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Three Slovenians Nominated for Season's Best Handball Team
🇸🇮 Slovenia /Sports

Three Slovenians Nominated for Season's Best Handball Team

From Delo · () Slovenian

Translated from Slovenian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Three Slovenian handball players have been nominated for the EHF Excellence Awards 2026 season team.
  • Domen Makuc and Blaž Janc are nominated for best center back, while Borut Mačkovšek is a candidate for best defensive player.
  • Voting by fans, players, coaches, and media will determine the teams, with results announced June 23-24.

The European Handball Federation (EHF) has announced its nominees for the EHF Excellence Awards 2026, recognizing the best players of the season. Three Slovenian national team representatives are among the candidates. Fans can vote for their favorites through an application starting Wednesday noon.

Domen Makuc, the MVP of the EHF Champions League final tournament, and his Barcelona teammate Blaž Janc are both nominated for the best center back position. Borut Mačkovšek of Pick Szeged is a contender for the best defensive player award. The voting period concludes on Sunday, June 21, at midnight.

The nominations are based on performances in both national team and European club competitions during the 2025/26 season. These selections were confirmed by members of the EHF's expert group, which includes former Slovenian captain Vid Kavtičnik. The men's and women's teams of the season will be decided by votes from four interest groups: fans, players, coaches, and the media, with each group holding a 25% stake in the final decision.

The team of the season will be revealed on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 23 and 24. The most valuable players (MVPs) for the season will be announced on June 26, during the Champions League group stage draw. This event will also confirm if Celje Pivovarna Laško, the Slovenian champion, will again compete in the elite league alongside Krim, as they have applied for an EHF wildcard. The Champions League is expanding from 16 to 24 clubs next season.

Fans can vote for their favorites through an application.

— EHFRegarding the voting process for the EHF Excellence Awards.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Delo in Slovenian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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