The time has come for Cyprus to return to major international beach handball tournaments, with the men’s and women’s national teams traveling to Zagreb, Croatia, where the 2026 EHF Beach Handball Championship will take place from July 9 to 12.

This is the qualifying round for the 2027 EHF Beach Handball EURO, with European national teams competing for the last available spots in the final phase of Europe’s premier beach handball tournament. In the men’s competition, qualification will be secured by the top eight teams in the final standings, while in the women’s competition, the top nine teams will qualify.

For the Cypriot delegation, participation in Zagreb marks a new chapter for the sport in the country, with the men’s and women’s national teams returning to the international stage with the ambition to represent Cyprus with dignity, while also vying for a spot at the EHF Beach Handball EURO 2027.

Men’s National Team

Eleven national teams are participating in the Men’s division, divided into two groups. Cyprus has been placed in Group A, where on Thursday (July 9) it will face Poland and Latvia, on Friday (July 10) against Turkey and Ukraine, and on Saturday (July 11) against Switzerland. The other group includes Sweden, Norway, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and Serbia. The top four teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals, while the rest will continue in the classification matches. The coach of the Men’s National Team is Andreas Andreou, who is counting on the following players: Antonis Papagiannis, Andreas Papalambrianou, Anastasios Ioannou, Kyriakos Vorkas, Angelos Leonidou, Konstantinos Charalambous, Themistoklis Tsivikos, Giorgos Kritikos, Nikolas Karkalatos, Giannos Nikiforou, Giannos Ioannidis, and Ioulios Argyrou.

Women’s National Team

Thirteen national teams are participating in the Women’s tournament, divided into three groups. Cyprus is in Group A, the only group with five teams, and will face Serbia and Ukraine on Thursday (July 9) and, on Friday (July 10) against France, the runner-up from the previous tournament, and the Czech Republic.Group B consists of Portugal, Sweden, Turkey, and Switzerland, while Group C features Hungary, along with Poland, Slovakia, and Italy.The top two teams from each group, as well as the two best third-place teams, will advance to the quarterfinals. The coach of the Women’s National Team is Konstantinos Konstantinou, who has the following players at his disposal: Andria Takis, Maria Christou, Theodoula Christofi, Andrea Antoniou, Miranda Evangelidou, Maria Marselli, Anna Karakiti, Katerina Kadi, Magdalini Papa, Chrystalla Iakovou, Eleni Zenonos, and Georgia Kaila.

The team’s head coach is Giorgos Krasias, and the assistants are Neophytos Neophytou and Nikos Erinakis.

All matches will be livestreamed on the European Handball Federation’s channel, EHFTV.