Ukraine Handball Team Announces Squad for Euro 2028 Qualifiers: 11 Foreign-Based Players and Bliznyuk's Return

The Ukraine men's national handball team has approved its roster for the first two matches of the Euro 2028 qualification tournament. Head coach Vadym Brazhnyk named 16 handball players who will travel for the November qualifying matches. This is reported by Sport RBC.UA citing the Handball Federation of Ukraine. The majority of the called-up players — 11 out of 16 — represent foreign clubs, highlighting the high degree of professionalization in Ukrainian handball and its reliance on foreign leagues.

Foreign Backbone and Polish Cluster

The structure of the national team reflects the reality of modern Ukrainian handball: the core of the team consists of players performing in European championships. The largest representation among foreign leagues is in Poland, with five out of sixteen handball players. This indicates that the Polish Ekstraklasa remains the main "fallback airfield" for Ukrainian players who have not moved to more prestigious leagues in France, Spain, or Germany. The remaining seven players are called up from Ukrainian clubs, providing the coach with the necessary balance between experience and local cohesion.

Key Figures and Returns

One of the undisputed leaders of the team remains Ihor Turchenko, who plays for the French club Nantes and has experience playing in the EHF Champions League. His presence on the roster gives the team tactical depth and authority in crucial matches. Special attention deserves two returns: Ilya Bliznyuk, who missed previous matches due to injury, and Dmytro Illchenko have been included in the squad. The return of both players strengthens rotation depth and gives Brazhnyk additional options in attack and defense ahead of the qualification start.

Group 3: Iceland, Serbia, Estonia

According to the draw results, the Ukrainian national team ended up in Group 3 of the Euro 2028 qualifiers, where they will face Iceland, Serbia, and Estonia. This, as acknowledged by the head coach himself, is a difficult draw: Iceland and Serbia traditionally rank among the continent's strongest teams, while Estonia has shown noticeable progress in recent years. Nevertheless, the qualification format leaves room for maneuvering — according to the regulations, direct berths to the European Championship are awarded to the top two teams in each of the eight groups, with another four spots distributed among the best third-placed finishers. Thus, even with a poor start, Ukraine retains a chance to advance via the third-place playoffs.

Coach's Goals and Season Context

Vadym Brazhnyk did not hold back the team's ambitions: "Our goals are, as always, high. We want to reach the final stage of Euro 2028 and will fight for it," the head coach stated. The Ukrainians will play their first two qualification matches in November 2026, meaning in the coming weeks. An important positive background for the national team is the recent achievement of Kyiv's HIT, which sensationally defeated a Spanish powerhouse and finished the Champions League group stage undefeated. This result confirms that Ukrainian handball is on the rise and club infrastructure is capable of producing players of the level required for the national team.

What's Next

After the first two matches in November, the national team will return to the qualifiers in the next calendar stretch, where return fixtures against the same group opponents await them. The final standings of Group 3 will determine which of the four teams will secure a direct berth and which will go to the playoffs for the remaining four spots. For Ukraine, a key factor will be performance in matches against Serbia and Iceland — these particular fixtures will likely determine the final standings in the group.