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<p>Italy, Ukraine and Lithuania all ran up two wins from two on day one of the Jønk EuroHockey Indoor Championship II-B as Oslo played host to its first event of this magnitude.</p>



<p>Lithuania started off in style with an 8-2 success against Greece based around five first half goals. Greece had taken the lead through Cedwyn Hochhauser but the goalscoring machine Povilas Sinkevičius fired things the Lithuanian way with four goals.</p>



<p>Italy eased by the challenge of Norway 21-1 in game two, six of them coming from Marcello Succi and a further four from Alessandro Muzzioli.</p>



<p>Ukraine opened their account with a 6-1 win over Sweden – returning after a long absence – with the second half proving critical. Dmytro Luppa and Jan-Olof Rydin shared first half goals for 1-1 but the Ukraine team pulled away after half-time with Vitalii Shevchuk scoring twice.</p>



<p>For phase two of the fixtures, Italy again impressed with three goals in the first eight minutes en route to a 5-1 win against Greece.</p>



<p>Ukraine got their second win with a 13-3 win over hosts Norway, scoring four penalty strokes along the way. Oleksandr Solomianyi got two of them out of his total of four goals.</p>



<p>Lithuania then closed out the day with a lively 9-5 win over Sweden with Sinkevičius once again scoring four. They built a 5-1 lead before the Swedes raced back to reduce the score to 5-4 in the 18<sup>th</sup> minute.</p>



<p>But the second half belonged to Lithuania as they pulled away to move up to six points.</p>



<p><strong>Friday results</strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><thead><tr><th>Teams</th><th>Title</th><th>Scoreline</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21532">LTU &#8211; GRE</a></td><td>Pool A</td><td>8 &#8211; 2</td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21533">ITA &#8211; NOR</a></td><td>Pool A</td><td>21 &#8211; 1</td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21531">UKR &#8211; SWE</a></td><td>Pool A</td><td>6 &#8211; 1</td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21535">ITA &#8211; GRE</a></td><td>Pool A</td><td>5 &#8211; 1</td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21536">UKR &#8211; NOR</a></td><td>Pool A</td><td>13 &#8211; 3</td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21534">SWE &#8211; LTU</a></td><td>Pool A</td><td>5 &#8211; 9</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<p><strong>Day one standings</strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><thead><tr><th>Rank</th><th>Team</th><th>Played</th><th>Wins</th><th>Draws</th><th>Losses</th><th>Goal Diff</th><th>Pts</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td><a href="https://fih.altiusrt.com/teams/7791">Italy</a></td><td>2</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>24</td><td>6</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td><a href="https://fih.altiusrt.com/teams/7795">Ukraine</a></td><td>2</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>15</td><td>6</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td><a href="https://fih.altiusrt.com/teams/7792">Lithuania</a></td><td>2</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>10</td><td>6</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td><a href="https://fih.altiusrt.com/teams/7794">Sweden</a></td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>-9</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td><a href="https://fih.altiusrt.com/teams/8277">Greece</a></td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>-10</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td><a href="https://fih.altiusrt.com/teams/7793">Norway</a></td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>-30</td><td>0</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<p><strong>Saturday schedule</strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><thead><tr><th>Time</th><th>Teams</th><th>Title</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>10:00</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/index.php/matches/21537">SWE &#8211; ITA</a></td><td>Pool A</td></tr><tr><td>11:30</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/index.php/matches/21538">LTU &#8211; UKR</a></td><td>Pool A</td></tr><tr><td>13:00</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/index.php/matches/21539">GRE &#8211; NOR</a></td><td>Pool A</td></tr><tr><td>16:00</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/index.php/matches/21540">ITA &#8211; UKR</a></td><td>Pool A</td></tr><tr><td>17:30</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/index.php/matches/21541">GRE &#8211; SWE</a></td><td>Pool A</td></tr><tr><td>19:00</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/index.php/matches/21542">NOR &#8211; LTU</a></td><td>Pool A</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>


Italy, Lithuania and Ukraine shine as Norway hosts first indoor championship II-B event


<p>Denmark lead the way in Sveti Ivan Zelina at the men’s EuroHockey Indoor Championship II-A after two wins to begin the competition.</p>



<p>They head up the five-team table ahead of Croatia and Slovakia who both won their only game with Hungary and Bulgaria awaiting their first points.</p>



