Montenegro (MNE)

Montenegro is awaiting their seventh consecutive participation at the EHF EURO since the country gained independence in 2006. 10 years after winning the gold medal at EHF EURO 2012, Montenegro hope that playing on their home court will be an additional boost. As legendary former player Bojana Popovic is at the helm as coach, the team has a good base.

Since 2006, Montenegro has been regular at major tournaments, appearing six times at the EHF EURO, six times at the IHF Women’s World Championship and three times at the Olympic Games. The team has not repeated the success of 2012, but they finished ninth at the EHF EURO in 2018 and eighth in 2020.

Anything is possible for Montenegro if head coach Bojana Popovic has her players ready for the start of the competition. At the EHF EURO 2020, Popovic was an assistant coach to Kim Rasmussen, the Danish coach who was a last-minute replacement for Per Johansson. After taking over the team in 2021, Popovic has now coached at two major tournaments. More steady times for Montenegro with clear goals and a clear style of play offers fans hope for a good result.

Since the last EHF EURO 2020, two players have retired from the team: EHF EURO 2018 All-star left wing Majda Mehmedovic and right wing Andrea Klikovac. Dijana Mugoša and Anastasija Babovic will miss the competition due to injury – but the main structure of the team is intact.

Montenegro will play against Spain in the first match of the preliminary round in group D, followed by Germany and Poland, all on their home court in the 'Moraca Hall'. Progressing to the main round in Skopje will not be easy for Montenegro, but it looks like they can win their way to the final weekend in Ljubljana.

On paper, Montenegro is stronger than at the last two major tournaments, especially in the back court positions, which are also a crucial part of the defence.