Italy have claimed the historic title of the first-ever U16 Men’s European Champions after a dominant 20:12 victory over Hungary in the final in Istanbul. The Azzurrini completed the tournament with a perfect record—six wins from six games—and saved their most impressive performance for the gold medal match.
Hungary, who won gold at the U15 European Championships in 2023, were outplayed from the start. Italy raced into a 3:0 lead inside four minutes and then produced a ruthless 5:0 run to lead 8:1. By the halfway mark, they were already eight goals clear (10:2) and never looked back. Chianese starred with five goals, while Maffei and Bordone added four each. Fabinyi led Hungary with four.
In the bronze medal match, Montenegro took down Croatia 12:7. After leading 7:3 late in the second quarter, Montenegro weathered a Croatian push before pulling away again in the third with a decisive 4:0 run. Roganovic and Durutovic each netted three times.
Final Results – 2025 Elite Men’s European U16 Championships (Istanbul)
Final: Italy 20–12 Hungary (6:1, 6:3, 2:3, 6:5)
Bronze Medal Match: Montenegro 12–7 Croatia (4:2, 3:2, 2:1, 3:2)
5th Place: Spain 11–14 Greece (2:3, 4:4, 4:3, 1:4)
7th Place: Turkiye 12–21 Serbia (3:6, 2:2, 1:6, 6:7)
13th–15th Group, Round 3: Malta 13–9 Moldova (1:2, 4:0, 4:5, 4:2)
Final Standings (Elite Division)
- Italy
- Hungary
- Montenegro
- Croatia
- Greece
- Spain
- Serbia
- Turkiye
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Romania
- Georgia
- Poland
- Malta
- Moldova
France Edge Bulgaria in Division 1 Thriller
In the Division 1 final in Ljubljana, France edged Bulgaria 17:16 after a dramatic penalty shootout. With both teams tied at 12:12 after regulation, France held their nerve in the shootout to take gold—and a spot in the Elite Division alongside runners-up Bulgaria.
Bosnia and Herzegovina claimed bronze with a 13:11 shootout win over Ukraine, while Switzerland defeated Slovenia 9:8 in the 5th-place match.
Final Results – 2025 Division 1 Men’s European U16 Championships (Ljubljana)
Final: Bulgaria 16–17 France (1:3, 5:2, 4:4, 2:3, PSO 4:5)
3rd Place: Bosnia & Herzegovina 13–11 Ukraine (3:1, 2:2, 1:4, 3:2, PSO 4:2)
5th Place: Slovenia 8–9 Switzerland (1:1, 5:3, 1:2, 1:3)
7th Place: Lithuania 8–13 Cyprus (2:2, 2:4, 3:3, 1:4)
9th Place: Slovakia 10–11 Portugal (0:3, 2:1, 4:4, 4:3)
11th Place: Latvia 2–19 Czech Republic (0:7, 0:2, 0:7, 2:3)
Final Standings (Division 1)
- France
- Bulgaria
- Bosnia & Herzegovina
- Ukraine
- Switzerland
- Slovenia
- Cyprus
- Lithuania
- Portugal
- Slovakia
- Czech Republic
- Latvia
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