<p>The Danes began with a comprehensive 14-1 success against Bulgaria with eight different goalscorers with Oliver Sørensen getting a hat trick.</p>



<p>Slovakia were next to run up a big score as they defeated Hungary 8-0, scoring four from four penalty corners in Q2. Two goals each came from Daniel Petráš , Adrian Augustinič and Juraj Bogar.</p>



<p>Game three was the closest of the day with Denmark edging out Hungary 4-2. It looked to be plain sailing in the first quarter when they ran up a 3-0 lead through Oscar Birch-Hald, Rasmus Westrup and Jesper Jonasson.</p>



<p>But a double from Sebastian Leber cut the gap to 3-2 with seven minutes left and the tie was only settled by Sørensen in the dying moments.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="586" src="https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Croatia-1-1024x586.png" alt="" class="wp-image-6988" srcset="https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Croatia-1-1024x586.png 1024w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Croatia-1-300x172.png 300w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Croatia-1-768x439.png 768w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Croatia-1-1536x878.png 1536w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Croatia-1-1x1.png 1w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Croatia-1-200x114.png 200w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Croatia-1-500x286.png 500w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Croatia-1.png 1616w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p><em>Pictures: Dragan Lučić</em></p>



<p>Hosts Croatia closed out the day with the big win of the day, sweeping to a 22-1 win over Bulgaria; Mario Mucić scored seven; Mario Ilinović got six and Matthias Bachmann netted five.</p>



<p>Saturday sees Hungary face Bulgaria with both looking for their first points before Slovakia and Croatia put their 100% records to the test.</p>



<p>The evening games sees Bulgaria meeting Slovakia and Denmark taking on Croatia.</p>



<p><strong>Friday results</strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><thead><tr><th>Time</th><th>Teams</th><th>Title</th><th>Scoreline</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>12:00</td><td><a href="https://fih.altiusrt.com/matches/21519">DEN &#8211; BUL</a></td><td>Pool A</td><td>14 &#8211; 1</td></tr><tr><td>13:30</td><td><a href="https://fih.altiusrt.com/matches/21520">SVK &#8211; HUN</a></td><td>Pool A</td><td>8 &#8211; 0</td></tr><tr><td>17:30</td><td><a href="https://fih.altiusrt.com/matches/21521">DEN &#8211; HUN</a></td><td>Pool A</td><td>4 &#8211; 2</td></tr><tr><td>19:00</td><td><a href="https://fih.altiusrt.com/matches/21522">CRO &#8211; BUL</a></td><td>Pool A</td><td>22 &#8211; 1</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<p><strong>Day one table</strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><thead><tr><th>Rank</th><th>Team</th><th>Pl</th><th>W</th><th>D</th><th>L</th><th>Goal Diff</th><th>Pts</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/teams/7788">Denmark</a></td><td>2</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>15</td><td>6</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/teams/7787">Croatia</a></td><td>1</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>21</td><td>3</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/teams/7789">Slovakia</a></td><td>1</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>8</td><td>3</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/teams/8284">Hungary</a></td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>-10</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/teams/7786">Bulgaria</a></td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>-34</td><td>0</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<p><strong>Saturday schedule</strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td>11:30</td><td><a href="https://fih.altiusrt.com/matches/21523">HUN &#8211; BUL</a></td><td>Pool A</td></tr><tr><td>13:00</td><td><a href="https://fih.altiusrt.com/matches/21524">SVK &#8211; CRO</a></td><td>Pool A</td></tr><tr><td>17:00</td><td><a href="https://fih.altiusrt.com/matches/21525">BUL &#8211; SVK</a></td><td>Pool A</td></tr><tr><td>18:30</td><td><a href="https://fih.altiusrt.com/matches/21526">DEN &#8211; CRO</a></td><td>Pool A</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<p></p>


Denmark lead way after II-B day one in Zelina


<p>Germany and Spain both secured their spots in the final four of the men’s EuroHockey Indoor Championship in Heidelberg with third successive wins in Pool B.</p>



<p>Pool A remains up for grabs with Czechia and Poland’s showdown on Saturday morning likely to be decisive after Austria won back-to-back games on Friday.</p>



<p>Despite two close-run battles, Türkiye were confirmed in fifth place in Pool A which means they will be relegated to the second tier in 2028. Ireland will also drop down after Switzerland won a dramatic battle in Pool B.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-portugal-and-austria-s-first-wins-as-germany-and-spain-keep-100-record"><strong>Portugal and Austria’s first wins as Germany and Spain keep 100% record</strong></h3>



