Teams

Switzerland

This year, the SHV national selection arrives in Kloten with players born in 2006 or younger, once again led by head coach Petr Hrachovec on the sideline. Compared to the other participating nations, Switzerland has had a noticeably lighter pre-tournament schedule in 2026, with only two matches played - both during a training camp in Rogla, Slovenia, against Serbia and the host nation.

The March results were a mixed bag: a 21:28 defeat to Slovenia, offset by a convincing 28:25 victory over Serbia. That win carries added weight given what lies ahead: at the upcoming U20 European Championship, Switzerland will face Serbia again in the preliminary round. Group B is rounded out by the Faroe Islands and Turkey - a challenging but manageable draw for the Swiss.

The Airport Trophy therefore serves as a cornerstone of their European Championship preparation. Facing three top-tier nations provides the ideal setting to sharpen the squad under competitive conditions and gather crucial insights before the main event.That Switzerland can hold their own at this level is no coincidence. In each of the last four editions of the Airport Trophy, a Swiss player claimed the tournament's top scorer award - Nikos Sarlos, Valentin Wolfisberg, Gino Steenaerts, and Noam Leopold.

The man who could carry that tradition forward in 2026 is Nils Epp. The left-hander from HC Kriens-Luzern made a strong impression in the March test matches, netting eleven goals across both games. More broadly, Switzerland once again bring a cohesive and talented squad to the table. In front of a home crowd, expect them to leave everything on the court.

Source: Website SHV

Squad

Vorname	Familienname	Verein	Jahrgang	Position
Eren	Besimli	Pfadi Winterthur	2007	Torhüter
Noah	Bolt	St. Otmar St. Gallen	2006	Aussen Rechts
Tiago	Cuencas	Pfadi Winterthur	2007	Rückraum Mitte
Andrin	Dörwaldt	St. Otmar St. Gallen	2006	Aussen Links
Nils	Epp	HC Kriens-Luzern	2007	Rückraum Rechts
Davud	Halilovic	BSV Bern	2006	Kreisläufer
Johannes	Hedinger	Kadetten Schaffhausen	2006	Kreisläufer
Moritz	Heinl	St. Otmar St. Gallen	2007	Rückraum Mitte
Joel	Herbst	Handball Stäfa	2006	Rückraum Mitte
Rino	Hochuli	Handball Emmen	2006	Aussen Rechts
Fynn	Hodler	TV Steffisburg	2007	Torhüter
Alessandro	Lüthi	BSV Bern	2007	Rückraum Mitte

Staff

Vorname	Familienname	Funktion
Petr	Hrachovec	Trainer
Lukas	Maag	Co-Trainer
Leo	Pejkovic	Co-Trainer
Katrin	Stepanek	Physio
Dragan	Marjanac	Torhütertrainer

Germany

The Airport Trophy reaches its 15th edition this year - and Germany have been there for every single one. With six titles to their name, the Germans remain one of the most successful nations in the tournament's history, though they now share that record at the top with Spain. Arriving in Kloten as reigning U19 World Champions, the DHB squad carries with it a considerable amount of confidence.

Their preparation has been nothing short of impressive. In January, Germany made an emphatic statement at the highly competitive four-nation tournament in Angers, France - sweeping past Spain (30:29), Portugal (41:37), and hosts France (29:25) to claim the title outright. It was a convincing display of quality against top international opposition. In the weeks leading up to Kloten, head coach Martin Heuberger continued fine-tuning his squad through further short training camps and test matches. The sessions allowed him to take stock of the group's current form, integrate new players into the system, and hand each athlete individualized training plans to carry forward.

The preliminary roster for the Airport Trophy is packed with players who compete week in, week out in the DAIKIN Handball Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. Among them is a name to watch closely: Rasmus Ankermann, just 18 years old, is widely regarded as an exceptional talent - so much so that senior national team head coach Alfred Gislason already invited him to train with the full Germany squad earlier this year.

