SUMMARY: Seven more teams confirm trip to Men's EHF EURO 2024

• round 5 of Men's EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers & Men's EHF EURO Cup 2024
• QUALIFIED IN ROUND 5: CROATIA, NORWAY, SERBIA, CZECH REPUBLIC, ICELAND, SWITZERLAND, POLAND
• qualified earlier: Germany (hosts), Spain, Sweden, Denmark (top 3 of EHF EURO 2022), Portugal, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, France
• in round 5 Highlight Matches, Faroe Islands beat Ukraine 33:26 and Poland defeat Italy 31:29
• Denmark and Sweden both win to set up 'final' in EHF EURO Cup
• match highlights on Home of Handball YouTube channel
• check group standings in the qualifiers and in the EHF EURO Cup
• Eric Willemsen reported; all photos courtesy of the respective home team 

Thursday 27 April 2023

23:30

Round 5 has fully lived up to expectations and after two nights of thrilling qualifiers action, we welcome seven new teams to the Men's EHF EURO 2024 lineup:

• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Iceland
• Norway
• Poland
• Serbia
• Switzerland

In total, 16 of the 24 participants for the final tournament in Germany have now been confirmed, leaving eight spots to play for in the concluding round 6 on Sunday, when all matches start at 18:00 CEST. What a night that is going to be!

We leave all the calculations and previews for round 6 until Friday, when we will explain in detail how the ranking works of teams that finish third in their group.

And, in the EHF EURO Cup, we await a duel for the title when Denmark host Sweden on Sunday.

For now, we thank you for joining us here on the live blog, make sure to check all relevant info on eurohandball.com on Friday, and check back in on the live blog on Sunday afternoon.

See you then, and enjoy our selection of the best pictures from Thursday's play:

23:09

Find out what happened in the two late qualifiers from round 7, and in the EHF EURO Cup match between Spain and Denmark, in the match reviews from EHF journalist Björn Pazen:

23:04

Tickets to the Men's EHF EURO 2024 are selling fast... Four more teams booked their trip to Germany 2024 on Thursday: Czech Republic, Switzerland (thanks to the Hungary win), Poland, and Iceland: 

22:38 | RESULT

• EHF EURO Cup: Spain vs Denmark 29:31 (14:15)

Denmark hold on to their half-time lead to beat Spain and set up a real 'final' in the EHF EURO Cup: against unbeaten leaders Sweden on Sunday! Denmark lost in Sweden 34:32 in October – their only loss. So if Denmark beat Sweden in Herning on Sunday at 16:00 CEST, the two teams both finish on 10 points. Good stuff!

On Thursday, Emil Jakobsen and Rasmus Lauge with seven each were their leading scorers, while Emil Nielsen was instrumental with nine stops from 24 shots. 

22:20

While Spain and Denmark are going into the final quarter of their EHF EURO Cup duel, let's have a look at the important third-place ranking in the qualifiers. The format is known: the top two from all eight groups advance to the EHF EURO directly, and the best four teams that finished third, too.

This ranking of the third-place teams only takes into account the matches those teams played against the top two teams from their group; in other words: the results against the teams that finish fourth and last in that group do not count for this ranking.

As of tonight, this ranking of third-place teams looks as follows:

However, bearing in mind we have a full round 6 still coming up on Sunday, a total of 17 (yes: seventeen!) different teams can still finish third in their respective group.

Why this is the case and what it exactly means? We will publish all details on eurohandball.com on Friday morning!

22:01

Look what it means to Bosnia Herzegovina, that late and probably oh so important win over Slovenia:

21:52 | RESULT

• group 7: Kosovo vs Montenegro 24:26 (6:11)

Kosovo reduce the deficit from 26:21 to 26:24... but then the final buzzer sounds. Montenegro win to keep their chances of booking that coveted EHF EURO ticket alive. Branko Vujovic with seven goals their best shooter.

All to play for on Sunday, like for so many other teams still dreaming of the EHF EURO...

21:43 | HALF-TIME UPDATE

• EHF EURO Cup: Spain vs Denmark 14:15

21:35 | RESULT

• group 7: Bosnia Herzegovina vs Slovenia 27:26 (15:15)

Senjamin Buric is the name! His last-minute goal gives Bosnia Herzegovina an all-important 27:26 win over already qualified Slovenia. Those two points against a top two team are massive!