<p>Portugal picked up a vital 5-3 win over Türkiye to give their campaign a boost after two opening day losses. They fell behind to an early Celal Aydin effort but the Portuguese side got the next three and stayed just out of reach from then on.</p>



<p>It was close throughout, though, with Türkiye closing the gap to 3-2 and 4-3 going into the last nine minutes but Rodrigo Castro’s goal in the last minutes confirmed the victory.</p>



<p>Austria got their first win on the board as they found more rhythm to beat Czechia 4-2 although they were initially frustrated, twice hitting the crossbar in the early moments.</p>



<p>Sebastian Eitenberger and Lukas Plochý traded goals for 1-1 at half-time and it was 2-2 midway through Q3 before Xaver Hasun and Max Kelner both slotted home chances to give the world number one side some extra breathing room.</p>



<p>In Pool B, Spain stretched their legs to make it three wins from three and the brink of a semi-finals spot as they defeated Ireland 11-2 with Enrique Zorita, Ignacio Abajo and Juan Muñoz all scoring twice.</p>



<p>Germany, meanwhile, also kept up their 100% record with a comfortable win over Switzerland with Nik Kerner to the fore. He scored inside 90 seconds and they quickly built a 4-0 lead and while the Swiss pegged them back a few times, the hosts – in front of a lively crowd – were never overly in danger.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-heidelberg-erupts-as-germany-run-up-13">Heidelberg erupts as Germany run up 13 </h3>



<p>A last minute Lukas Plochý penalty stroke saw Czechia grind out their second win of Pool A as they defeated Türkiye 5-4. The Turks needed a win to avoid relegation and they were twice level – at 3-3 and 4-4 – in Q4 but could not do more with their six penalty corners to get the result they needed.</p>



<p>Austria then picked up a hugely significant 4-3 win over Poland to move top of the group with one set of matches to go.</p>



<p>It was their best performance to date, racing into a 2-0 lead and they never let the Poles settle into a tempo. Each time Poland got a goal back, the Austrian response was instant with Fülöp Losonci’s second goal and a neat Sebastian Eitenberger goal keeping them out of range.</p>



<p>Gracjan Jarzyński’s brilliant goal in the last minute raised brief hopes of nicking a draw as Jacek Kurowski hit the post in the last play.</p>



<p>Austria sit on seven points ahead of their game with Portugal while Poland and Czechia – both on six points – face a straight battle for a semi-final spot.</p>



<p>In Pool B, Switzerland recovered from a two-goal deficit to beat Ireland 6-3, showing their composure and know-how to see off the newcomers.</p>



<p>Craig Mackay and Ollie Kidd had Ireland in the ascendancy in the first quarter but the Swiss capitalised on defensive errors to swap the lead in Q3 through Elias Brönnimann.</p>



<p>Greg Williams did level once more but the Swiss netted three in the final quarter for victory that assures they stay up.</p>



<p>Germany then swept aside the challenge of Belgium to assure their place – and Spain’s – in the semi-finals, blowing away their opponent in Q1.</p>



<p>Quickfire goals from Sten Brandenstein, Nicolas Proske and Luca Grossmann made it 3-0 and Proske and Nik Kerner extended the advantage to five by the 12<sup>th</sup> minute.</p>



<p>From there, it was no way back for the Indoor Red Lions as the hosts ran out big winners 13-2 in the final reckoning.</p>


Germany and Spain stamp semi-final ticket as Pool A set for big Czech-Polish showdown


<p>Poland and Spain made the big moves on day one of the men’s EuroHockey Indoor Championship in Heidelberg as they both won twice in their respective pools.</p>



<p>Türkiye, meanwhile, produced one of the moments of the day when they struck in the last five seconds to draw with world number one side Austria. It was their first ever point in this level of competition.</p>



<p>Ireland were the other debutant and had their moments against Belgium and Germany but ultimately came away with two defeats.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-early-statements">Early statements</h3>



<p>2024 finalists Poland put in a composed performance to start the tournament, a 5-1 win over newcomers Türkiye with two goals each from Gracjan Jarzýnski and Eryk Bembenek.</p>



