Malte Elze fights for the European Championship title with Germany’s U18s

SCM has only just started pre-season , and coach Bennet Wiegert already has to do without one of his players. The reason for this, however, is consistently positive: Malte Elze is in action with the German U18 team at the European Championship in Serbia. From 29 July to 9 August 2026, players born in 2008 and younger will compete for the European Championship title.

Together with Elvis Kretzschmar and Mats Brigzinsky, the 18-year-old Elze will be on the ball for the first time in Belgrade on July 29 at 2:30 p.m., when Italy awaits in the opening game. On Thursday, 30 July, the duel with hosts Serbia follows (19:30 CEST), before Turkey (14:30 CEST) is the last preliminary round opponent on Saturday, 1 August. Of the 24 participating nations, the two best-placed teams in each of the six groups of four will advance to the three main rounds. The best eight teams then qualify for the quarter-finals.

After gold at the U17 World Championships last year, the next medal is now to follow for the DHB selection. “I’m really looking forward to this European Championship and I’m up for showing my best performance in every game. I think our chances are good – especially if we play ourselves into a run again,” says Elze, who leads the team onto the field as captain. In the dress rehearsal against Switzerland, the selection convinced with a 35-26 victory. “The atmosphere here is very good. I get on really well with the team and the staff – the chemistry is really remarkable.”

Nevertheless, Elze does not lose sight of SCM: “I’m in contact with our coach and also with a few players. If our schedule allows, I’ll of course try to watch the games. Of course, the focus is now on the European Championships, but after that I will concentrate fully on SCM again.”