Spain (ESP)

Facing Germany, hosts Montenegro, and Poland in preliminary round group 4 in Podgorica, Spain have three tough matches in the first stage of EHF EURO 2022.In the process of rejuvenating the team, coach Ignacio Prades counts on a mixture of youth and experience, and he will hope for a better finish compared to the last three European Championships.

At the last two World Championships, Spain were semi-finalists, finishing second in 2019 and fourth at home in 2021, but since reaching the final in 2014, they have underwhelmed at EHF EUROs. In 2016, 2018 and 2020, Spain won once and finished 11th, 12th and ninth.

With 22 victories from 68 matches, Spain are ranked ninth in the Women’s EHF EURO ranking. Goalkeeper Silvia Navarro and Alexandrina Barbosa are most experienced players since Spain’s all-time EHF EURO top scorer Carmen Martin (200 goals at seven final tournaments) is no longer part of the team. The pair lead the young players, who Ignacio Prades has added to the team.

The shining jewel among those talents is 20-year-old Cameroon-born line-player Lysa Tchaptchet, who won the Champions League in 2022 with Vipers Kristiansand, while there are high hopes that Paula Arcos will make her international breakthrough at EHF EURO 2022. Players such as Jennifer Gutierrez, Lara Gonzalez or Almudena Rodriguez are in their peak years and are highly experienced at club level.

In qualification, Spain took five victories from six matches, were only defeated by Hungary on home ground on goal difference and finished second in their group.

Silvia Navarro is 43 years old, but still among the best goalkeepers in the world. She does not grow older, but only more mature and experienced. At national team level, the two-time European Cup winner with Rocasa Gran Canaria has been part of all Spain’s major successes.

Read more about the Spanish team HERE.