Emerging nations look to EHF EURO 2020 Qualification

As the EHF EURO 2018 Qualification Phase nears its end, some nations are already looking ahead to 2020. The 2nd IHF Men’s Emerging Nations Championship, taking place from 12 to 18 June, offers a last chance to book a place in the second phase of qualification for the EHF EURO 2020.

The EHF EURO 2020, hosted by Austria, Norway and Sweden, will be the first played in the new format with 24 teams.

The second IHF Emerging Nations Championship features 16 countries, with 15 from Europe fighting for the title alongside wild card entry China. The European nations have additional motive with a chance to participate in the second phase of EHF EURO 2020 Qualification for the top three-ranked nations from the continent at stake.

All matches will be streamed live on the Bulgarian Handball Federation's Youtube Channel.

This year’s Emerging Nations Championship is the second edition of the tournament, with the maiden event held in Kosovo in 2015 after the nation played their first official international matches as part of EHF EURO 2018 Qualification Phase 1.

Kosovo will participate in the 2017 competition in Bulgaria from preliminary Group A, where they will face Turkey, Albania and Ireland. Hosts Bulgaria begin their campaign from Group C, playing Cyprus, Andorra and Azerbaijan, while Group B features Luxembourg, Georgia, Malta and Great Britain.

In Group D, China, 2015 Emerging Nations champions Faroe Islands, Armenia and Moldova battle for the top places in the group, from which the first two teams qualify for the quarter-final stage.

The participating nations from Europe were selected based on EHF EURO 2018 Qualification, with eight teams that did not take part the first qualification phase (Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Great Britain, Ireland, Moldova and Malta) and six that did not qualify for the second stage (Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Kosovo, Luxembourg, Turkey). Bulgaria were automatically qualified as hosts of the event.

Teams contesting the Emerging Nations title must be comprised of players aged between 16 and 24 years, with a maximum of three players aged above 24 allowed per squad.

The tournament will be played in the cities of Gabrovo and Veliko Tarnovo.

For more information also visit http://bulgarianhandball.eu/en/ and the IHF's competition website.