The Women’s EHF Handball Euro 2022 is gearing up for another nail-biter, with an Olympic qualification slot on the line. Read on for a sneak peek, schedule, and information on how to catch Nora Mork, Sandra Toft, Cristina Neagu, Ana Gros, Pauletta Foppa, and many more.
The Women’s EHF Handball Euro 2022 will be contested in Slovenia, North Macedonia, and Montenegro in early November, and excitement is mounting.
One European handball champion will be awarded, with an automatic Olympic qualification spot in Paris 2024 and three World Championship berths up for grabs.
Among the 16 teams are some European powerhouses that always bring their finest stars and provide us with world-class action.
Nora Mork, Stine Oftedal, and Henny Reistad led a shining Norway to victory in 2020, and they’ll go all-out to keep it.
However, a year after losing to Norway in the Euro final, France stepped up and won their first Olympic gold medal in women’s handball in Tokyo 2020 in 2021, only for Norway to extract revenge a few months later by winning the 2021 World Championships in December.
Strong challenges will also come from Denmark, Croatia, Serbia, Spain, Romania, the three host countries, and others, meaning Norway and France will face stiff competition.
When is the Women’s EHF Handball Euro 2022?
The 15th European Women’s Handball Championships will be held from November 4 to November 20, 2022.
Venues for the Women’s EHF Handball Euro 2022
Four cities and venues in three countries will host the championship:
- Stožice Arena (Ljubljana, Slovenia)
- Zlatorog Arena (Celje, Slovenia)
- Boris Trajkovski Arena (Skopje, North Macedonia)
- Moraca Arena (Podgorica, Montenegro)
How to Watch Live Women’s EHF Handball Euro 2022 Games and Get Highlights:
The entire event will be taped, with the activity televised live on the European Handball Federation’s (EHF) TV broadcast partners and digital streaming sites.
Live Broadcast: EHF Handball Euro (try it free)
Olympic Channel and Olympics.com will broadcast the action (territorial restrictions apply).
EHFTV broadcasts every game live online with English commentary (subscription charges may apply).
Highlights and viral videos will also be accessible on the championship’s YouTube account, which can be found at www.youtube.com/homeofhandball.
Tickets for the event can be purchased on the official tournament website, which can be found here.
Schedule for the Women’s EHF Handball Euro 2022:
Here’s a quick overview of the schedule; for complete match information, see ehf.com.
Group stage: November 4–9.
Main round: November 10-16
Semi-finals: November 18
Final and third-place match: November 20.
Who qualified for the Women’s EHF Handball Euro 2022 tournament?
The following are the 16 teams competing for the trophy:
Croatia (CRO), Denmark (DEN), France (FRA), Germany (GER), Hungary (HUN), Montenegro (MNE), Netherlands (NED), North Macedonia (MKD), Norway (NOR), Poland (POL), Romania (ROU), Serbia (SRB), Slovenia (SLO), Spain (ESP), Switzerland (CHF) (SUI).
Women’s EHF Handball Euro 2022 Groups:
The draw went as follows:
Norway, Hungary, Croatia, and Switzerland are in Group A.
Denmark, Sweden, Slovenia, and Serbia make up Group B.
Group C consists of France, the Netherlands, Macedonia, and Romania.
Group D consists of Poland, Montenegro, Germany, and Spain.
Preview of the Women’s EHF Handball Euro 2022:
Norway, the reigning European and global champions is aiming for a tenth title in the previous 13 editions of this competition and have a roster capable of doing so.
France, the Olympic champs, will have something to say about that; expect another good tournament from Les Bleus.
Olympic champions ROC will not compete in this competition.
Denmark is another historical European powerhouse. They have won the trophy three times, second only to Norway, and will look to reclaim the top spot in the Euro rankings.
Croatia was a great surprise two years ago in Herning, going on a wild journey to third place – the ‘Queens of Shock’ even upset hosts Denmark 25-19 to capture their first major tournament gold.
They did it in style, too, with a thrilling kind of handball that boded well for the future, and the show continued on the platform when they appeared in tiaras and waved to the globe.
Croatian women won their first big tournament medal, and they’ll be back to challenge again this time.
Hosts of major events frequently benefit from local support, and with three teams benefiting from it, supporters may expect Slovenia, North Macedonia, and Montenegro to elevate their game as well.
Montenegro can draw inspiration from their remarkable Euro 2012 success, in which they defeated Norway in extra time, led to the top of the podium by legends such as Katarina Bulatovic, Milena Knezevic, and Jovanka Radicevic.
There are a number of other teams preparing to spring an upset, including Romania under new coach Florentin Pera, Serbia, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Spain.
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Women’s EHF Handball Euro 2022 Stars to Watch:
So, who are the major names for the Women’s EHF Handball Euro 2022?
Norway’s trinity of Mork, Oftedal, and Reistad aren’t the only players to keep an eye on in a squad brimming with quality.
Goalkeeper Katrine Lunde will likely overtake former French captain Siraba Dembele Pavlovic as the most experienced female player in Euro’s history.
Siraba’s 54-match winning streak will almost certainly be interrupted by Lunde, who is only two games behind the retired French legend.
Norway also has several young guns breaking through, like Ane Cecilie Hogseth, a 21-year-old line player who has been quite impressive at her team Storhamar.
Norway won the Golden League pre-Euro 2022 tune-up event, defeating Switzerland (39-22), the Netherlands (27-19), and Denmark (29-27).
Henny Reistad had 18 goals, line player Vilde Ingstad had 14 goals, and Veronica Kristiansen had 11 net gains.
Mork only played one game, and Stine Oftedal was injured, but Norway demonstrated that they had the depth and potential to reclaim the crown they now have.
Pauletta Foppa of France was the youngest player on the court in 2020 final, at 19 years old, and she topped the scoring with five goals.
In the Olympic final in Tokyo, Foppa demonstrated her talent once more with a perfect 7/7 record.
Foppa, now 21, has established herself as a world star, aided by the expertise of players such as goalie Cleopatre Darleux (33) and the incomparably superb all-court left-back Estelle Nze Minko (29).
And right winger Alicia Toublanc has been impressive in the pre-Euro warm-ups.
France has an excellent balance to their lineup, led by Grace Zaadi Deuna (29) at center-back.
ROC vs. FRA – Women’s Gold Medal Handball Match | Tokyo 2020 Replays
Denmark finished fourth in their home tournament last time out, led by 2021 IHF World Player of the Year Sandra Toft.
Toft, an All-Star goalkeeper two years ago, will have to be at her best again this time around if Denmark is to reach the podium.
Other players to keep an eye on include Slovenian killer Ana Gros, Romania’s unstoppable Cristina Neagu, and free-scoring left-back Sorina Grozav.
Camila Micijevic is the heart of the Croatian team, but she appears to be out again due to a cruciate ligament knee injury.
North Macedonia suffered a significant loss when experienced right-winger Elena Gjorgjijevska injured her shoulder, and right-winger Sara Ristovska will now bear even more responsibility.
Spain is usually a high-octane squad to watch; they finished fourth at the last Euros; keep a look out for Lara Gonzalez and 20-year-old Lysa Tchaptchet, who plays club handball for top Norwegian club Vipers Kristiansand.
