The Yellow Cup takes place in Winterthur from Thursday to Saturday. For Switzerland, Ukraine and North Macedonia, the traditional tournament serves as a dress rehearsal for the European Championship. The most important facts.
07.01.2026, 05:00
07.01.2026, 06:48
SDA
How long has the Yellow Cup existed?
The Yellow Cup was held for the first time in 1972 to mark the tenth anniversary of Yellow Winterthur. Initially, it was primarily an international club tournament. Since 1999, only national teams have competed. The event offers the teams an ideal opportunity to prepare for the World or European Championships, which have always started in January for the men since the turn of the millennium.
How many times has Switzerland won?
Since only national teams have taken part, Switzerland has won the tournament seven times, most recently in 2024, when it won for the third time in a row. Prior to that, they had also triumphed in 1982 and 1988. Last year, the hosts finished in 2nd place behind the Netherlands.
Who are the opponents this time?
The Swiss will face Ukraine, Bahrain and North Macedonia in turn. The first and third games for the locals will kick off at 18:00, the second at 20:15. Like Switzerland, Ukraine and North Macedonia have qualified for the European Championship finals in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. These begin on January 15.
What are the results?
The Swiss have played Ukraine twelve times so far. Their record is positive with seven wins, one draw and four defeats. The last meeting took place at the Yellow Cup in early January 2020, when Switzerland won 32:22. The clash against Bahrain is a first. The last seven games against North Macedonia, who are on paper the strongest opponents, have all been lost. At the European Championship finals two years ago, they lost 27:29 in the final preliminary round match. It was the last international match for current national coach Andy Schmid. Thanks to the twelve goals he scored, he replaced Marc Baumgartner as the top scorer in the Swiss national team (1094 compared to 1093).
Who does Andy Schmid rely on?
Andy Schmid has named two goalkeepers and 17 outfield players for the Yellow Cup - the squad will be reduced by one player for the European Championship. Ten of the players in the squad earn their living abroad, nine of them in Germany and one in France. Goalkeeper and captain Nikola Portner, the most experienced player in the team with 145 caps, is back after a doping ban. Traces of methamphetamines were detected in the 32-year-old in March 2024. Although the German handball league lifted the suspension in June 2024, the national doping agency lodged an appeal with the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The matter was settled in August 2025: Portner received a 21-month ban retroactively from March 10, 2024 until December 10, 2025, meaning he is eligible to play again but has not featured for Magdeburg since then.
Another returnee is director Manuel Zehnder. The top scorer of the 2023/24 Bundesliga season, who is moving from Magdeburg to GOG Gudme in Denmark for the coming season, tore the cruciate ligament, inner ligament and meniscus in his left knee at last year's Yellow Cup. He is gradually working his way back. The youngest member of the squad is 19-year-old Niclas Mierzwa; the left winger is number 3 in the NLA's current list of top scorers.
What counts in the event of a tie?
All four teams play each other once. In the event of a tie, the goal difference from all games counts, not the direct duel as is usually the case.
