The Faroe Islands national handball team achieved a historic milestone at the 2026 European Championship in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. In their preliminary round match in Oslo, the Faroese clearly defeated the team from Montenegro with a score of 37:24. For the island nation, which has only about 54,000 inhabitants, this success marks the first victory in the history of an 'EM-Endrunde' (European Championship final round).
The Faroese were already leading confidently at halftime and left no doubt about their superiority in the second half. The team was carried by an extraordinary atmosphere: an estimated 5,000 fans had traveled from home to support their team in the Norwegian capital. This represents almost ten percent of the entire population of the island group.
Outstanding players on the field were once again the 'Spielmacher' (playmaker) Elias Ellefsen ext{á Skipag ext{øtu}} and the young Oli Mitt ext{ún}. Both are considered the faces of a young, highly talented generation that has led Faroese handball to the top of Europe in recent years. While Montenegro seemed overwhelmed by the dynamism and fast counter-attacks of the Faroese, the players celebrated the clear success with their supporters after the final whistle.
This victory underlines the impressive development of handball on the Faroe Islands. After the team already caused a stir in their debut in 2024 with a draw against Norway, the final breakthrough on the big international stage has now been achieved.
