In the first two appearances at the Olympic Games – Atlanta 1996 and Athens 2004 – Croatia won the gold medal, consolidating their status as a superpower in men’s handball. In fact, Croatia made the semi-finals of the Olympic competition in four out of their five appearances, finishing fourth at Beijing 2008 and sealing the bronze medal at London 2012.

However, the past years have been turbulent for Croatia, which finished 15th at the 2021 IHF Men’s World Championship and ninth at the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship, with an eighth place at the EHF EURO 2022 and a 11th place at the EHF EURO 2024. In the past three years, after legendary coach Lino Červar has left, Croatia have also made two coaching changes, with Hrvoje Horvat and Goran Perkovac failing to kickstart the team.

Enter Dagur Sigurdsson, the first foreign coach for the Croatia men’s senior national team, which has been a big change from the script and a wildcard for a team which has played with pride and intensity in the past decades. Brought in with only a few weeks before the start of the for Paris 2024 Men’s Olympic Qualification Tournament, Sigurdsson has galvanised the Croatia team, bringing in a new approach, which paid immediate dividends.

The Icelandic coach, which has already won the bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games with Germany, was supposed to coach Japan at Paris 2024, having qualified the Asian team with a superb performance last year in the AHF Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament, but returned to Europe, where he had previously led Austria and Germany.

At the Paris 2024 Men’s Olympic Qualification Tournament #2, Croatia delivered three wins, 36:29 against Austria, 33:30 against hosts Germany and 34:22 against Algeria, with a fantastic scoring efficiency, a great attacking plan, which saw the European powerhouse play unchained, being rendered impossible to stop at times.

The win against Germany, in Hanover, was the big surprise, and confirmed Croatia’s credentials, a team which now has a very interesting mix of experience and youth, ready to deliver a good performance at Paris 2024. For some players, like the 36-year-old superstar Domagoj Duvnjak, it will certainly be the last edition of the Olympic Games, while centre back Luka Cindrić is in his prime, turning 31 years old just before the start of the competition.

On the other hand, players like Luka Lovre Klarica, Dominik Kuzmanović and Tin Lučin are just emerging, ensuring that Croatia have an excellent future ahead, having already featured in major international competitions and ready to give a boost to the team.

But Croatia will have their work cut out, facing four other European sides, Spain, Germany, Slovenia and Sweden, plus Sigurdsson’s former side, Japan, in a fantastic Group A, which will see a fantastic battle for the four qualifying places to the quarter-finals.

"The group is really strong. The Olympics are always tough, with the best 12 teams in the world. I think there are only two ways you can go to the Olympics: either as a tourist, or you go for a medal. I want to go for the medal. I am not sure if the team that was in 11th place at the EURO can be a candidate for a medal, but we want to fight, we will do everything we can, we will prepare well and I believe we will go for a medal,” says Croatia’s coach, Dagur Sigurdsson.

Croatia

Coach: Dagur Sigurdsson

Key players: Luka Cindrić (centre back), Domagoj Duvnjak (left back), Ivan Martinović (right back)

Qualification for Paris 2024: Olympic Qualification Tournament #2: 1st place

Previous appearances: 1996: Champions, 2004: Champions, 2008: 4th, 2012: Bronze medal, 2016: 5th

Group at Paris 2024: Group A: Spain, Croatia, Germany, Slovenia, Sweden, Japan