European Handball Championships: Game on for the French men’s team!

Les Bleus, who will be entering the competition on Thursday, January 15, with a match against the Czech Republic, will be pursuing a single objective: defend their reigning title!

The French team flew to Oslo earlier this week for the 17^th edition of the European Championship being held from January 15 to February 1^st, co-hosted in three different countries: Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. Having been crowned European champions in 2024, the men coached by Guillaume Gille's will be entering the competition on Thursday, January 15, at 6 p.m. with a match against the Czech Republic for their first encounter in the preliminary round.

The French team shows immense potential thanks to its well-balanced squad of seasoned veterans and new recruits. Experienced leaders such as Ludovic Fabregas, team captain boasting a total of 164 caps, and Melvyn Richardson (113 caps), are joined by up-and-coming players such as Aymeric Zaepfel and Vincent Kieffer, who have a combined total of five caps between them.

Initially, the French team will be chasing a single goal: to be one of the top two teams in their group, a result that will enable them to move on to the preliminary round. But their ambition doesn't stop there! If the French are able to add a further goal medal to their incredible list of achievements, they will equal the record currently held by Sweden.

The Caisse d'Epargne, a visible partner

The Caisse d'Epargne, a major partner of the French Handball Federation since January 2015, will be the French team's number one supporter throughout the competition, sponsoring all the matches involving Les Bleus and supporting them with a presence both before and after each game. Not to mention the Twitter Esprit Handball feed and the Facebook page Esprit Handball Caisse d'Epargne, where you can follow the matches live and get all the latest news about the French handball teams.

The French team's schedule

The Men's EHF Euro 2026 features 24 national teams divided into six groups of four competing in a preliminary round. The top two teams from each group in this preliminary round advance to two main round groups of six, and the top two teams from each of these groups then qualify for the semi-finals and, subsequently, the final played on February 1^st.

Preliminary round:

• France - Czech Republic, January 15, 6 p.m
• Ukraine - France, January 17, 6 p.m.
• France - Norway, January 19, 8:30 p.m.

All preliminary round matches will be broadcast live on the encrypted TV channel beINSport. Note that from the main round onwards, all French team matches will also be broadcast in open access on France Télévision.