European Handball Championship 2024: Schedule, groups and results

Highlights: European Handball Championship 2024: Schedule, groups and results. For the first time since 2007, Germany will host a major handball event as the sole host. From 10 January, a new European champion will be determined in six cities. The opening match will take place on 10 January in front of more than 50,000 spectators at the Düsseldorf football stadium. The final takes place on 28 January in the almost 20,000-capacity Lanxess Arena in Cologne.ARD and ZDF have secured the broadcasting rights for the European Championship.

For the first time since 2007, Germany will host a major handball event as the sole host: From 10 January, a new European champion will be determined in six cities. You can find out everything you need to know about the European Handball Championship here.

Enlarge image

Johannes Golla captains the DHB team

Photograph:

Eibner Press Photo / Marcel von Fehrn / IMAGO / Eibner

European Handball Championship 2024

Premiere for the German Handball Federation (DHB): For the first time in history, a European Handball Championship will be held in Germany. The opening match will take place on 10 January in front of more than 50,000 spectators at the Düsseldorf football stadium, while the final will take place on 28 January in the almost 20,000-capacity Lanxess Arena in Cologne. The DHB selection, which will face France, North Macedonia and Switzerland in Group A, is not considered a tournament favorite even with the home advantage.

European Handball Championship on TV

ARD and ZDF have secured the broadcasting rights for the European Championship. This means that all matches with German participation will be shown on free-to-air TV. Both channels will also show selected matches of other nations. Among others, the 175-time national handball goalkeeper Johannes Bitter will be seen as an expert. In addition, the paid streaming service Dyn will show all 65 tournament matches live and on demand.

The Groups

Group A in Düsseldorf/Berlin: France, Germany, North Macedonia, Switzerland

Group B in Mannheim: Spain, Austria, Croatia, Romania

Group C in Munich: Iceland, Hungary, Serbia, Montenegro

Group D in Berlin: Norway, Slovenia, Poland, Faroe Islands

Group E in Mannheim: Sweden, Netherlands, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia

Group F in Munich: Denmark, Portugal, Czech Republic, Greece

The Schedule

Matches of the German team

10.01.2024, 20.45 p.m.: Germany vs. Switzerland (ZDF)14.01.2024, 20.30 p.m.: Germany vs. North Macedonia (ZDF)16.01.2024, 20.30 p.m.: Germany vs. France (ARD)

Group A

10/01/2024, 18:00: France – North Macedonia 10/01/2024, 20:45: Germany – Switzerland 14/01/2024, 18:00: Switzerland – France 14/01/2024, 20:30: Germany – North Macedonia 16/01/2024, 18:00: North Macedonia – Switzerland

16/01/2024, 20:30: Germany – France

Group B

12/01/2024, 18:00: Austria – Romania 12/01/2024, 20:30: Spain – Croatia 14/01/2024, 18:00: Romania – Spain 14/01/2024, 20:30: Croatia – Austria 16/01/2024, 18:00: Croatia – Romania 16/01/2024, 20:30: Spain – Austria

Group C

12/01/2024, 18:00: Iceland – Serbia 12/01/2024, 20:30: Hungary – Montenegro 14/01/2024, 18:00: Montenegro – Iceland 14/01/2024, 20:30: Serbia – Hungary 16/01/2024, 18:00: Serbia – Montenegro16/01/2024, 20:30: Iceland
– Hungary

Group D

11/01/2024, 18:00: Slovenia – Faroe Islands 11/01/2024, 20:30: Norway – Poland 13/01/2024, 18:00: Poland – Slovenia 13/01/2024, 20:30: Faroe Islands – Norway 15/01/2024, 18:00: Poland
– Faroe

Islands
15/01/2024, 20:30: Norway– Slovenia

Group E

11/01/2024, 18:00: Netherlands – Georgia 11/01/2024, 20:30: Sweden – Bosnia and Herzegovina 13/01/2024, 18:00: Bosnia and Herzegovina – Netherlands 13/01/2024, 20:30: Georgia – Sweden 15/01/2024, 18:00: Bosnia and Herzegovina – Georgia 15/01/2024, 20:30: Sweden
– Netherlands

