EHF seeks to enlarge all younger age EHF EUROs to 24 teams

European Handball Federation

22 September 2022, 14:00

The European Handball Federation is looking to complete an overhaul of its Younger Age Category events and to enlarge all its YAC EHF EUROs from 16 to 24 teams by 2024.

The move follows the approval from the Executive Meeting in June that the Men’s 18 and Women’s 17 EHF EUROs will be played with 24 teams as of 2024 (2025 for the women’s events).

A motion to harmonise the new competition system and implement the extension also for the Men’s 20 EHF EURO as of 2024 and the Women’s 19 EHF EURO as of 2025 will be tabled at the upcoming meeting of the EHF Executive Committee on Friday (23 September) in Luxembourg.

In case the motion is approved, no additional qualification shall be played in 2024 and 2025, but teams shall receive their place either through their rank at the last YAC EHF EURO, the last EHF Championship and eventually through the ranking of the YAC competitions in 2022.

Already qualified are the teams ranked 1 to 13 at the Men’s 18 EHF EURO 2022 as well as the three winners of this year’s Men’s 18 EHF Championships (Czech Republic, North Macedonia and Austria).

Furthermore, there would be no relegation from the Men’s 18 EHF EURO. The teams of France, Poland and Italy would play the Men’s 20 EHF EURO in 2024.

The three teams ranked second at the M18 EHF Championships 2022 – Israel, Switzerland, Ukraine – would also receive a direct place at the Men’s 20 EHF EURO 2024.

One more spot is reserved for the organisers (with the list being adapted in case the organisers are among the already qualified teams) and the remaining open places would be filled by the teams finishing third and fourth at the Men’s 18 EHF Championships 2022 and ranked according to the results at the Men’s 18 and Men’s 20 younger age category competitions.

These teams are as follows and ranked accordingly: Romania (24^th), Greece (25^th), Luxembourg (26^th), Finland (27^th), Latvia (28^th), Lithuania (29^th).

This procedure for place distribution would only be used for the Men’s 20 EHF EURO 2024 and the Women’s 19 EHF EURO 2025.

Afterwards a standardised qualification system will be put in place; a motion for a new qualification system for the Men’s 18 EHF EURO 2024 and the Women’s 17 EHF EURO 2025 and a motion for new playing system to reflect the enlargement to 24 teams will also be tabled at the Executive Committee meeting on Friday.