<p>A last minute Josef Toms goal saw Czechia produce an amazing comeback from 3-0 down to defeat Portugal 4-3 in the other game in Pool A.</p>



<p>Two David Franco efforts in the first 13 minutes and another from Laurens Halfmann has Portugal flying high and looking confident. They hit the crossbar as well seconds before Lukas Plochý got the Czechs on the scoreboard with 17 minutes left.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="eurohockeytv.org" target="_blank" rel=" noreferrer noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="179" src="https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/EHTV-pass-1024x179.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-6879" srcset="https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/EHTV-pass-1024x179.jpeg 1024w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/EHTV-pass-300x53.jpeg 300w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/EHTV-pass-768x134.jpeg 768w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/EHTV-pass-1536x269.jpeg 1536w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/EHTV-pass-1x1.jpeg 1w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/EHTV-pass-200x35.jpeg 200w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/EHTV-pass-500x88.jpeg 500w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/EHTV-pass.jpeg 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>



<p>He got another within seconds and Jakub Homolka levelled in Q4 before Toms won the day.</p>



<p>In Pool B, Ireland got off to a dream start but ultimately could not see things through as Philippe Simar inspired Belgium to a 5-3 win.</p>



<p>Goals from Greg Williams and Ross Canning gave the Irish – in their top division debut – a 2-0 advantage at half-time. But Simar’s hat trick, bringing his international goal tally to 80 in 30 games, turned the tide in the second half.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-poland-and-spain-double-up">Poland and Spain double-up</h3>



<p>Later in the day, the Poles ensured they topped Pool A overnight as they held off Portugal 5-3. It was built around four first half goals with Bembenek netting two of them to build a 4-0 lead.</p>



<p>Rodrigo Castro’s buzzer-beater saw Portugal get some hope on half-time and while he and Laurens Halfmann scored in the second half, they never got within range of Poland.</p>



<p>Türkiye then produced a chaotic draw against world number one side Austria, Celal Aydin scoring with less then five seconds to go to snatch their first point in the top division.</p>



<p>The Turks had led 2-0 through Sait Kalkan and Ali Akin Özkilic only for three Austrian goals in the space of 75 seconds in Q4 swapped the lead. The Turks equalised but Nikolas Wellan’s second of the evening looked to have won the points until Aydin’s late piledriver.</p>



<p>Back in Pool B and Spain got their second win of the day from a crazy final quarter rollercoaster, beating Belgium 6-5. The Spaniards were never behind, leading 1-0 at half-time through Pablo Roman and 2-0 with 12 minutes left.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/FU1_1727-20260108-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-6976" srcset="https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/FU1_1727-20260108-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/FU1_1727-20260108-300x200.jpg 300w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/FU1_1727-20260108-768x512.jpg 768w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/FU1_1727-20260108-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/FU1_1727-20260108-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/FU1_1727-20260108-1x1.jpg 1w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/FU1_1727-20260108-200x133.jpg 200w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/FU1_1727-20260108-500x333.jpg 500w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Germany &#8211; EuroHockey Indoor Championship Men 2026
07 Belgium v Spain (Pool B)
Picture: Fans celebrates victory 

COPYRIGHT WORLDSPORTPICS FRANK UIJLENBROEK
No archive allowed</figcaption></figure>



<p>Philippe Simar quickly changed things, equalising for 2-2 in Q4; they traded more goals for 3-3, 4-4 and 5-5 before Ignacio Abajo won it in dying moments.</p>



<p>In the final game of the day, Germany overcame a stubborn Irish side, eventually shaking off the newcomers 7-3 with Luca Grossmann scoring a hat trick.</p>



