Sweden Faces Slovenia in Crucial 2026 European Handball Championship Main Round Clash

Sweden and Slovenia meet in a pivotal main round match of the 2026 European Handball Championship on January 23 at Malmö Arena. The game, set for 20:30 and broadcast on Viaplay Sport and TV10, marks a win-or-go-home scenario for both teams in this highly competitive phase of the tournament.

Sweden enters the match with strong confidence after performing well in the group stage. They are narrowly approaching a major milestone, needing just nine goals to reach 3,000 cumulative goals in European Championship history, having currently scored 2,991 over 108 matches with an average of 27.69 goals per game.

Goalkeeper Andreas Palicka is on the brink of equaling the Swedish record for most European Championship appearances if he plays tonight; he would reach his 40th match, tying legends Tomas Svensson and Magnus Wislander. Palicka is also notable for being the highest-scoring Swedish goalkeeper in the competition, having netted 21 goals.

Slovenia, coached by Uros Zorman—who holds the record for most European Championship matches for Slovenia with 41—remains a formidable and unpredictable opponent. However, Slovenia will face this match without key player Matic Suholeznik, who is suspended following a red card in a previous game.

Historically, Sweden has edged Slovenian contests with 12 wins, 3 draws, and 7 losses across 22 encounters. The goal tally across these matches slightly favors Slovenia, 594 to 578. The first meeting took place in 1994, with Sweden winning, while their most recent encounter was a loss for Sweden at the Paris Olympics.

This match in Malmö is crucial as both teams vie to advance further in the European Championship main round, where every match outcome is decisive.