German handball fans will remember the EHF EURO 2026 with great fondness. Head coach Alfred Gislason’s team battled its way through the tournament, defeating top nations such as France and Spain. In the end, Germany fell short against Denmark in the final but still secured the silver medal.

It was the second medal for the German national team within a short space of time. At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Germany came close to achieving the ultimate triumph, only to be stopped in the final — once again by Denmark. Now, the goal is clear: win gold at the World Championship 2027 on home soil. But Germany already faces several difficult opponents in preliminary round Group A.

Two Familiar Opponents and Two Ambitious Outsiders

The favourites in Group A are easy to identify. Germany is extremely well equipped across all positions, with several world-class players in the squad.
In attack, playmaker Juri Knorr pulls the strings. He is the creative leader of the team, a major scoring threat himself and also knows how to bring his teammates into play. Renārs Uščins at right back and line player Johannes Golla benefit particularly from Knorr’s vision.

Golla, the powerful MT Melsungen player, is extremely difficult to stop in attack. In defence, he organises the German block alongside defensive leader Tom Kiesler.
Behind them stands perhaps the most important player in the team: Andreas Wolff. The THW Kiel goalkeeper has produced outstanding performances for Germany for many years. He was named best goalkeeper of the tournament at the EHF EURO 2024 and 2026, as well as at the 2023 World Championship.
Wolff, Knorr and Golla unquestionably belong in the world-class category, while Uščins and Kiesler are well on their way to joining them. After winning two silver medals, the team now wants to claim gold on home soil.

On the road to the title, Germany will renew its rivalry with Serbia. The two teams already met in the preliminary round of the 2023 World Championship, when Germany won a dramatic contest 34:33. In 2026, they faced each other again in the preliminary round of a major tournament. On the second matchday of the EHF EURO 2026, Serbia gained revenge with a 30:27 victory, although the team was still eliminated in the preliminary round.

The teams are also familiar with each other beyond their recent encounters. Several Serbian players have previously competed in the Bundesliga, including Mijajlo Marsenić and Dejan Milosavljev. Together they played for the Füchse Berlin until summer 2026, when Milosavljev joined Industria Kielce. During seven years together, they won the German Championship and the DHB Cup and also reached the EHF Champions League final in 2025 and 2026.
Their quality has also made them indispensable pillars of the Serbian national team. They now hope to use their Bundesliga experience to challenge Germany once again in the preliminary round.

However, Serbia must not lose sight of the other two teams in Group A. Both have the potential to become dangerous obstacles.
Tunisia in particular will travel to Munich with plenty of confidence. Under head coach Thierry Anti, the team won silver at the most recent African Championship. Tunisia has lifted the continental trophy ten times in total, although its last title came more than eight years ago.

Mohamed Darmoul was not yet part of the team at that time. Today, the TVB Stuttgart playmaker is the central figure in Tunisia’s attack. He directs the offence, creates opportunities for his teammates and stands out with his dynamic one-on-one ability. That is exactly what Tunisia will rely on in January as it battles for a place in the Main Round in Cologne.

Reaching the Main Round would already represent a major success for the second outsider in Group A.
Uruguay has qualified for only its third Men’s World Championship, following appearances in 2021 and 2023. On its debut, the team even reached the Main Round. However, the match against Cape Verde was awarded 10:0 to Uruguay after Cape Verde’s players tested positive for coronavirus and were unable to compete.
The second appearance was far less successful. Uruguay finished the tournament in last place without a victory.
Now, the South Americans are back on the World Championship stage and hoping to secure their first win on the court.

A look towards 17 January

Uruguay’s first opportunity will come on 13 January at 17:30 against Serbia. It will be the opening match of the 30th IHF Men’s World Championship.
Germany then faces Tunisia at 8:30 pm. The North Africans enter the match as clear outsiders but will still be hoping to produce a major surprise. Two days later, Tunisia gets another chance to cause an upset when it opens the second matchday against Serbia at 6 pm. Germany then takes on Uruguay.
The group reaches its conclusion on 17 January. Tunisia and Uruguay meet at 6 pm in what could become a direct battle for a place in the Main Round.
Serbia and Germany close the preliminary round at 8:30 pm.

A preliminary round match against Serbia on 17 January may send a shiver down the spine of some German players and fans. Their previous EHF EURO meeting also took place on 17 January at 8:30 pm. Following the unexpected defeat, Germany was suddenly facing high prssure to perform against Spain, otherwise they would have been eliminated after the preliminary round. But the team recovered and, as is well known, fought its way to the final and secured the silver medal against Denmark. This time, Germany hopes to reach the final without  an early setback.

An overview of all remaining matches is available here.

SAP Garden – A Home for Sport

Germany will be supported in its mission by more than 10,000 handball fans inside Munich’s SAP Garden.
The state-of-the-art arena officially opened in 2024 and has quickly established itself as an outstanding venue for major sporting events. EHC Red Bull Munich ice hockey team and FC Bayern Munich Basketball both play their home matches there. Handball has also already arrived at the venue. Since 2025, the SAP Garden has hosted the Super Cup, featuring the league and cup winners in both the men’s and women’s competitions.

The first international handball match at the arena took place in November 2025, when Germany lost with 31:29 against Iceland.
In January, the team hopes to celebrate its first victory at the SAP Garden. And from the perspective of the German fans, two more should follow.