North Macedonia launch Euro 2028 qualifying campaign against Luxembourg and Greece

North Macedonia's men's handball team has opened a new qualifying cycle for the European Championship 2028, aiming to continue a decade-long streak of appearances at major tournaments. The campaign starts with two matches in the opening rounds against Luxembourg at home and a trip to Greece.

Federation president Aleksandar Stefanov set out the expectations and the plan ahead of the qualifiers on 15.10.2026, stressing continuity and public engagement.

"We gathered two weeks before the start of the qualifiers for Euro 2028, we have two matches ahead of us, one at home with Luxembourg followed by the away fixture in Greece. Coach Lazarov will announce the roster next week, and I will briefly say that we will do everything so that it becomes common practice in the future — to hold a press conference where we will speak about our plans and ambitions. We play in a group in which Sweden is the favorite, Greece is a rival that is tricky, which has shown in the last two years that it can compete with serious national teams, but I believe that we are a more experienced selection with one of the best coaches in Macedonia, so we expect a victory in Greece as well, we are not going with a white flag, we consider ourselves higher quality. Naturally, we expect qualification for Euro 2028, I hope that everything will be in the best order, the players will be healthy and we will bring joy to the whole of Macedonia," Stefanov said.

Coach Lazarov: selection will be competitive, Greece will be a tough test

Head coach Kiril Lazarov warned that competition for places will be high and that the team will not underestimate any opponent.

"I plan the roster for the beginning of next week, we are following all handball players, so we will not rush with the shortened list. We will not rush, the competition for every place in the team is big. We will not underestimate anyone, not even Luxembourg, which appointed Didier Dinart, the legendary Frenchman, as a serious coach. As for the duel with Greece, it will be a real, tough match only for players with character. The Greeks showed with the win over the Netherlands and qualification for the World Championship that they made a big surprise and demonstrated quality. That will be a real test for us, we will prepare well, as we showed in the playoff with Slovakia; we need to continue at the same and an even better pace in the period ahead," Lazarov said at today’s press conference.

Earlier reports also noted that Horicha has received the green light and will wear the North Macedonia jersey.

Photo: press material from the event