The EHF EURO 2024 will bring together the top 24 teams on the continent, as the competition hosted by Germany between 10 and 28 January promises to be one of the most exciting as of yet.

Every powerhouse taking part will aim to seal the trophy, with the reigning world champions, Denmark, which have not lost a game at the IHF Men’s World Championship since 2017, being one of the top dogs in the competition, as they bring to the table the same core which lifted the world championship title last January.

Reigning Olympic champions, France, are preparing for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, but are also looking to win their first continental trophy since 2014, as they usually perform better at the IHF Men’s World Championship than at the EHF EURO.

Spain, which have won a medal in each and every edition since 2016, with two gold medals at the EHF EURO 2018 and the EHF EURO 2020, are also bringing back an experienced core, with “Los Hispanos” being one of the sides with the highest average age in the competition.

Sweden, the reigning European champions and the most decorated team at the EHF EURO, are also one of the big contenders, as they are mixing the experience of two-times MVP of the competition, centre back Jim Gottfridsson, or goalkeeper Andreas Palicka, with the exuberance of young stalwarts like Eric Johansson.

Nevertheless, hosts Germany are also aiming for their first title since 2016, as they will enjoy brimming home support, especially in the opening match against Switzerland, with over 50,000 fans expected in the stands of the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf. Germany have plenty of talent at their disposal, with the All-Star Best Young Player from the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship, Juri Knorr, as a star, but also with two players which won the 2023 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship last summer, goalkeeper David Späth and centre back Nils Lichtlein.

There are plenty of dark horses in the competition, with Croatia, Portugal, Hungary, Serbia or Norway always ready to pounce and provide huge surprises, in a competition where every loss matters.

Six venues are ready to welcome and host the matches, with the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf, a 54,600-seater stadium being joined by the Olympiahalle in Munich, the SAP Arena in Mannheim, the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin, the Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg and the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, where the final weekend will be played.

The 24 qualified teams are divided into six groups of four teams in the preliminary round, with two teams from each group progressing to the main round. Several groups are already promising huge drama, as Group A provides a highly entertaining duo of France and Germany, Group C promises to see tough battles between Iceland, Hungary and Serbia, while Group B have Spain and Croatia facing off.

Three teams – Georgia, a two-time winner of the IHF Men’s Emerging Nations Championship in 2019 and 2021, the Faroe Islands, which also won the IHF Men's Emerging Nations Championship in 2015 and 2017, and Greece – will be making their debuts at the EHF EURO, while Romania are also due to return for the first time since 1996.

The EHF EURO 2024 will definitely be the last continental competition for France’s stalwart, Nikola Karabatic, while Denmark’s left back, Mikkel Hansen, will also likely play for the last time at the EHF EURO.

EHF EURO 2024 – preliminary round

Group A: France, Germany, North Macedonia, Switzerland
Group B: Spain, Austria, Croatia, Romania
Group C: Iceland, Hungary, Serbia, Montenegro
Group D: Norway, Slovenia, Poland, Faroe Islands
Group E: Sweden, Netherlands, Bosnia Herzegovina, Georgia
Group F: Denmark, Portugal, Czechia, Greece