Group F

11/01/2024, 18:00: Portugal – Greece 11/01/2024, 20:30: Denmark – Czech Republic 13/01/2024, 18:00: Czech Republic – Portugal 13/01/2024, 20:30: Greece – Denmark 15/01/2024, 18:00: Czech Republic
– Greece 15/01/2024, 20:30: Denmark
– Portugal

Main round

Group I in Cologne

18/01/2024: 1st Group C – 2nd Group B 18/01/2024: 2nd Group A – 2nd Group C
18/01/2024: 1st Group A – 1st Group B

20/01/2024: 1st Group C – 1nd Group B 20/01/2024: 1nd Group A – 2nd Group C
20/01/2024: 2st Group A – 2st Group B

22.01.2024: 1. Group A – 2. Group B 22.01.2024: 2. Group A – 1. Group C 22.01.2024: 1. Group B
– 2. Group C

24.01.2024: 1. Group A – 1. Group C 24.01.2024: 2. Group A – 1. Group B 24.01.2024: 2. Group B
– 2. Group C

Group II in Hamburg

17/01/2024: 1st Group F – 2nd Group E 17/01/2024: 2nd Group D – 2nd Group F 17/01/2024: 1st Group D –
1st Group E

19/01/2024: 1st Group F – 1nd Group E 19/01/2024: 1nd Group D – 2nd Group F 19/01/2024: 2st Group D –
2st Group E

21/01/2024: 1st Group D – 2nd Group E 21/01/2024: 2nd Group D – 1st Group F 21/01/2024: 1st Group E
–
2nd Group F

23.01.2024: 1. Group D – 1. Group F 23.01.2024: 2. Group D – 1. Group E
23.01.2024: 2. Group E
– 2. Group F

Finals

Semi-finals in Cologne

26.01.2024, 17.45 p.m.: still unknown
26.01.2024, 20.30 p.m.: still unknown

Match for 3rd place in Cologne

28.01.2024, 15.00 p.m.: still unknown

Final in Cologne

28.01.2024, 17.45 p.m.: still unknown

The Favorites

The Danish team, which in 2023 became the first nation ever to win the World Cup for the third time in a row, is also considered the favourite at the European Championship in the neighbouring country. The Scandinavians around superstar Mikkel Hansen have also been drawn into a supposedly easy group with the Czech Republic, Greece and Portugal.

France, 2020 Olympic champions, Sweden and Norway are also title contenders. Germany – last European champions in 2016 – are only given outsider chances this year.

The Mode

The 24 participating nations will be divided into a total of six groups in the preliminary round. The top two teams qualify for the main round, which consists of two groups of six. There they are still in the same group, but no longer compete against each other. Instead, they take the result and points from the direct preliminary round comparison. The top two teams in the group will then advance to the semi-finals. In addition to the winner, the third and fifth place finishers in the World Championships will also be determined.

The Squad

Coach Alfred Gíslason has named four European champions from 2016 and the U21 World Cup from 2023. The players around captain Johannes Golla at a glance (as of 1 January):

Gate: David Späth (Rhein-Neckar Löwen), Andreas Wolff (Industria Kielce)Back: Martin Hanne (TSV Hannover-Burgdorf), Sebastian Heymann (Frisch auf Göppingen), Julian Köster (VfL Gummersbach), Philipp Weber (SC Magdeburg)Juri Knorr (Rhein-Neckar Löwen), Nils Lichtlein (Füchse Berlin), Kai Häfner (TVB Stuttgart), Renars Uscins (TSV Hannover-Burgdorf), Christoph Steinert (HC Erlangen)Left winger: Rune Dahmke (THW Kiel), Lukas Mertens (SC Magdeburg)

Right winger: Timo Kastening (MT Melsungen)Circle: Justus Fischer (TSV Hannover-Burgdorf), Johannes Golla (SG Flensburg-Handewitt), Jannik Kohlbacher (Rhein-Neckar Löwen)

All European champions since 1994

1994: Sweden 1996: Russia
1998: Sweden 2000: Sweden 2002: Sweden

2004: Germany 2006: France 2008: Denmark 2010: France 2012: Denmark

2014: France

2016: Germany

2018: Spain 2020: Spain

2022: Sweden