North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia to bid jointly for EHF Euro 2034
Three federations plan to split groups between them and have Serbia host the final weekend; formal bid to follow.
North Macedonia, together with Serbia and Slovenia, is preparing a joint bid to host the European Men’s Handball Championship in 2034, officials confirmed on 9 August 2026. The three federations aim to split the tournament across their countries and present a coordinated candidacy to the European Handball authorities.
Joint bid envisages three hosts and a final weekend in Serbia
The plan, announced at the Assembly of the Handball Federation of Serbia, foresees each country staging two preliminary groups and Serbia hosting the tournament’s final weekend. Bozidar Gjurkovic, president of the Handball Federation of Serbia, said the federations have already held a series of meetings to align the proposal.
"In recent days we had three meetings with representatives of the Federation of North Macedonia and Slovenia, we have agreed in principle on everything, and before we announce the joint bid we need your consent. We want the European Championship to be held in three countries, with two groups in each, and Serbia to host the final weekend. Honestly, we have a good chance to be hosts, all three countries have organisational capacities, so I believe we will succeed," Gjurkovic said.
The three-nation concept mirrors recent trends in major sports events, where neighbouring federations combine resources to cover infrastructure, logistics and audience reach. For smaller handball markets, a shared hosting model reduces financial burden while allowing fans across the region to attend matches.
North Macedonia has a strong handball tradition and will promote its arenas and fan support as part of the candidacy. The federations say the next steps include finalising venues, a detailed organisational plan and submitting the formal bid to the European Handball authorities according to their calendar.
If successful, the joint bid would bring matches to cities across the three countries and could boost regional cooperation in sport and tourism ahead of the 2034 championship.
Photo: press material from the event