Fans and organizers alike can look forward to a gifted, self-assured team that plays fast, attractive handball. Their target is clear: reclaim the overall title and bring it back to Germany for the first time since 2023.

Source: Website DHB

Squad

Nr	Vorname	Familienname	Verein	Jahrgang	Position
-	Rasmus	Ankermann	THW Kiel / TSV Altenholz	2007	Rückraum Mitte
-	Linus	Borreck	TBV Lemgo	2006	Torhüter
-	Anel	Durmić	VfL Gummersbach / HSG Krefeld	2006	Torhüter
	Caspar	Gauer	SC DHfK Leipzig	2006	Rückraum Mitte
	Lars	Genz	HC Erlangen	2006	Rückraum Links
	Jan	Grüner	Füchse Berlin / VfL Potsdam	2006	Aussen Links
	Noah	Hensen	SC Magdeburg	2006	Rückraum Rechts
	Max	Heydecke	TSV Neuhausen/Filder / TVB Stuttgart	2007	Kreisläufer
	Monty	Kleinsteuber	SC Magdeburg	2006	Aussen Links
	Finn	Knaack	TuSEM Essen	2006	Torhüter
	Tom	Koschek	VfL Gummersbach / SC DHfK Leipzig	2006	Aussen Links
	William	Reichardt	Füchse Berlin / VfL Potsdam	2006	Rückraum Mitte

Staff

Vorname	Familienname	Funktion
Martin	Heuberger	Bundestrainer
Alexander	Koke	Co-Trainer
Götz-Bernhard	Haase	Mannschaftsarzt
Stefan	Armbruster	Physiotherapeut
Matthias	Trautvetter	Teammanager
Daniel	Sdunek	Torwarttrainer

France

France make their 12th appearance at the Airport Trophy this year - a testament to their long-standing commitment to the tournament. Yet for all their experience in Kloten, the French have only once climbed to the top of the podium, back in 2018. Their 2026 preparation has been inconsistent. At the four-nation tournament in Angers in early January, Les Bleus managed just one win from three games - a solid 30:26 victory over Portugal - before falling to Spain (33:34) and Germany (25:29).

The picture was similarly uneven in March at the Tiby Tournament: a commanding opening win over Tunisia (31:21) raised hopes, only for France to be thoroughly outplayed in the final by Denmark (27:37).

The coaching staff drew measured conclusions. Progress in attack was visible, but consistency and efficiency - particularly under pressure - remain works in progress. Defensive stability also proved an issue during certain phases of play. Changes behind the bench have followed: Guillaume Joli is taking on an increasingly prominent role with the senior national team setup, while Jérémy Roussel has most recently taken charge of the training camps and is tasked with bringing fresh impetus to the group.

One name in the preliminary roster will immediately catch the eye of any handball connoisseur: Thomas Omeyer - nephew of legendary goalkeeper Thierry Omeyer - stands as a symbol of France's next generation of emerging talent. It is worth remembering that previous Airport Trophy editions have featured future world-class players such as Dika Mem and Nedim Remili, a reflection of the remarkable depth of French youth development.

This year will be no different in terms of spectacle. Fans and organizers can look forward to an athletic, dynamic side that will throw everything at claiming only their second Airport Trophy title.

Source: Website FFHB

Squad

Nr	Vorname	Familienname	Verein	Jahrgang	Position
-	Alexandre	Baradat	Cesson Rennes Metropole HB	2006	Rückraum Mitte / Links
	Antoine	Curcio	Saint Raphael VHB	2006	Rückraum Rechts
	Théo	Ducap	Paris Saint-Germain Handball	2006	Aussen Rechts
	Samuel	Dupuy	Saran Loiret HB	2007	Rückraum Rechts
	Sacha	Durasnel	Mainvilliers-Chartres Handball	2006	Rückraum Mitte
	Loan	Felix-Andrieu	Chambery Savoie HB	2006	Aussen Rechts
	Victor	Gildas	Chambery Savoie HB	2006	Kreisläufer
	Vincent	Gress Hayet	Saran Loiret HB	2006	Kreisläufer
	Tiago	Martinot-Kremer	US Creteil Handball	2007	Rückraum Rechts
	Thomas	Omeyer	Paris Saint-Germain Handball	2006	Rückraum Mitte
	Yoni	Peyrabout	HBC Nantais	2006	Aussen Links
	Lucas	Richard	Angers Sco Handball	2007	Rückraum Mitte

