Ten spots up for grabs in the final round of qualifiers

EHF / Filip Mishov

05 April 2024, 11:00

Excitement is building all around the continent ahead of the final round of Women's EHF EURO 2024 qualifiers, as the race to reach the final tournament by finishing second in the group remains wide open. Decisive matches are to be played in groups 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8, respectively, while the battle to qualify as one of the four best third-placed teams will go to the wire. There will also be one match on Saturday; the rearranged fixture between Israel and Germany in group 2.

GROUP 1

Romania vs Greece
Sunday 7 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

the undefeated hosts are set to finish on top in the standings and are one of only a few teams with a perfect record in the qualifiers
Romania are on an excellent unbeaten run on their home court with their most recent defeat dating back to 2022
in the reverse fixture, the Romanians came off victorious (32:20) from the trip in Kozani
the visitors can still qualify for the Women's EHF EURO 2024 as one of the best third-placed teams, but they need to secure a positive result in Buzau to enhance their chances of making history and playing at a major tournament for the first time in their history
Greece are winless against Romania with the latter winning each of their previous three meetings by a double-digit margin

Croatia vs Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sunday 7 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

the hosts secured a place at the final tournament after the win against Greece in round 5 and will definitely finish in second place behind Romania in the qualifiers
the Croatians continue their successful record of featuring at each of the last 10 European Championships, last missing out on a place in the 2002 edition
Croatia recorded one win against Greece and notched one loss against Romania at home in the group so far
in the first-ever meeting between the sides, Croatia secured a decent win (31:17) against their neighbours in Cazin
the visitors are set to finish in last place in the standings regardless of the final result in Zagreb and they are yet to win a single point in the qualifiers
Anica Gudelj is the joint-fourth best goalkeeper in the qualifiers based on saves (46) for Bosnia and Herzegovina

GROUP 2

Israel vs Germany
Saturday 6 April, 17:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

the first match of a double-header between these sides this weekend, due to rescheduling in the early rounds, with the second game to be played on Sunday. Both matches will take place in Heidelberg
Germany qualified for the EHF EURO 2024 with their result on Thursday night, but will aim to maintain their perfect record of wins in the qualifiers
with their successful qualification, Germany have reached the EHF EURO for the 16th time overall and maintain their 100 per cent participation record
Israel have no chance of reaching the final tournament, having lost all four games played so far
this is the first official match ever between the teams

Germany vs Israel
Sunday 7 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

Germany are in excellent form at home and haven't lost a match on their territory since 2022
the visitors are on a six-match losing run on the road with their last away win coming back in 2019

Slovakia vs Ukraine
Sunday 7 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

the home side start the final round in third place with a couple of points fewer than Ukraine who have six
if Slovakia are to make the final tournament, they need to better Ukraine's five-goal win from their first meeting
the Slovaks are unbeaten on home soil against Ukraine in their previous two meetings
in the reverse fixture, Ukraine secured a comfortable win (25:20) against Slovakia
the visitors displayed their worst performance in the qualifiers when they lost (20:43) to Germany in the previous round just a few days ago

We know our performances are inconsistent, so we need to stabilise them. It won't be easy against Ukraine, as it's a crucial match for qualification to the European championship. We have several injuries in the team, but that's sports. We need to deal with it.

Jorge Dueňas

Head coach, Slovakia

GROUP 3

Netherlands vs Finland
Sunday 7 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

the unbeaten Dutch are guaranteed to top group 3 as one of a few teams with a perfect record in the qualifiers
the Oranje Dames are unbeaten on home soil since March last year, when they lost to the reigning European champions, Norway
the Netherlands are the third-best scoring side in the qualifiers with 177 goals scored, with only Sweden and France ahead of them
in the first-ever meeting between the teams, the Netherlands recorded a dominant win (31:13) against Finland in Karis
the visitors are set to finish in last place in the group and are still searching for their maiden point in the qualifiers

Czechia vs Portugal
Sunday 7 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

the hosts are in pole position to book their ticket for the final tournament as they sit second on six points, two more than Portugal
Charlotte Cholevová is the fourth-best goal-scorer in the qualifiers with 32 goals
in the first meeting between the sides, Czechia recorded a win (30:26) against Portugal in Paredes
the visitors are winless in four outings against Czechia and thus, have four losses with two of them on Czech soil
if Portugal are to leapfrog Czechia into second, they need to better Czechia's win from the reverse fixture and win by at least five goals in Plzen

GROUP 4

Slovenia vs Italy
Sunday 7 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

Slovenia are destined to finish in second place in the standings and thus qualify for the Women's EHF EURO 2024 if they do not lose by 14 goals or more to Italy
if Slovenia book a ticket for the final tournament, it will be the fifth consecutive European Championship that they will take a part in, while Italy have never played at a Women's EHF EURO
in the previous meeting between the teams, Slovenia comfortably won (31:18) the match in Chieti last year
the visitors can still only finish second by overhauling Slovenia's 14-goal victory from the reverse fixture
the Italians are winless in five outings against Slovenia in their history and they will need a huge performance in Ljubljana to change that

We are ready to face this last match of the qualifiers and we do it against a team we respect a lot. In Ljubljana, the girls know that the underdogs are not on our side, but we know that we can stay close to Slovenia and that we can go and play at our best. We are hungry. With this mentality, by polishing something, we have a chance to achieve our goal.

