Reigning European champions Sweden open their title defence in preliminary round group E in Mannheim against Netherlands, Bosnia Herzegovina, and EHF EURO debutants Georgia.
The 2018 and 2020 champions Spain face Austria, Croatia, and Romania in group B in Mannheim in this first phase of the tournament.
World champions Denmark, who underlined their strong form by winning the EHF EURO Cup 2024 less than two weeks ago, are up against Portugal, Czech Republic and final tournament newcomers Greece in group F in Munich.
And hosts Germany are set to meet France, North Macedonia, and Switzerland in their group A. Germany’s encounter with their southern neighbours Switzerland is the highly anticipated opening match in Düsseldorf on 10 January, when organisers try to set a word record attendance for a handball match with up to 50,000 spectators. Group A matches will also be played in Berlin.
Germany had already been seeded in group A; Croatia in group B in Mannheim; Iceland in group C in Munich; Norway in group D in Berlin; Sweden in group E in Mannheim, and Denmark in group F in Munich.
Hamburg and Cologne will be the main round venues, with Cologne’s LANXESS arena hosting the final weekend of the competition.
The basic playing schedule is available below; the exact playing times will be announced in due time. The top two teams in each group advance to the main round.