The European Open is part of the Partille Cup, a traditional youth handball festival held annually in Gothenburg, Sweden, which alternates between the women's and the men's events.
This year, the women's under-16 sides will take on the handball courts in Sweden, trying to make their way up to the coveted trophy.
During the draw, the 20 participants were split into four preliminary round groups of five teams each. From the round-robin preliminary round, the two top-ranked sides in each group will progress to the quarter-finals.
Women's 16 European Open 2026 preliminary round groups
GROUP A: Hungary, Croatia, Czechia, Iceland, Lithuania
GROUP B: Spain, Netherlands, Serbia, Faroe Islands, Georgia
GROUP C: France, Sweden, Romania, Slovakia, Finland
GROUP D: Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Portugal, Türkiye
Five of the seven former champions are taking part in the 2026 edition. The most recent winners of the women's event, Switzerland, have been seeded to group D, where they will meet Germany in a rematch of the 2024 final, while Norway (the 2008 champions), Portugal and Türkiye complete the group line-up.
2018 champions and runners-up in the last edition, Hungary, headline group A, alongside Croatia, Czechia, Iceland and Lithuania.
Spain will try to replicate their success from 2022, as they will compete in group B, which consists of the Netherlands, Serbia, the Faroe Islands and Georgia.
Last but not least, hosts and 2016 winners Sweden will start their campaign in group C, where they will face France, Romania, Slovakia and Finland.
Previous winners of the women's European Open:
- Denmark (2006, 2010)
- Norway (2008)
- Russia (2012, 2014)
- Sweden (2016)
- Hungary (2018)
- Spain (2022)
- Switzerland (2024)
More information on the Women's 16 European Open can be found on the official website of the competition.
