Ask every player, every coach and they will say that the quarter-finals at the Olympic Games is the toughest match in the entire competition. It’s a 60-minutes (or more) classic, with the winner progressing to the semi-finals, having a big chance at a medal, while the loser goes home.

As the handball competitions moved to the 27,000-seater Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, there are four mouthwatering clashes scheduled for Tuesday, which will keep everyone glued to their seats.

Paris 2024 – women’s handball competition – quarter-finals schedule
Tuesday, 6 August

• 09:30 CEST Denmark vs Netherlands
• 13:30 CEST France vs Germany
• 17:30 CEST Hungary vs Sweden
• 21:30 CEST Norway vs Brazil

Will Norway keep their 100% quarter-finals record? Norway have never lost any of the quarter-finals played in the women’s handball competition at the Olympic Games since they were introduced in 2000. Therefore, in five quarter-finals, the Scandinavian side have a 100% qualification record, and they are aiming to make it six out of six, when they face Brazil. However, the South American champions, which have won only two of their five matches so far, have won the last match at the Olympics against Norway, 31:28, at Rio 2016, while at London 2012, Norway won by only two goals, 21:19. Quarter-finals at the Olympic Games tend to be balanced, therefore if Brazil have a good start, they might be onto a huge shock.

Seven goals for Mørk to write history: Is this quarter-final against Brazil the match where Nora Mørk finally becomes the all-time top goal scorer of the women’s handball competition at the Olympics? By her numbers, the Norway right back had quite a quiet competition, with only 14 goals in four matches, missing in the fourth match against Germany. But Mørk is an explosive scorer and she is also the one shooting the penalties for Norway, therefore she could take the record on Tuesday, in the Stade Pierre Mauroy. Mørk is currently on 128 goals, seven less than the record holder, Alexandra do Nascimento, and one goal less than the second-placed player, centre back Seong Oh Ok. Therefore, a seven-goal outing against Brazil will see the Norway right back tie Do Nascimento.

Home advantage in droves for hosts: France have become only the third team in history to sweep their opponents in the preliminary round of the women’s handball competition, securing five wins in five matches in the current format, and will be favourites entering the quarter-finals against Germany, the first team to clinch a quarter-finals berth with only two points in the preliminary round. The head-to-head record between the two sides speaks volumes, as France won the last seven mutual matches, including a 29:21 win at the EHF EURO 2022, one and a half years ago. In fact, Germany’s last win came in December 2005, at the 2005 IHF Women’s World Championship, as Markus Gaugisch’s side needs a perfect outing to create issues for France.

Best attack to shine again? Traditionally, France had a fantastic defence and an attack which did just enough to win matches. This time around, at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the tables have turned. No team has scored more goals than France, who had 159 in the preliminary round, therefore an average of 30.8 goals per match, seven more than the Netherlands and 19 more than Norway. Sure, their defence has conceded 124 goals, with Norway, Denmark and Brazil conceding less, but France are really set on a mission here and have been pretty special on both sides of the ball.

Dutch or Danish Delight? The Netherlands are in the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games for the third time in a row, winning one and losing one match. Denmark are back in such and advanced phase of the competition for the first time since Athens 2004. So who is going to win? Based on the final standings in the preliminary round, the Netherlands have the upper hand, but Denmark are a true powerhouse and finished higher than the Dutch side in every major international competition in the last four years. However, plenty of the Dutch players featured in Denmark at one point in their career, like backs Lois Abbingh or Estavana Polman, as well as wings Bo van Wetering and Dione Housheer, who have just left the Danish league this summer.

Battle for top goal scorer title heats up in quarters: The match between the Netherlands and Sweden will also be crucial in the battle for the top goal scorer title at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the women’s handball competition. Currently, Dutch right wing Angela Malestein leads the standings, with 29 goals, two more than her club team-mate, Katrin Klujber. Another Dutch player, left back Lois Abbingh, is third, with 26 goals. Win this match, and Malestein and Abbingh will likely be in the discussion until the end, having two more matches to play. Lose it and the doors might open for others, such as Sweden’s Nathalie Hagman (24 goals).

Sweden and Hungary face again: Sweden have won four matches already at Paris 2024, as many as they did at Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2012 combined and only one win less than at Tokyo 2020. The Scandinavian side has another chance for a medal, one that has evaded them in every major international competition in the past 10 years, including at Tokyo 2020, when they lost once in their first six matches, but finished just outside the podium, conceding a loss in the bronze medal match. The two sides met four times in the last four years, with two wins each. But the last meeting between them was at the Olympic Qualification Tournament #1 in Debrecen, when Hungary took a 28:25 win, controlling the match from start to finish. Will that happen again in Paris? Or Sweden, which conceded a single loss so far, bounce back?