Overview
- SG Flensburg-Handewitt beat Bergischer HC 36:29 to secure second place and trim the gap to leaders SC Magdeburg to three points ahead of the European Championship break, with Magdeburg visiting Eisenach on Saturday.
- Kölner Haie defeated Bremerhaven 3:0 to move first in the DEL, while Adler Mannheim relinquished the lead in a 2:5 home loss to ERC Ingolstadt, with Köln at 68 points, Ingolstadt 66 and Mannheim 65.
- Telekom’s MagentaSport shows every DEL game this season, DF1 carries one weekly free‑TV top game, and the DEL Winter Game is scheduled for 10 January 2026 in Dresden.
- Hertha BSC close the Hinrunde on 28 points under Stefan Leitl with one of the league’s stingiest defenses but an underpowered attack that must improve to mount a promotion push.
- MT Melsungen reported a playmaker crunch as Amine Darmoul is set for knee surgery on 30 December, with Erik Balenciaga already out and Olle Forsell Schefvert sidelined, though Melsungen still beat Stuttgart 33:28.