<p>They built an early two-goal lead but Ireland kept fighting back, reducing the margin to 3-2 at half-time and 4-3 with six minutes to go before Grossmann and Anton Pöhling made the game safe.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-thursday-results">Thursday results</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><thead><tr><th>Time</th><th>Teams</th><th>Title</th><th>Scoreline</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>09:30</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21048">POL &#8211; TUR</a></td><td>Pool A</td><td>5 &#8211; 1</td></tr><tr><td>10:55</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21049">CZE &#8211; POR</a></td><td>Pool A</td><td>4 &#8211; 3</td></tr><tr><td>12:20</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21050">BEL &#8211; IRL</a></td><td>Pool B</td><td>5 &#8211; 3</td></tr><tr><td>13:45</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21051">SUI &#8211; ESP</a></td><td>Pool B</td><td>1 &#8211; 7</td></tr><tr><td>16:00</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21052">POL &#8211; POR</a></td><td>Pool A</td><td>5 &#8211; 3</td></tr><tr><td>17:25</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21053">AUT &#8211; TUR</a></td><td>Pool A</td><td>4 &#8211; 4</td></tr><tr><td>18:50</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21054">BEL &#8211; ESP</a></td><td>Pool B</td><td>5 &#8211; 6</td></tr><tr><td>20:15</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21055">GER &#8211; IRL</a></td><td>Pool B</td><td>7 &#8211; 3</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-friday-schedule"><strong>Friday schedule</strong></h3>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><thead><tr><th>Time</th><th>Teams</th><th>Title</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>10:00</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21056">POR &#8211; TUR</a></td><td>Pool A</td></tr><tr><td>11:20</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21057">CZE &#8211; AUT</a></td><td>Pool A</td></tr><tr><td>12:40</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21058">ESP &#8211; IRL</a></td><td>Pool B</td></tr><tr><td>14:00</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21059">SUI &#8211; GER</a></td><td>Pool B</td></tr><tr><td>16:15</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21060">TUR &#8211; CZE</a></td><td>Pool A</td></tr><tr><td>17:35</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21061">POL &#8211; AUT</a></td><td>Pool A</td></tr><tr><td>18:55</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21062">IRL &#8211; SUI</a></td><td>Pool B</td></tr><tr><td>20:15</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21063">BEL &#8211; GER</a></td><td>Pool B</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>


Turkish delight as Poland and Spain double-up on opening day in Heidelberg


<p><strong>Men’s EuroHockey Indoor Championship II-B (Oslo, Norway) – January 9 to 11, 2026</strong></p>



<p>Norway will host a men’s EuroHockey Indoor Championship competition for the first time as II-B comes to the Klemetsrudhallen this weekend.</p>



<p>Six teams are competing in a single-group round-robin event with the winner earning promotion to the championship in 2027.</p>



<p>For the world ranked 43 host nation, they are playing in the third Euro indoors following a 2010 Challenge II in Rouen and then their fifth place finish in Paredes in 2024 in II-A.</p>



<p>The side is heavily based locally with four players from Oslo SK and three from the MASK club in Mortensrud.</p>



<p>Nicolai Leege (Marienthaler THC), Fredrik Helgetveit (TTK Sachsenwald) and Alexander Johnsen (Cambridge City) have experience beyond Norway while Arunpreet Singh Garcha was the top scorer in the Elite series last year. He returns to the international fold after a number of years away.</p>



<p>Greece (WR: 40) were seventh in Budapest in 2024 and will be seeking to move up the ranks with some new faces in their line-up.</p>



<p>They will feature five debutants with Cedwyn and Llewellyn Hochhauser, Elias Diringer, Paris Welzel and Konstantin von der Mülbe among the newcomers. Stavros Sideridis is the most experienced player, lining out for his fourth Euro campaign.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="635" src="https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Greece-1024x635.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-6967" srcset="https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Greece-1024x635.jpeg 1024w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Greece-300x186.jpeg 300w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Greece-768x476.jpeg 768w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Greece-1536x953.jpeg 1536w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Greece-1x1.jpeg 1w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Greece-200x124.jpeg 200w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Greece-500x310.jpeg 500w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Greece.jpeg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p><em>Greece</em></p>



<p>Italy – world ranked 27 – are a highly rated side and are looking to return to top division for first time since 2010  having just missed out on promotion in 2024 in Budapest to Türkiye.</p>



<p>In the lead-up, they produced strong performances in Ourense, beating Portugal twice with healthy margins to show their quality.</p>



<p>Teenagers Valerio Iossa, Giovanni Faggian and Gabriel Iossa are three rising stars in quite an experienced line-up in which captain Mattia Amorsini – now with DTV Hannover – will be a key figure.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="531" src="https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Italy-1024x531.png" alt="" class="wp-image-6971" srcset="https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Italy-1024x531.png 1024w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Italy-300x156.png 300w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Italy-768x399.png 768w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Italy-1x1.png 1w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Italy-200x104.png 200w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Italy-500x259.png 500w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Italy.png 1480w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p><em>Italy</em></p>



<p>Livewire Marcello Succi has scored 20 goals in his 11 indoor internationals.</p>



