The European Women’s Handball Championship qualifiers will have their draw on March 20 in Cluj-Napoca. The Montenegrin national team is set to be drawn from the first pot, according to an announcement from the European Handball Federation (EHF).

A total of 24 teams will be involved in the qualifiers, with eight teams already confirmed.

The other 16 will be determined after the qualifiers conclude.

This draw will establish six qualifying groups, each consisting of four teams.

The two teams finishing first in each group, along with the four best third-placed teams, will qualify for the EHF Euro 2026.

In addition to Montenegro, the first pot includes France, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, and Spain.

The second pot features Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, Switzerland, Serbia, and Iceland, while the third pot includes North Macedonia, Ukraine, Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Kosovo. The fourth pot consists of the Faroe Islands, Finland, Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lithuania, and Belgium.

The first qualifying round is scheduled for October 15-19 this year.

The 2026 European Championship will take place from December 3 to 20 across Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Turkey.

All five host nations have already earned their spots in EHF Euro 2026, along with the top three teams from EHF Euro 2024: Norway (champion), Denmark (runner-up), and Hungary (bronze medalist).

These eight teams will participate in the EHF Euro Cup during the qualifiers.

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