The Croatian men’s handball team continued its impressive 100% streak in the qualifications for the 2026 European Championship, with a convincing victory away to Belgium. In the 5th round game of Group 5, played in Hasselt, Croatia won with a score of 34:22 (16:8) and thus recorded its fifth victory in as many appearances.
Key details of the game:
Date and place: Hasselt, Belgium
Result: Belgium – Croatia 22:34 (8:16)
The best scorers in Croatia: Tin Lučin (6 goals), Mario Šoštarić (5), Diano Neris Ćeško (5)
Belgium’s best scorers: Raphael Kotters (6), Dree Riske (4),
Croatian goalkeepers: Dominik Kuzmanović (6 saves), Matej Mandić (5 saves)
Already in the first half, Croatia gained a significant advantage (16:8), and continued to maintain and increase the difference routinely. The 6-0 defense was the key to success, and coach Dagur Sigurdsson used the opportunity to rotate and rest key players.
| POSITION | TEAM | POINTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Hrvatska | 10 |
| 2. | Češka | 6 |
| 3. | Belgija | 2 |
| 4. | Luksemburg | 2 |
Even before this match, Croatia secured first place in the group and qualification to the European Championship, but continued with maximum performance.
This victory brings the opportunity to finish the qualification with all six victories, which has succeeded only once so far (in 2012). The next and last match of the qualification Croatia will play against Luxembourg in Rijeka.
The Croatian national handball team confirmed its favorite status and continued its winning streak in the qualifiers, demonstrating the breadth of the squad and the high level of play. The convincing victory in Belgium is another step towards a perfect qualification cycle and an additional motivation before the final match against Luxembourg.
