10.06.2010, 11:03
2011 Men’s World Championship Qualification

European qualification for the tournament in Sweden starts this weekend.

2011 Men’s World Championship Qualification

24 national teams will play for the Handball World Champion title in Sweden in January 2011. Half of them – 12 teams – are already qualified.

Teams already going to Sweden

Traditionally the reigning champions, France, and the host nation, Sweden, have their tickets secured. The four best teams from the EHF EURO 2010 in Austria also are directly qualified. As France was one of them, this adds Poland, Iceland and Croatia.

In February Japan, Korea and Bahrain qualified as the three Asian teams and Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria as the three African teams. By beating New Zealand and the Cook Islands Australia qualified from the Oceanian Championships.

The remaining 12 teams will face last qualification matches. 9 tickets are reserved for Europe, 3 for the Pan-American continent.

European Qualification Play-Offs

Out of the remaining 18 European teams nine will be qualified after one last home/away stand off. The nine European qualification duels:

SAT 12 June 2010, 18:00, Dortmund: Germany vs. Greece
SAT 12 June 2010, 18:00, Hlohovec: Slovakia vs. Ukraine
SAT 12 June 2010, 18:00, Nis: Serbia vs. Czech Republic
SAT 12 June 2010, 19:10, Stavanger: Norway vs. Lithuania
SAT 12 June 2010, 20:20, Dornbirn: Austria vs. Netherlands
SUN 13 June 2010, 18:00, Ljubljana: Slovenia vs. Hungary
SUN 13 June 2010, 18:00, Lisboa: Portugal vs. Spain
SUN 13 June 2010, 19:00, Bucarest: Romania vs. Russia
SUN 13 June 2010, 20:15, Brondby: Denmark vs. Switzerland

Return games will be played between 18 – 20 June 2010.

Pan-American Qualification

Between 22 – 26 June 2010 eight nations will meet at the Elite Pan-American Championship, with the three medallists qualifying as Pan American representatives. The tournament includes the following Preliminary Round Groups:

Group A: Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Canada

Group B: Brasil, Cuba, Greenland, Dominican Republic

Final Tournament Info

The Final Tournament Draw will be held in the Scandinavium in Gothenburg on 9 July 2010. Four Preliminary Round Groups with six teams each will be drawn.

This 2011 Men’s World Handball Championships will take place in Sweden between 13 – 30 January. The eight playing venues are Malmö (final venue), Lund, Kristianstad, Göteborg, Skövde, Jönköping, Linköping and Norrköping. Tickets are on sale already.

Find all details on http://www.handball2011.com/

Follow the World Championships 2011 on Facebook: www.facebook.com/handball2011

TEXT: EHF