Staff

Vorname	Familienname	Funktion
Guillaume	Joli	Cheftrainer
Jérémy	Roussel	Co-Trainer
Nathan	Hubaud	Co-Trainer
Alexis	Huaulme	Teammanager
Thomas	Spinardi	Physiotherapeut
Eric	Renaud	Mannschaftsarzt
Arnaud	Gaillard	Athletiktrainer
Yohann	Ploquin	Torwarttrainer

Spain

The reigning champions are coming to Kloten. Spain not only claimed the title last year - they have stood on the top step of the podium at each of their last four Airport Trophy appearances, making them the undisputed benchmark of this tournament.

Their 2026 preparation has been largely impressive. At a four-nation tournament in Angers in early January, the Hispanos Juniors showed real character: after a narrow opening defeat to Germany (29:30), head coach Nacho Moyano's side dug deep to snatch a dramatic last-minute victory over hosts France (34:33). Back on home soil in March, they continued building momentum with two convincing wins against a strong Croatia side - 33:30 and 36:29.

Moyano himself was clearly pleased: "Twenty-three different players have already taken part in our training camps - all of them full of energy and hungry to make the squad."

The individual quality within this group speaks for itself. At each of their last four Airport Trophy appearances, Spain produced not only the tournament winner, but also the tournament MVP. This year's edition looks no different: the preliminary roster is drawn largely from FC Barcelona, alongside players from Granollers and Ademar León - a core group of club teammates who know each other's game inside out.

Spain arrive in Kloten with one clear mission: defend the title and reaffirm their dominance. As reigning U19 Vice World Champions, they will also be eager to send a statement to their direct European Championship rivals. The crowd in Kloten can look forward to a well-drilled, highly motivated side that has every intention of making it five in a row.

Source: Website RFEBM

Squad

Nr	Vorname	Familienname	Verein	Jahrgang	Position
	Guido	Bayo Giraudo	F. C. Barcelona	2006	Kreisläufer
	Pol	Chaves Valera	C. Balonmano Granollers	2006	Aussen Rechts
	Anselmo	Collado Carrión	F. C. Barcelona	2007	Rückraum Mitte
-	Alejandro	Colón Martín	C. Balonmano Alcobendas	2007	Rückraum Mitte
	Abib	Diop Escobar	C. D. Torrebalonmano	2006	Kreisläufer
	David	Faílde Fuentes	C. Balonmano EON Alicante	2006	Torhüter
	Xoán	Fernández Rodríguez	C. Cisne de Balonmano	2006	Rückraum Links
-	Marcos	García Peñacoba	Ademar León	2007	Torhüter
	Miguel Ángel	Martín Duque	F. C. Barcelona	2007	Rückraum Rechts
	Lucas	Osorio Holanda	C. D. Torrebalonmano	2007	Rückraum Mitte
	Aldo	Pagliotta de Andrés	Belenenses	2006	Kreisläufer
	Daniel	Reinante Santonja	C. Fundación B. Agustinos Alicante	2007	Aussen Links

Staff

Vorname	Familienname	Funktion
Jaime	Alvado Such	Teammanager
Jesus	Martinez De La Cal	Physiotherapeut
Javier Miguel	Aquerreta Cangas	Arzt
Ignacio	Moyano Martinez	Nationaltrainer
Rodrigo	Reñones Calvo	Co-Trainer
Jordi	Esbri Corbella	Torwarttrainer