Giuseppe Tedesco

Head coach, Italy

France vs Latvia
Sunday 7 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

the world champions are set to finish on top of the standings and are one of a handful of teams with a perfect record in the qualifiers
France boast the highest scoring squad in the qualifiers with 217 goals and, additionally, they are the only team to have passed the 200-goal mark in the qualification stage
the French are unbeaten at home over the past three years, which is impressive to say the least
in the first-ever meeting between the sides, France recorded the biggest win (55:8) in their history in Dobele
the visitors are one of the lowest scoring teams in the qualifiers and will definitely end in last place in the standings, regardless of the final result against France

GROUP 5

North Macedonia vs Lithuania
Sunday 7 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

the inspired hosts secured a place at the final tournament through the qualifiers for the first time since 2012
the Lionesses have recorded one win against Azerbaijan and one loss against Spain at home so far in the qualifiers
in the first meeting between the teams, the Macedonians came away victorious (31:28) from the trip to Lithuania back in October last year
the visitors need a win in Skopje to have a chance of qualifying for the final tournament as one of the best third-placed teams
the Lithuanians are winless in four matches against the hosts in their history and have never won on Macedonian soil
entrance to the match at the Boris Trajkovski arena in Skopje is free for all fans, so a large crowd is expected to come and support the squad as well as to celebrate securing a place at the Women's EHF EURO 2024

Spain vs Azerbaijan
Sunday 7 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

the dominant home side are destined to finish top of the group, maintaining a perfect record in the qualifiers
Las Guerreras are unbeaten at home in qualifiers since 2022
in the inaugural match between the sides, Spain secured a dominant win (38:18) against Azerbaijan in Baku in October, last year
Azerbaijan are sitting bottom in the standings, but if they defy the odds and win in Spain, they might have a chance to be among the best third-placed teams, but will additionally need North Macedonia to defeat Lithuania

GROUP 6

Highlight Match: Serbia vs Türkiye

Sunday 7 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

the hosts have recorded one win against Bulgaria and one defeat against Montenegro so far at home in the qualifiers
with both teams on equal points, the winner of the match is destined to finish second and secure a place at the final tournament
in the first meeting between the teams, the match ended in a draw (29:29) in Ankara
the visitors have only won once in the past eight matches against Serbia and have never won on Serbian soil
Türkiye have a chance to make history and secure a place at a European Championship for the first time, while Serbia haven't missed a Women's EHF EURO since 1998

Montenegro vs Bulgaria

Sunday 7 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

Maximum-points Montenegro are primed to finish on top in group 6 with five wins from five so far
the bronze medallists from the Women's EHF EURO 2022 are one of the top scoring teams in the qualifiers with 160 goals
in the reverse fixture between the sides, Montenegro comfortably won (34:20) in Shumen and are unbeaten against Bulgaria in their history
the visitors are without a single point after five matches and will definitely finish bottom of the standings even if they cause a surprise in Podgorica

GROUP 7

Sweden vs Luxembourg
Sunday 7 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

the hosts are faultless so far in the qualifiers and will finish on top in the standings
Sweden are unbeaten at home in the past three years and their fans will expect them to continue that impressive run
in the first meeting between the teams, Sweden secured a routine win (39:17) in Luxembourg
the Swedes boast one of the top scoring squads in the qualifiers with (181) goals scored and only France have scored more goals
the visitors are one of a few sides who are yet to win a single point in the qualifiers and will finish bottom of the group regardless of the result in Umeå

Iceland vs Faroe Islands
Sunday 7 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

the hosts are chasing a place at a European Championship for the first time since the 2012 edition
Iceland sit second in the standings with six points, two more than the Faroe Islands, finding themselves in pole position to clinch a berth at the Women's EHF EURO 2024
in the reverse fixture, Iceland came away victorious (28:23) from the trip to Torshavn
the Faroese and the Icelanders have only met twice in their history with the latter winning on both occasions
the visitors need a victory in Hafnarfjordur and, additionally, they need to win by six goals to better Iceland's win in Torshavn if they are to finish ahead of their opponents in second place
if the Faroese win by six goals, they will make history and qualify for a major tournament for the first time in their history

It is really an interesting match we are facing on Sunday. We are very excited that we have the chance to qualify and have a strong believe that we can make it happen. That we are playing Iceland in this match just adds another edge because of the long standing rivalry. They will for sure want to beat us so it will be a difficult match but we are ready for it. We are really looking forward for the match and confident of making the dream come through.

Claus Leth Mogensen

Head coach, Faroe Islands