21:24

Eager to catch up with what has happened so far tonight? Here are the match reviews, with a separate on the Highlight Match Italy vs Poland, written by EHF journalist Björn Pazen:

20:58

Time to vote!

The last two qualifiers in round 5 are still running, but neither Bosnia Herzegovina vs Slovenia nor Kosovo vs Montenegro will have a decisive effect on the outcome of group 7.

Therefore, we can now say that round 5 has produced seven teams that officially qualify for Germany 2024, adding to the nine teams that had their place secured earlier. We set up a little poll to find out which of those seven freshly qualified teams is your favourite.

Cast your vote right here:

20:52 | HALF-TIME UPDATE

• group 7: Kosovo vs Montenegro 6:11

20:44

Not quite an high-scoring game so far between Kosovo and Montenegro. Maybe the quality of the goalkeepers plays a role in that?

20:37 | HALF-TIME UPDATE

• group 7: Bosnia Herzegovina vs Slovenia 15:15

20:22

Thumbs-up for Hungary. They had their EHF EURO berth already secured, but didn't stop scoring tonight, with Bence Imre and Miklós Rosta both contributing nine goals to that high-scoring 46:31 win in Lithuania. Those 46 goals equal Hungary's record for most goals in a qualifier – from 2005, when they downed Cyprus 46:19, also in an away match.

20:08 | RESULT

• EHF EURO Cup: Sweden vs Germany 32:23 (16:8)

Sweden keep their clean sheet in the EHF EURO Cup in impressive fashion. They outplay Germany in the first half and maintain the distance of eight in the more equal second half. It leaves the EHF EURO hosts still waiting for their first point after five rounds...

Jim Gottfridsson back from injury for Sweden with a fine four from four; top scorer is Hampus Wanne with six. Johannes Golla keeps scoring in this competition, adding five tonight, just like youngster Renars Uscins.

The other EHF EURO Cup game, between Spain and Denmark, starts at 21.00 CEST.

19:56

So, Poland with their backs against the wall for a long time, but ultimately they escape and scrape past Italy to get their EHF EURO ticket. Here is what Poland line player Patryk Walczak believes have been the key moments in the match:

19:51

And this is how close it was between Italy and Poland:

19:40 | RESULT 

• group 8, Highlight Match: Italy vs Poland 29:31 (15:13)

What a game! Bravely battling Italy do not get the rewards, despite leading for almost the entire second half. Poland rise to the occasion and Kamil Syprzak with six goals in the second half (and seven in total) is the key player to hand his team their EHF EURO ticket. Congrats!

19:32 | RESULTS

• group 2: Finland vs Serbia 29:30 (17:14)
• group 3: Israel vs Iceland 26:37 (11:19)
• group 6: Lithuania vs Hungary 31:46 (14:22)

Welcome to two more teams at the EHF EURO in January: Iceland and Switzerland (thanks to the Hungary win) are now officially part of the final tournament in Germany!

19:28

Team timeout Italy. We are level at 28 all with five-and-a-half minutes left to play. It is time to start calculating: might a draw also be enough for now, if Italy finish third on Sunday? Or do they have to go for the win full-blooded?

19:21 | HALF-TIME UPDATE

• EHF EURO Cup: Sweden vs Germany 16:8

19:19

We have already had Czech Republic tonight, but at least two more EHF EURO berths are on the cards in the upcoming minutes.

Iceland can afford a defeat of up to 15 goals but are actually clearly leading Israel in the closing minutes of their group 3 match. And already qualified Hungary are bound to beat Lithuania, which would send Switzerland also through from group 6.

And if Poland would manage to turn around that match in Italy...

19:10

23:19 – Italy mean business against Poland tonight! With 19 minutes left on the clock, the Squadra Azzurra are slowly closing in on a big, big win for them.

Italy have never qualified for an EHF EURO; their only appearance at a final tournament came in 1998, when they hosted the event.

18:52

Meanwhile, round 5 in the Men's EHF EURO Cup 2024 has also started, with leaders Sweden hosting Germany. Sweden have won all four matches so far and they are apparently determined to keep the streak going, leading Germany 7:3 after 13 minutes.

