hope we can surprise them.”
On being the leader for Ukraine:
“Maybe I am the leader, seen from the outside, but also I am nothing without my teammates. I know I can take a lot of responsibilities, but I take my strength from my teammates. I don’t see myself as doing things on my own. When they tell me ‘Ihor, let’s go’, it just gives me an extra bit of focus.”
Andrii Akimenko (UKR) – right wing
On the importance of being at the EHF EURO:
“It’s amazing to be here, we feel really good. We had no problems coming here and we can not wait to get things started. It’s always good for a small handball nation like ours to be here, among the best teams, so we can make progress and show what we want to do.”
On the preparation Ukraine had prior to the EHF EURO:
“We had a week of training and working in Croatia, starting 2nd of January. It was tough, but exactly what we needed before the competition. Then we played the Yellow Cup in Switzerland, where we won one game but did give two good performances. Now we know what are the mistakes we made, where we have to be better and how we can make progress.”
On his personal experience from the EHF EURO 2020:
“It’s always good to know what to expect in this kind of tournament. Some of us play in big clubs in Europe, so that helps as well. Playing in front of so many people, that can be a bit frightening. The fact that I was here in 2020 at the EHF EURO already, it’s going to help me.”
On the game against Norway on Thursday:
“It’s going to be really tough, they will play in front of their fans, in a full hall, I expect a complicated game. But we will give everything, show the best face and we will see what happens.”
Photo © Kolektiff Images
TEXT:
European Handball Federation