02.05.2019, 01:26
Men’s EHF EURO 2020: 250 days to go

MEDIA RELEASE: With only two rounds of Qualifiers left, the Men’s EHF EURO 2020 is emerging on the horizon. This Saturday, it is 250 days to go, and the three organisers, Sweden, Austria and Norway, already welcome the first three teams to the final tournament

Men’s EHF EURO 2020: 250 days to go

The biggest EHF EURO so far will, for the first time, welcome 24 teams competing over 18 days in three countries: Sweden, Austria and Norway. Besides the three hosts, Germany, Croatia and Slovenia are known as participants, as they secured qualification after four rounds in the EHF EURO 2020 Qualifiers.

Furthermore, it is set in which groups Croatia and Germany will play. Croatia start their campaign in group A in Graz; Germany head to Trondheim, Norway, where they will play in group C. The three hosts start in group B in Vienna (Austria), group D in Trondheim (Norway) and group F in Gothenburg (Sweden).

If qualified, Denmark will be placed in group E in Malmö. With that in mind, fans can already plan their trips. Tickets for all EHF EURO 2020 venues can be bought on www.ehf-euro.com.

All other teams will be drawn to the six groups at the final tournament draw in Vienna on 28 June.

Exciting matches coming up in June

There are two more rounds of the EHF EURO 2020 Qualifiers to be played on 12/13 and 16 June and after some surprising results in April, powerhouses like Denmark and France still need to earn their spot at the EHF EURO.

After losing to Montenegro in round 3, reigning world champions Denmark try to book their EHF EURO ticket against Ukraine and the Faroe Islands. France were outplayed in Portugal and will face Lithuania and Romania in June to confirm their participation on the biggest European handball stage. Hungary opened the door to the EHF EURO by snatching three points in encounters against Russia. They only need one point in the last two matches to earn a place at the EURO.

The race is wide open in groups 3 and 5 in which almost any team can qualify. Iceland, North Macedonia, Turkey and Greece are vying for two places that definitely lead to EHF EURO 2020. In group 5, Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Czech Republic top the table, but Belarus are hot on their heels.

Round 5 is played on 12 and 13 June and all matches of round 6 will throw off at 18:00 hrs CET on Sunday, 16 June.

The two top ranked teams of each group will qualify for the Men’s EHF EURO 2020 together with the best four third ranked teams. Full overview of matches and standings available on www.ehf-euro.com.  

Spain and Norway chasing EHF EURO Cup title

Parallel to the Qualifiers, the EHF EURO 2020 hosts and 2018 champions Spain are fighting for the title in the newly introduced EHF EURO Cup. With the last two rounds also to be played in June, Spain and Norway are contenders for the top podium position, as they sit at the top of the ranking with six points each.

Round 5 sees Spain playing Sweden on 12 June and Austria facing Norway on 13 June. The final matches are Norway vs Spain on 15 June and Sweden vs Austria on 16 Jun

EHF EURO draw on 28 June in Vienna

It has been a record qualification, with in total 48 teams registered for the different phases but only 24 will make it to the final tournament in January.

The last step ahead of EHF EURO 2020 will be the draw. It will take place at the Erste Bank Campus in Vienna on Friday, 28 June 2019 at 18:45 hrs. It will be streamed live on EHF EURO Youtube and EHF EURO Facebook.

The draw procedure is available for download.

Become a volunteer at EHF EURO 2020

Participation at EHF EURO 2020 does not end with the teams. There is no major sport event happening without the help of volunteers.

Austria and Norway are still accepting applications and offer the possibility to be a part of what is going to be the biggest EHF EURO to date. Areas where volunteers are sought include team and hotel guides, transport, media and marketing, the arena and many more.

Knowledge of foreign languages is an advantage in all activities, but is not a prerequisite.

More information is available one the respective federation pages.

For Austria: https://www.oehb.at/de/ehf-euro-2020/volunteers (apply by 30 June)

For Norway: https://www.handball.no/regioner/nhf-sentralt/kampaktivitet/landslag/handballgutta/ehf-euro-2020/frivillig-i-em/

About Men’s EHF EURO 2020

The EHF EURO 2020 will be held from 9 to 26 January 2020. This is the first time that 24 nations will take part, the first time that there are three organisers with Sweden, Austria and Norway and the first time that the final weekend lasts over three days. Sweden will organise two preliminary rounds and one main round group as well as the final weekend.

The venues will be Gothenburg’s Scandinavium, Malmö Arena and Tele 2 Arena in Stockholm (only on the final weekend), a stadium with over 20,000 seats. In Austria, two preliminary round groups and one main round group will take place in the Vienna Stadthalle and the Stadthalle Graz. The "New Nidarohallen" in Trondheim with 8,000 seats, which is currently under construction, will be the venue for the two preliminary round groups playing in Norway.

TEXT: EHF/jb