18:44 | HALF-TIME UPDATES

• group 8, Highlight Match: Italy vs Poland 15:13
• group 2: Finland vs Serbia 17:14
• group 3: Israel vs Iceland 11:19
• group 6: Lithuania vs Hungary 14:22

18:37 | RESULT

• group 3: Estonia vs Czech Republic 30:32 (14:18)

Congrats to Czech Republic! Their trip to the EHF EURO 2024 is officially confirmed with this win in Estonia. It has become close in the latter stages, but eight goals from Jakub Hrstka and six from Matej Klima make the difference.

18:35

Team timeout Poland. The visitors find themselves two goals down (12:10) in Italy in the closing stages of the first half. What an intriguing contest this has become!

18:32

Italy giving Poland a tough ride... Poland will qualify if they win, but they will have to dig deep, very deep.

18:24

19 minutes played and Italy earn their first lead against Poland, 9:8. This game truly deserves the Highlight Match label.

18:19

Hungary have their ticket to Germany 2024 in the pocket, but that does not prevent them from showing some magic in Lithuania:

18:10

Impressive start for Szymon Sicko with four goals from four attempts as Poland go 5:3 up on Italy after eight minutes of our Highlight Match.

17:44

It has been rather quiet with just one match on so far, but that is going to change drastically soon: no less than four games across Europe all throw off at 18:00 CEST, including our second Highlight Match of round 5: Italy vs Poland.

You can watch that important round 8 match live on EHFTV here.

17:38 | HALF-TIME UPDATE

• group 3: Estonia vs Czech Republic 14:18

17:27

Here is that first goal for Estonia from Karl Toom, after six minutes and 38 seconds... The difference has been around five goals ever since, it has really been this opening phase that hurt Estonia.

17:20

Team timeout Estonia. Halfway through the first half, the hosts are 10:5 down. After that disastrous start and 5:0 deficit, they have been keeping up with Czech Republic pretty OK. Czech left back Matej Klima with four goals the leading scorer so far.

17:09

It took them nearly seven minutes, but Estonia have finally found the net... after Czech Republic have already done so five times. Early signs are that the Czechs are going to get the win they need to secure their qualification for the EHF EURO tonight.

16:56

All focus on Estonia vs Czech Republic now! Watch this first game of the night live on EHFTV.

16:40

Not long now until Estonia and the Czech Republic throw off for their game. If the Czechs win, they will be through to the final tournament. 

Other teams who can book their spots tonight:

• if Poland beat Italy in the Highlight match, they are through
• as long as the Czech Republic does not lose to Estonia, Iceland will book their ticket provided they do not lose to Israel by more than 15 goals. They won the first leg 36:21, so a loss of any kind would be a big upset

16:10

Staying on the topic of that Highlight match, here are the squads for the clash between Italy and Poland - some familiar names especially on the Polish list to keen handball fans!

15:40

One of the teams still dreaming of an EHF EURO ticket is Italy. It's been 25 years since their last appearance in the final tournament, but as they gear up for today's Highlight match against Poland a berth is very much in their grasp. In group 8 France have booked their place with a perfect record, and Italy and Poland are locked level with four points each below them. A win is crucial for Italy, who come off two wins against Latvia. 

Captain Andréa Parisini spoke to EHF journalist Adrian Costeiu about his hopes for the game, and what it would mean for Italian handball, ahead of throw-off at 18:00 CEST today.

15:10

Welcome to day two of the Men's EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers round 5. There are still 12 places open for the final tournament - some of which could be decided tonight, and some left to be confirmed in round 6 at the weekend. 

To start today's blog, here's the schedule: we throw off at 17:00 CEST with Estonia vs Czech Republic.

Wednesday 26 April

22:30

Here ends our coverage for tonight. An intense evening has opened round 5 of the qualifiers. Eight of the nine matches ended in a victory for the visitors, and ultimately three more teams booked their ticket to next year's final tournament: Croatia, Norway, and Serbia. And we witnessed another impressive display from Faroe Islands – the only home team that got a win.

Make sure to join us again on Thursday when we wrap up round 5 with seven more qualifiers and see two duels in the penultimate round of the EHF EURO Cup.