<p>Lithuania – ranked 39<sup>th</sup> – were third in Paredes in 2024, their best ever performances in Euro men’s competition and they arrive in Norway with a squad hailing from four separate cities: Vilnius, Rudamina, Širvintos and Šiauliai.</p>



<p>Povilas Sinkevičius,  Rafal Stankevič and captain Andžej Burkot all currently play for clubs in Belgium while Mantvydas Pocevičius was recently named player of the tournament in the LZRF Cup final for HC Siauliai last month.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" src="https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Lithiania-1024x768.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-6968" srcset="https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Lithiania-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Lithiania-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Lithiania-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Lithiania-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Lithiania-1x1.jpeg 1w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Lithiania-200x150.jpeg 200w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Lithiania-500x375.jpeg 500w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Lithiania.jpeg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p><em>Lithuania</em></p>



<p>Sweden (unranked) are back in Euro indoor action for the first time since 2016. Back then, they played in the top tier in Prague where they finished in eigith place.</p>



<p>As such, they have an entirely new side with a wide range of ages with young players starting out combined with more experienced players and coach.</p>



<p>Their representation is spread from across the clubs in Sweden with five players from Partille, four from Valhalla, one each from Roslagens, Stockholm Lions and Nayan Lund.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="819" src="https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Sweden-1024x819.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-6969" srcset="https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Sweden-1024x819.jpeg 1024w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Sweden-300x240.jpeg 300w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Sweden-768x614.jpeg 768w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Sweden-1536x1228.jpeg 1536w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Sweden-1x1.jpeg 1w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Sweden-200x160.jpeg 200w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Sweden-500x400.jpeg 500w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Sweden.jpeg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p><em>Sweden</em></p>



<p>Ukraine (WR: 23) were relegated from the top division in 2024 in 10<sup>th</sup> place overall and so will be keen to try and fight for a place back at the top level.</p>



<p>They have nine of the team which lined out two years ago including captain Dmytro Luppa who has been part of the international setup for over 15 years.</p>



<p>The powerful Yurii Dzemukh, Oleksandr Boiko and goalkeeper Bohdan Yurkov are all set for their first senior international indoor tournament.</p>



<p><strong>Friday, January 9 &#8211; match schedule</strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><thead><tr><th>Time</th><th>Teams</th><th>Title</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>10:30</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21531">UKR &#8211; SWE</a></td><td>Pool A</td></tr><tr><td>12:00</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21532">LTU &#8211; GRE</a></td><td>Pool A</td></tr><tr><td>13:30</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21533">ITA &#8211; NOR</a></td><td>Pool A</td></tr><tr><td>16:00</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21534">SWE &#8211; LTU</a></td><td>Pool A</td></tr><tr><td>17:30</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21535">ITA &#8211; GRE</a></td><td>Pool A</td></tr><tr><td>19:00</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21536">UKR &#8211; NOR</a></td><td>Pool A</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="682" src="https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/1000014616-1-1024x682.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-6966" srcset="https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/1000014616-1-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/1000014616-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/1000014616-1-768x511.jpg 768w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/1000014616-1-1x1.jpg 1w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/1000014616-1-200x133.jpg 200w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/1000014616-1-500x333.jpg 500w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/1000014616-1.jpg 1280w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p><em>Ukraine</em></p>


Norway ready for first men’s indoor championship hosting


<p><strong>Men’s EuroHockey Indoor Championship II-A (Sveti Ivan Zelina, Croatia) – January 9 to 11, 2026</strong></p>



<p>Croatia will look to use the inspiration of the home crowd to help them bounce back up to the top tier as they host the men’s EuroHockey Championship II-A tournament in Sveti Ivan Zelina.</p>



<p>The five-team, second tier competition runs from Friday to Sunday with an initial round-robin phase from which the top two will play in a final while third and fourth will contest a bronze medal match.</p>



<p>The world number 11 side are the hot favourites, particularly with the 2024 player of the tournament from Leuven – Anže Fujs – and the coaching of German legend Moritz Fürste on the sidelines.</p>



<p>Further star men include Lucas Bachmann, a German champion from Crefelder HTC, and the captain Mario Mucić, a former KHC Leuven&nbsp;player.</p>



<p>Last weekend, they reached the final of the Röhrmax Cup in Vienna with wins over USA and Switzerland while they also impressed at last year’s World Cup with their only defeats coming against sides who finished in the top five. </p>



<p>In addition, they played test matches with four Hamburg clubs and had further preparations in Zelina where the team also encountered the team of Ukraine&nbsp;for three matches. Their objective is clear: &#8220;Return to Top division of European Hockey&#8221;.</p>



<p>The next highest ranked side is Denmark (world rank: 30) who are seeking a return to the top division for an eighth time, their last appearance coming in 2018 in Antwerp.</p>



<p>They just missed out on promotion in 2024 at the hands of Ireland due to two late goals in the final (3-1); they did pick up a couple of wins over the Irish in a four-game warm-up series in December.</p>



<p>They subsequently won the Mason Cup with four wins out of four at Orient Lyngby with Hector Nørgaard named player of the tournament.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/PK4A7296_-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-6956" srcset="https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/PK4A7296_-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/PK4A7296_-300x200.jpg 300w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/PK4A7296_-768x512.jpg 768w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/PK4A7296_-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/PK4A7296_-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/PK4A7296_-1x1.jpg 1w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/PK4A7296_-200x133.jpg 200w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/PK4A7296_-500x333.jpg 500w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p><em>** Magnus Thorsted celebrates a goal against Ireland. Picture: Lasse Steinmetz</em></p>



<p>The squad is built around a strong core from the Danish champions Slagelse, well supplemented by, among others, goalkeeper Alfred Kramer, who is playing his fourth Championsship and the team’s captain Jesper Jonassen, whose extensive experience and leadership help drive the young team forward.</p>



<p>On this occasion, two debutants have made their way into the squad: goalkeeper Anton Birch-Hald and 16-year-old Julius Lund. Both, along with the rest of the team, have extensive experience from U21 final tournaments, and several of the young players have also previously gained experience at senior national team championships.</p>



<p>The team is led by the experienced Peter Kalfstermann, strongly assisted by Jonas Graversen.</p>



<p>Slovakia (WR: 33) were third in Championship II-B two years ago, beating this weekend’s opponents Bulgaria and Hungary with something to spare.</p>



<p>Adrián Augustinič scored 14 times in that series and he is one of nine returning players from their 2024 campaign. Michal Blazovsky, Šimon Belošovic and Matuš Kajaba are in line for debuts.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="577" src="https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/20240204_171658-1-1024x577.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-6960" srcset="https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/20240204_171658-1-1024x577.jpg 1024w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/20240204_171658-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/20240204_171658-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/20240204_171658-1-1536x865.jpg 1536w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/20240204_171658-1-2048x1153.jpg 2048w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/20240204_171658-1-1x1.jpg 1w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/20240204_171658-1-200x113.jpg 200w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/20240204_171658-1-500x282.jpg 500w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p><em>Slovakia following their bronze medal in Budapest in 2024</em></p>



<p>Hungary (WR: 41) were fourth in Budapest two years ago and coach Marcell Alló is looking to push higher this year with an injection of fresh faces.</p>



<p>“The squad has become even younger compared to the summer, half of which are made up of guys who played&nbsp;in last year&#8217;s U21 European Championship,” the coach said following a training camp.</p>



<p>“We can realistically set a goal of playing in the bronze medal match, but of course we won&#8217;t go into the field with our hands up against anyone. We&#8217;ll have our chances, if we work for luck and the ball bounces in our direction, we can achieve a nice position.&#8221;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="960" height="720" src="https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/HUN_NATID_2025.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-6959" srcset="https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/HUN_NATID_2025.jpg 960w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/HUN_NATID_2025-300x225.jpg 300w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/HUN_NATID_2025-768x576.jpg 768w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/HUN_NATID_2025-1x1.jpg 1w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/HUN_NATID_2025-200x150.jpg 200w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/HUN_NATID_2025-500x375.jpg 500w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /></figure>



<p><em>** Hungary</em></p>



<p>Bulgaria (WR: 44) ended in fifth place in 2024 in Budapest in their first appearance in the second tier of European competition, picking up a win in their final game against Greece.</p>



<p>That was with a side primarily aged between 16 and 20 – only two players were outside this age bracket – and so the extra two years have given them a chance to evolve and develop.</p>



<p>This year&#8217;s side has a far older age profile with a number of more experienced players coming back into their line-up.</p>



<p>** <a href="https://eurohockey.org/calendar/event?id=ef132910-1afe-4b5f-a816-b392e87e4f74" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Click here to follow the live scores from the event </a></p>



