Melsungen stunned Flensburg and secured an all-German European League final against Kiel
MT Melsungen secured a place in the EHF European League Men final after a convincing 37:30 victory against SG Flensburg-Handewitt in the semifinal of the Winamax EHF Finals 2026, played on 30 May at Hamburg's Barclays Arena. According to the official report of the European Handball Federation, the team coached by Roberto Parrondo went into the break with a narrow 15:14 lead, and then in the second half broke down the defending champion and turned the much-anticipated uncertain German duel into a surprisingly clear victory. Melsungen thereby reached its first international final in competitions under the umbrella of the EHF and ended Flensburg's run of success at final tournaments in Hamburg. In Sunday's final, on 31 May at 18:00 Central European Time, Melsungen will play against THW Kiel, who defeated Montpellier Handball 29:28 in the first semifinal.
The 37:30 result is especially significant because Flensburg arrived in Hamburg as the two-time consecutive winner of the EHF European League and as a team chasing a third straight title. The EHF states that Flensburg had previously won the final tournaments in 2024 and 2025, and in this year's semifinal it failed to maintain the rhythm that had marked it throughout the season. Melsungen, on the other hand, one year after the painful defeat by the same opponent in the 2025 semifinal, earned the opportunity to play for the first major trophy in the club's history. The final tournament in Hamburg will therefore produce a new European League champion, because neither Melsungen nor Kiel has so far won this competition in its current format.
A strong second half decided the German showdown
The match had a different rhythm in the first half from what the final score suggested. Flensburg had the chance in the early phase to build a more significant advantage, but according to the EHF report it missed four consecutive chances to lead 8:4. Melsungen survived that and gradually took control, partly thanks to goals from Aaron Mensing, a former Flensburg player. Still, the defending champion responded with a change of goalkeeper, bringing on Kevin Møller, the most valuable player of the 2025 final tournament, and managed to reopen the match in the closing stages of the first half. An important moment came in the 26th minute, when Melsungen wing David Mandić received a red card, and Flensburg made it 14:14 from a seven-metre throw.
Despite that blow, Melsungen went into the break with a one-goal advantage, and the second half brought a complete change in the tone of the match. The EHF points out that Parrondo's players found gaps in Flensburg's defence much more easily after the break, whether through the height and strength of Dainis Kristopans or through the speed and creativity of Erik Balenciaga. Already in the 40th minute Melsungen had pulled away to 24:20, which in a match of such importance was the first serious signal that the defending champion was losing its footing. Even more important was the performance of Nebojša Simić, who saved two seven-metre throws from Emil Jakobsen within a few minutes and further shifted the energy to Melsungen's side. When the difference grew to 29:22 in the 45th minute, Flensburg entered a zone from which it is difficult to return against an organized and disciplined team.
Timo Kastening practically confirmed eight minutes before the end, with a goal for 33:26, that Melsungen would play the title match. Flensburg managed to reduce part of the deficit by the end, but did not find a way to make a serious comeback. According to official EHF data, Kristopans was Melsungen's top scorer with nine goals from thirteen attempts, while Simon Pytlick scored eight goals from fifteen attempts for Flensburg. Simić finished the match with fifteen saves, and his performance was precisely the most important defensive pillar of the winning team.
Flensburg missed the chance for a historic run
Flensburg's defeat has a broader context than one lost semifinal. The European Handball Federation states that SG Flensburg-Handewitt had won all four matches it played at the EHF Finals in Hamburg in 2024 and 2025 before this encounter, lifting the trophy both times. In the 2025/26 European League season, the team averaged 36 goals per match, but against Melsungen it failed to develop its usual speed and fluidity. Melsungen's defence was well prepared, and in the final twenty or so minutes of the match Simić made the difference with a series of saves that turned into an unreachable advantage on the scoreboard.
Flensburg was thereby left without the chance to play against Kiel on Sunday for a third consecutive title, which would have been an especially strong achievement in European club handball. Aleš Pajovič's team will now play the third-place match against Montpellier Handball, a reprise of last year's final in which Flensburg was clearly better. According to the EHF schedule, the match for third place will be played on 31 May at 15:00, while the final begins three hours later. For Flensburg, it is a sudden turn in a weekend that was supposed to confirm its dominance in the European League, but after the second half against Melsungen turned into a battle to repair the impression.
Post-match statements showed how deserved Melsungen's victory was. Flensburg goalkeeper Benjamin Burić, according to official EHF quotes, assessed that Melsungen had played smartly and that its goalkeeper had had his day, adding that the victory was deserved. Coach Aleš Pajovič emphasized that his team had failed to stop Melsungen's attacks, especially the seven-on-six play, and that in a tournament of such a format it is difficult to come back after falling four or five goals behind. Such an assessment fits the picture of a match in which Flensburg held on until half-time, but in the second half lost control and rhythm.