For now, it is goodnight... after you flipped through the best images of the day in our gallery:

22:26

Missed a game? Want to see the best moments again? Head over to our Home of Handball YouTube channel for three-minute clips of the qualifiers, like the Highlight Match on Wednesday, Faroe Islands vs Ukraine:

22:17

A bumper night of Men's EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers is over... Here are the last reviews, including a separate story on the Highlight Match between Faroe Islands and Ukraine, written by EHF journalist Courtney Gahan:

22:08

Nine qualifiers in round 5 done, seven more coming up on Thursday. Tonight, we have seen Croatia and Norway take wins to book their tickets, while Serbia did not play today but also had their participation in the final tournament confirmed with the Norway win.

That brings the total of teams qualified for the Men's EHF EURO 2024 to 12, with 12 more spots to be decided Thursday (last part round 5) and Sunday (full round 6).

The qualified teams so far:

• hosts: Germany
• EHF EURO 2022 top 3: Spain, Sweden, Denmark
• qualifiers: Portugal, Norway, Serbia, Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Slovenia, France

21:59

What a party! You can only imagine what happens when Faroe Islands were to confirm their qualification for the EHF EURO on Sunday...

21:46 | RESULTS

• group 5: Belgium vs Netherlands 23:28 (10:17)
• group 1: Luxembourg vs North Macedonia 23:28 (12:14)

Two identical results in the last two matches of tonight – and two results that don't have an immediate effect on the outcome of the respective groups. Rutger ten Velde was the big man for Netherlands with 10 goals; Loic Kaysen had the same production for Luxembourg.

21:32 | RESULT

• group 4: Faroe Islands vs Ukraine 33:26 (17:12)

What a game! Faroe Islands take a seven-goal win over Ukraine in our Hightlight Match of the day. Incredible stuff, and it brings them one big step closer to their first major senior event. Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu finishes on a stunning 13 goals; Dmytro Horiha has 10 for Ukraine.

Nothing decided yet, but this result could be worth pure gold for Faroe Islands come Sunday.

21:28

One more team timeout... but head coach Peter Bredsdorff-Larsen knows that his Faroe Islands are not going to give this away anymore: 32:25 with less than three minutes left. But every goal counts in the end, as goal difference could well become a decisive factor in group 4.

21:14

Faroe Islands are fully living up to their billing tonight. Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu has raised his tally to 10 for the night while his team lead Ukraine 27:21 in our Highlight Match.

Another standout performer for Faroe Islands is their goalkeeper, Pauli Jacobsen:

20:52 | HALF-TIME UPDATES

• group 5: Belgium vs Netherlands 10:17
• group 1: Luxembourg vs North Macedonia 12:14 

20:46

Time to get up-to-date on the second batch of matches played in the Men's EHF EURO 2024 qualifiers tonight. Here is the game-by-game review from EHF journalist Courtney Gahan:

20:39 | HALF-TIME UPDATE

• group 4: Faroe Islands vs Ukraine 17:12

20:24 | RESULT

• group 8: Latvia vs France 19:38 (9:20)

Big win for already qualified France, which does not affect the group 8 standings. Four players with five goals each, three with four: nicely divided goal scoring by 'Les Bleus.'

20:21

Wow, what a start for Faroe Islands, 12:7 up on Ukraine within 18 minutes! Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu with four goals so far:

20:02

They are coming thick and fast tonight, because in a few minutes rivalling neighbours Belgium and Netherlands throw off for their group 5 encounter. While Belgium are out of the race for Germany 2024, Netherlands have almost secured their spot.

EHF journalist Courtney Gahan gives us an in-depth look at 'Oranje':

19:56

You can see the Highlight Match between Faroe Islands and Ukraine live on EHFTV – like all other qualifiers in round 5, though geo-restrictions may apply depending on the region you are watching from.

19:47

It is time for our Highlight Match of the night: Faroe Island host Ukraine in a crucial group 4 game. EHF journalist Ida Hummeluhr chatted with Hákun West av Teigum, and the right wing expected "extra fun this time."

Read his feature here:

19:42

Welcome to the club: Norway and Serbia!

19:31 | RESULT

• group 2: Slovakia vs Norway 23:33 (12:17)

Congrats Norway, and Serbia! Norway's straightforward win in Slovakia secures them a place in the 24-team field for the EHF EURO 2024. And this result also sends Serbia through from group 2.

