Today, the Ukrainian national handball team in preparation for the final stage of Euro-2026 played their first of two friendly matches against Portugal's team. 

The match began with intense attacks from both sides. Both teams created several clear chances but only the yellow and blue side managed to open the score. At the 12th minute, Daniil Abakshin intercepted a Portuguese player’s pass and passed it for Igor Korsun to shoot. Korsun did not miss — 0:1. The hosts equalized within five minutes with a powerful shot from Ruben Goysh in the top corner. 

After halftime, despite numerous chances in both goals, neither team could change the score — 1:1.

Friendship match between national teams

Portugal - Ukraine - 1:1 (1:1)

Goals: Goysh (17) — Korsun (12).

Portugal: Edu, T. Pazo, B. Coelho, Panini, Pauletta; Correia, B. Pazo, Kutchi, A. Coelho, Silvestre, Rocha, Afonso, Miguel Angel, Brito, Neves, Goysh.

Ukraine: Sukhov, Mykityuk, Abakshin, Korsun, Shved; Savenko, Belimov, Zhuk, Farenyuk, Verheyev, Semenchenko, Shoturma, Pryhodko, Chernyavsky.

The second friendly match between the Portuguese and Ukrainian teams will take place on December 21. The start of the game — around 9:45 PM Kyiv time. 

It is worth noting that the Ukrainian national handball team is preparing for the Euro-2026 final tournament.

Ukraine's match schedule during the group stage of Euro-2026

January 22, 2026

Armenia – Ukraine (17:00) 

January 25, 2026

Ukraine — Lithuania (17:00)

January 28, 2026

Czech Republic – Ukraine (20:30)

Game start times — Kyiv time.

Euro-2026. Group stage

Group A: Latvia, Croatia, Georgia, France.

Group B: Lithuania, Armenia, Czech Republic, Ukraine.

Group C: Slovenia, Belarus, Spain, Belgium.

Group D: Italy, Hungary, Portugal, Poland.  

The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarter-finals. 

Quarter-finals

1. Winner of Group B — second place in Group A

2. Winner of Group A — second place in Group B

3. Winner of Group C — second place in Group D

4. Winner of Group D — second place in Group C

Semi-finals

5. Winner of Quarter-final 2 — winner of Quarter-final 4

6. Winner of Quarter-final 1 — winner of Quarter-final 3

Third place match

7. Winner of match 5 — winner of match 6

Final

8. Winner of match 5 — winner of match 6

It is worth noting that Euro-2026 will take place from January 21 to February 7 next year on the courts in Riga, Kaunas, and Ljubljana.