Melsungen gained revenge for 2025 and a first European final
For Melsungen, this victory also had a strong emotional dimension. A year ago, also in Hamburg, the same opponents played the EHF Finals semifinal, and Flensburg then celebrated 35:34 after extra time and later won the title. The EHF recalls that Melsungen finished the 2025 final tournament without a win, after defeat in the semifinal and then in the third-place match against Kiel. This time the scenario changed completely: Melsungen defeated the defending champion, reached its first final in an EHF competition and gained the opportunity to finish the season with a historic trophy.
Coach Roberto Parrondo stressed after the match that the final seven-goal difference does not reveal how demanding the match was. According to the EHF, Parrondo said that his team had to be extremely concentrated in every attack and stop Flensburg's exceptional players in defence. He added that a final tournament can be a great experience for fans, but that for coaches it is very demanding because there are fewer than 24 hours of preparation between the semifinal and the final. His statement clearly shows that the celebration in the Melsungen camp could not last long, because the next day already brought a clash with Kiel.
Dainis Kristopans, Melsungen's top scorer in the semifinal, according to EHF quotes described the match as great pressure and a kind of revenge for last season. The Latvian right back emphasized that the team had prepared very seriously for Flensburg throughout the entire week and that in the second half it had to play without thinking about fatigue. Nebojša Simić also pointed out that the team had gone through a difficult season, but that it now has a chance to win the first title. He cited his seven-metre saves against Jakobsen as the moment that decided the match, because Flensburg's comeback attempt was stopped precisely when Melsungen was building its advantage.
Kiel in the final after a dramatic victory over Montpellier
The other finalist, THW Kiel, reached the final match earlier the same day with a 29:28 victory against Montpellier Handball. According to the official EHF report, Kiel led 15:12 at half-time, Montpellier came back in the second half and changed the rhythm of the match, but the German team found a way to win in the closing stages. The key moment came in the final seconds, when goalkeeper Andreas Wolff preserved Kiel's minimal advantage with a double save. The EHF states that Wolff finished the match with thirteen saves, including the most important ones at the very end.
Kiel thus got revenge on Montpellier for last year's semifinal, in which the French team won with a goal in the final moments. This season the outcome was reversed, and the German record champion reached its first EHF European League final. The club from Kiel has a rich European history, including four EHF Champions League titles and four EHF Cup titles, but in this competition in its current format it is playing a match for the trophy for the first time. That gives the final against Melsungen additional weight: one club is seeking its first international title of all, while the other wants new European confirmation in a competition it has not yet won.
In its preview of the final day, the EHF states that this is the third all-German final of the EHF European League, after 2021 and 2024. It also emphasizes that the new winner will again come from Germany, while Benfica from 2022 is so far the only winner of this trophy from outside Germany in the current competition format. In the same context, the condition related to qualification for the EHF Champions League 2026/27 is also mentioned: if Füchse Berlin do not win the EHF FINAL4 of the Champions League in Cologne, the winner of the Hamburg final will receive a place in Europe's strongest club competition next season. This means the Kiel and Melsungen final carries sporting and competitive value greater than the trophy itself.
Hamburg once again the centre of the European League finale
The Winamax EHF Finals 2026 are being held on 30 and 31 May at the Barclays Arena in Hamburg, and official EHF information states that three German teams and one French representative are fighting for the title. The participants in the final tournament were MT Melsungen, THW Kiel, SG Flensburg-Handewitt and Montpellier Handball. The format of the final weekend remains classic for the EHF Finals: two semifinals are played on Saturday, and the third-place match and the final on Sunday. The International Handball Federation also describes the EHF Finals Men as the pinnacle of the second tier of European club handball.
The Hamburg tournament further underlined the depth of German club handball. Three German representatives took part in the semifinals, and the final will be exclusively German. The EHF, in its live coverage, recalled that since 2010, in the second tier of European club competitions, including the previous formats of the EHF Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup, only twice has the title not been won by a team from Germany. Such statistics give context to Melsungen's victory over Flensburg: it is not only a surprise within one match, but also a new shift in the balance of power among German clubs on the international stage.
For Melsungen, the final day is an opportunity to turn the victory over Flensburg into a historic step forward. For Kiel, it is a chance to finish a season without domestic trophies with a European title and confirm the status of a club that knows how to win finals. Flensburg and Montpellier, last year's finalists, will now play for third place, which best shows how much the order has changed in just one season. After the semifinal in which Melsungen outplayed the defending champion 37:30, the finale in Hamburg enters its last day with a clear conclusion: the European League will get a new winner, and German handball another international trophy.
Sources:
- European Handball Federation (EHF) – report on Melsungen's victory against Flensburg in the semifinal of the Winamax EHF Finals 2026. (link)
- European Handball Federation (EHF) – official schedule, results and information on the final tournament in Hamburg. (link)
- European Handball Federation (EHF) – report on THW Kiel's victory against Montpellier Handball in the first semifinal. (link)
- European Handball Federation (EHF) – official statements by players and coaches after the semifinal matches on 30 May 2026. (link)
- European Handball Federation (EHF) – preview of the final day and context of the THW Kiel – MT Melsungen final. (link)
- International Handball Federation (IHF) – summary of the EHF Finals Men 2026 event and list of participants in the final tournament. (link)