The European Handball Federation (EHF) has now launched a new process to find alternative hosts.

Russia had been awarded the event for the first time at the 14th EHF Extraordinary Congress after its only rival, a joint bid from Norway, Denmark and Sweden, withdrew.

The Championships had been due to take place at the VTB Arena in Moscow and the Yubileyny Sports Palace and Sibur Arena in Saint Petersburg.

But, following Russia's attack on Ukraine in February 2022, Russia had been suspended from competition by the International Handball Federation. 

The EHF Executive Committee were told at a meeting in Vienna that "contact has been established at the beginning of the week with the outcome that holding the event in Russia is not possible within the given timetable. 

"Therefore, an alternative host shall be sought by the EHF according to the decision of the EXEC {Executive Committee}. 

"Additional information on the new awarding process will be provided in due time."

The Russian Handball Federation (HFR) issued a statement confirming that they had been informed of the decision.

"Unfortunately, today the situation has developed that Russian teams and clubs have been suspended from participating in international competitions, and the current conditions do not allow timely implementation of all stages of preparation for such a major tournament," the HFR said. 

"This concerns inspection visits of EHF representatives, the technical support of the arenas, the arrival of fans from other countries and other key operational issues. 

"In this regard, after consultations with the EHF management, it was decided to transfer the European Championship 2026 from Russia to another country."

Russia is one of the world's leading teams, having won the Olympic gold medal at Rio 2016 and lifted the world title four times.

But it has never won the European Championships, winning a silver medal in 2006 and 2018 and bronze in 2000 and 2008. 

The last European Women's Handball Championships took place last year, without Russia, in Slovenia, North Macedonia and Montenegro, with Norway winning for a record ninth time.

The 2024 Championships are due to take place in Austria, Hungary and Switzerland, with the 2028 edition set for Norway, Denmark and Sweden.

HFR chairman Sergei Shishkarev claimed that Russia still hoped to stage the Championships in the future.

"This does not mean that we have completely abandoned the idea of holding the World or European Championships in Russia," he told Russia's official state news agency TASS.

"This task is still worth it and I am convinced that we will be able to fulfil it in other terms."