19:25 | HALF-TIME UPDATE

• group 8: Latvia vs France 9:20

19:11

One way to save a penalty..:

19:06

Find it hard to keep track of everything that has already happened so far tonight? EHF journalist Courtney Gahan guides you through the action with this set of reviews of the matches played so far:

18:52

So, Norway on their way to securing their spot at the final tournament, leading Slovakia by five in a match that they just should not lose. In that case, Norway and Serbia are through from group 2...

... just like Croatia in group 5, who have become the first team to book their ticket in round 5:

18:48 | HALF-TIME UPDATE

• group 2: Slovakia vs Norway 12:17

18:38 | RESULTS

• group 5: Greece vs Croatia 26:31 (10:10)
• group 1: Türkiye vs Portugal 35:37 (14:19)

Congrats to Croatia! They secure their place at the final tournament with a clear win in Greece, thanks to a strong second half and thanks to Luka Cindric netting nine times.

And what a match in Türkiye: goals galore! Portugal were already qualified and this result does not affect the group 1 standings.

18:35

A last team timeout. Croatia are not going to give this away, they lead by four (29:25) with less than two minutes left. That ticket to Germany is in the pocket!

18:26

Luka Cindric scores eight to guide Croatia to a comprehensive lead in Greece, 26:22, with six minutes on the clock. Remember, the winner of this match will secure their place at the final tournament in Germany.

18:04 | RESULT

• group 4: Romania vs Austria 30:35 (17:19)

Austria were already qualified, but are now going for six wins from six matches. So far so good, with a strong performance in Bucharest. Their THW Kiel star Nikola Bilyk the best shooter of the game, with seven goals. And Romania? They must wait...

17:53

An interesting clash in Chalkida, where unheralded Greece can stamp their ticket to the EHF EURO by beating Croatia. And the other way around, too.

Croatia were ahead early on before Greece gained a bit of control and had a 3:0 run to go 6:4 up, later 8:6. But the teams are all square when they start the second half right now.

Watch those decisive 30 minutes live on EHFTV! 

17:44 | HALF-TIME UPDATES

• group 5: Greece vs Croatia 10:10
• group 1: Türkiye vs Portugal 14:19

17:31 | RESULT

• group 6: Georgia vs Switzerland 19:26 (11:14)

No troubles for Switzerland, who close in on their EHF EURO berth but are not officially there yet. Let's see and wait what Hungary do in Lithuania on Thursday. Lenny Rubin leads with six for Switzerland, Nikoloz Kalandadze also nets six for the hosts.

17:19 | HALF-TIME UPDATE

• group 4: Romania vs Austria 17:19

17:11

Now, with the first four matches in round 5 running, let's quickly get you up to date on the qualification status for the EHF EURO 2024.

The final tournament will have 24 participants. Already confirmed have been nine teams:

• host nation: Germany
• EHF EURO 2022 top 3: Spain, Sweden, Denmark
• qualifiers: Portugal (from group 1), Austria (4), Hungary (6), Slovenia (7), France (8)

So, we still have 15 tickets up for grabs: maybe a few tonight, some tomorrow, but ultimately on Sunday.

16:56

Two more matches get rolling at 17:00 CEST, including the group 5 clash between Greece and Croatia. The situation is clear here: whoever win this match book their ticket to Germany!

16:50

In group 4, Romania have taken an 11:9 lead over Austria just past the halfway point of the first half. Austria have already secured their place at the final tournament, Romania are trying to join them...

16:42 | HALF-TIME UPDATE

• group 6: Georgia vs Switzerland 11:14

15:55

We are about to throw off round 5! Georgia and Switzerland have the honours to open the round with their group 6 match. Switzerland might book their ticket, if they win and if Hungary beat Lithuania in the other group game on Thursday.

Like all matches: tune in to EHFTV to watch the action live!

15:41

When there is a lot at stake, the best players stand up and guide their team to success. So, who will be those key players in the qualifiers these days? EHF journalist Adrian Costeiu has selected the following seven:

15:24

Two busy nights are ahead of us, an no better way to get fully prepared than reading the extensive round preview from EHF journalist Courtney Gahan:

15:15

Good afternoon and welcome to the live blog for the Men's EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers and the EHF EURO Cup!

We are about to throw off round 5, the penultimate round on the road to Germany, with a packed scheduled for today and tomorrow – actually, we need two visuals to display all matches coming up: