Portugal made history on Sunday by becoming the first European champion in four-a-side wheelchair handball, edging past France 2–1 in a nail-biting final in Vilnius, Lithuania.
The final went down to the decisive third set. Portugal took the opener 7–6, lost the second 9–10, and then dominated the last with a stunning 7–0 shutout. João Jerónimo shone throughout the match, scoring 14 goals – four more than France’s top scorer, Fatih Cuhadar.
Portugal closed the tournament with a flawless record: five games, five wins.
The national team had already beaten France 2–0 in the group stage, after delivering the same result against Romania and Spain. In the semifinals earlier on Sunday, the team swept past Croatia to secure its spot in the title match. Lithuania took the bronze after defeating Croatia 2–1.
Reaching the final also earned Portugal a place at the 2026 World Championship, after finishing seventh in its debut at the 2024 edition in Egypt.
Wheelchair handball is played in a best-of-three format, with mixed teams competing in two 10-minute halves per set. In the four-a-side version (ACR4), at least one woman must be on the court at all times. Portugal is no stranger to success in the sport: in the six-a-side version (ACR6), the national team has won both the World and European titles in 2022, as well as a European gold in 2018 and three silvers in previous continental competitions.
