The 17th Men’s European Handball Championship was jointly hosted by Denmark, Sweden and Norway between 15 January and 1 February 2026 under the organisation of the European Handball Federation -EHF- and the national federations of the three countries. During the tournament, the final weekend of the EHF EURO 2026 delivered particularly strong television audiences in several of its key markets.
The final between Denmark and Germany, played in Herning, was watched by 12.82 million viewers on ZDF, reaching a market share of 50.8 per cent. This marks the highest handball audience in Germany since the 2016 European Championship, when 12.98 million viewers followed Germany’s victory over Spain in Poland. In Denmark, TV2 reported that more than two million Danes tuned in for the closing stages of the final, with an average audience of 1.77 million and a market share close to 85 per cent. The semi-final against Iceland had already exceeded two million viewers at its peak.
In Croatia, the bronze medal match attracted 1.2 million viewers on RTL, with a 60 per cent share among the 18–59 target group. In Iceland, the semi-final against Denmark achieved an average audience share of 66.4 per cent on RÚV, the highest figure ever recorded for any sporting event in the country, surpassing the 62.4 per cent reached by Iceland vs Argentina at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The Croatia–Iceland bronze match (63.1 per cent) and Iceland–Slovenia (62.5 per cent) also exceeded that previous benchmark.
More than 1 billion global audience in 2024
The EHF EURO 2024, hosted in Germany, had already marked a significant step forward. The main round reached a cumulative live audience of over 45 million in key markets, according to Nielsen data. Germany’s semi-final against Denmark drew nearly 9.7 million viewers, while the Germany–Hungary main round match attracted 8.4 million. In Denmark, the clash against Norway reached 1.47 million viewers on TV2, representing almost a 75 per cent market share.
The 2024 final was watched by 5.27 million viewers on TF1 in France, where the national team claimed the title, and nearly 1.7 million on TV2 in Denmark. The tournament surpassed 1 billion in cumulative global audience across all stages. In direct comparison, Germany’s 2026 final figure (12.82 million) exceeds the 2024 semi-final audience (9.7 million), underlining the upward trend in one of handball’s most important television markets.
Comparison with the 2022 edition
The EHF EURO 2022 had already produced solid ratings. In Sweden, the final against Spain peaked at 2.1 million viewers on TV6, ranking among the channel’s most-watched sporting events. In Spain, more than 1.7 million viewers followed the final on TVE, representing a 13.6 per cent market share. In Germany, national team matches averaged nearly five million viewers during the main round, with a peak of 5.1 million against Austria.
In Denmark, the main round victory over Croatia achieved a 72 per cent share, while in Hungary, 2.7 million viewers tuned in, equivalent to 31.5 per cent of the population. The tournament was broadcast in 114 countries worldwide, and EHFTV surpassed one million views, with over 400,000 unique users watching live matches and nine million minutes of video consumed.
The evolution
Looking at the progression by country, the growth is evident. In Germany, the figures moved from a 5.1 million peak in 2022 to 9.7 million in 2024 and 12.82 million in the 2026 final. In Denmark, market share increased from 72 per cent in 2022 to 75 per cent in 2024 and 85 per cent in 2026. In Croatia, share rose from above 50 per cent in 2022 to 60 per cent in 2026 for the bronze medal match. In Iceland, the 66.4 per cent recorded in 2026 represents a national all-time high for any televised sporting event.
From a structural perspective, live coverage of the EHF EURO 2026 was secured in more than 70 territories under a distribution model with a strong free-to-air presence, coordinated by Infront, the media and marketing partner of the European Handball Federation (EHF). EHF Secretary General Martin Hausleitner stated: “These figures are absolutely spectacular and underline the growing appeal of our sport. National team events such as the EHF EURO have an unmatched emotional impact and foster national unity.”
Jens Mennigmann, Co-Head of Media at Infront, added: “These audiences underline the enduring strength of handball on broadcast. Our focus was on building a distribution model that delivers both scale and relevance, and the results speak for themselves.” Across the 2022, 2024 and 2026 editions, television data shows a consistent upward trajectory in several of Europe’s key handball markets.