<p><strong>Friday, January 9 match schedule</strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><thead><tr><th>Time</th><th>Teams</th><th>Title</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>12:00</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21519">DEN &#8211; BUL</a></td><td>Pool A</td></tr><tr><td>13:30</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21520">SVK &#8211; HUN</a></td><td>Pool A</td></tr><tr><td>17:30</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21521">DEN &#8211; HUN</a></td><td>Pool A</td></tr><tr><td>19:00</td><td><a href="https://tms.fih.ch/matches/21522">CRO &#8211; BUL</a></td><td>Pool A</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="605" src="https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/20260107_204747-1024x605.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-6962" srcset="https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/20260107_204747-1024x605.jpg 1024w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/20260107_204747-300x177.jpg 300w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/20260107_204747-768x454.jpg 768w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/20260107_204747-1536x907.jpg 1536w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/20260107_204747-2048x1209.jpg 2048w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/20260107_204747-1x1.jpg 1w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/20260107_204747-200x118.jpg 200w, https://admin.eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/20260107_204747-500x295.jpg 500w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p><em>Bulgaria</em></p>


Croatia look to inspire home crowd in men’s Championship II-A

Meet the teams: Battle royale beckons for semi-spots from men’s Pool B


<p>2026 begins with a bang this week with the men&#8217;s EuroHockey Indoor Championships in Heidelberg followed quickly by the women&#8217;s event in Prague a week later.</p>



<p>The squads are assembling, all hoping to make their mark with all 58 games set to be broadcast live on EuroHockeyTV. Each tournament is available to watch with separate event passes, costing €11.99 each. </p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://www.eurohockeytv.org/en-int/page/eurohockey-indoor-championship-men" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Click here to purchase you EHTV pass for the men&#8217;s EHIC 2026 from Heidelberg (Jan 8-11)</a></li>



<li><a href="https://www.eurohockeytv.org/en-int/page/eurohockey-indoor-championship-women" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Click here to purchase you EHTV pass for the women&#8217;s EHIC 2026 from Prague (Jan 15-18)</a></li>
</ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-viewers-in-germany"><strong>Viewers in Germany</strong></h3>



<p>Magenta will broadcast each match involving Germany from the EuroHockey Indoor Championships. </p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://www.magentasport.de/hallenhockeyem" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Click here to view Magenta&#8217;s coverage</a></li>
</ul>


Where to Watch the EuroHockey Indoor Championships 2026


<p>Spanish coach Fede González says his side’s preparations have been “intense but positive” as they look to continue their rise back up the Euro ranks.</p>



<p>The country was a frequent top five finisher up until 2012 before they took time away from the indoor scene. Their return in 2020 saw them quickly sweep back up the ranks from Championship III to the top tier in 2024 where they ended in fifth place.</p>



<p>And González says his side is hungry for more: “What we have is a desire to be ourselves and reach our full potential and then results will usually be the consequence of that and I&#8217;m sure they will be good.”</p>



<p>His side has a cohort of players who have been part of the six-year journey like Enrique Zorita, Ignacio Cobos and the TSV Mannheim-based Manu Prol. César Curiel, Juan Muñoz and Ignacio Abajo are all looking forward to a third Euro campaign.</p>



<p>On the goalkeeping front, there is a new look with Pablo Luna and Diego Palomero vying for time between the posts. Pablo Manuel Román, Pere Amat and Ferran Muñoz are all making their debuts.</p>



<p>Last week, they won the Ourense Cup ahead of Switzerland, Portugal and Italy, giving them confidence for Heidelberg.</p>



<p>“The work accumulated over the last few years has been consolidating, allowing us to bring together a large group that knows the game and has a healthy competitive spirit.</p>



<p>“We arrive ready to compete after a training camp focused on fine-tuning and refreshing our skills, and a fantastic tournament where Ourense has been our home, surrounded by people and enthusiasm.</p>



<p>“The conclusion is we have arrived well prepared and focused on ourselves, which is the philosophy. We must be able to develop our individual and collective virtues; the rest will be a consequence of that.</p>



<p>“Above all, there is a fantastic atmosphere with players who know each other and inspire confidence. Seven different provinces of origin form a team that is like a family; a team that mixes experience and youth, quality and ambition.”</p>


Category: EuroHockey News