Live blog: Teams are ready to throw off Women's EHF EURO 2022

• final day before the Women's EHF EURO 2022 throws off on Friday
• preparations are in full flow at all four venues in Slovenia (Ljubljana, Celje), North Macedonia (Skopje), and Montenegro (Podgorica)
• the eight teams playing on the opening night are talking to the media today: Hungary, Switzerland, Norway, Croatia in group A; Denmark, Slovenia, Sweden, Serbia in group B
• find the latest team presentations, preview stories and other news on ehfeuro.eurohandball.com
• Eric Willemsen reporting from Ljubljana; all photos (c) kolektiff

Thursday 3 November

19:30

Let's call it a day and get some rest – if you can sleep at all for excitement – before the Women's EHF EURO 2022 really gets underway on Friday.

I want to leave you for tonight with a bumper episode of the '(Un)informed Handball Hour' podcast, with a star-studded line-up and one main theme: predictions!

A great listen for your last pre-EHF EURO evening!

18:45

"Hm, what will be the next question?"

Top players want to be well prepared for everything, even during a media call at the Women's EHF EURO 2022. Right, Ana Gros?

18:33

So, we are less than 24 hours from throw-off now! Time to have a look at what the opening night Friday will bring us. Here is the playing schedule:

Group A, Ljubljana:

• 18:00 CET: Hungary vs Switzerland
• 20:30 CET: Norway cs Croatia

Group B, Celje:

• 18:00 CET: Denmark vs Slovenia
• 20:30 CET: Sweden vs Serbia

And here are the previews from our EHF journalists Danijela Vekić and Courtney Gahan:

17:28

So you thought handball is a simple game: Whoever scores the most goals, wins the match.

That is true, of course, but the sport is bit more complex than that. Ask data analyst and journalist Julian Rux, who you might know from his analysing articles on past events. Well, we thought it is a good idea to have Julian share his expert knowledge about data use in handball again for the Women's EHF EURO 2022.

So, here we are, enjoy piece No. 1 from our statistics expert, about what data from past EHF EURO events can tell us about the upcoming tournament in Slovenia, North Macedonia, and Montenegro.

17:03

In the second group B match in Celje tomorrow, Sweden are up against Serbia. Both teams know each other well since they also met in the EHF EURO Qualifiers last March, with each team winning their respective home game. It gives Andjela Janjusevic the confidence her Serbia can beat Sweden again:

15:32

All handball fans can't wait for the Women's EHF EURO 2022 to start – certainly the Slovenian not. The home crowd will cheer their heroes for the opening game in group B in Celje at 18:00 CET, when they meet the hosts of the previous EHF EURO, Denmark.

This is what Nina Zulic thinks of her team's home tournament:

15:06

Told you before that many of the national federations are uploading great content ahead of the EHF EURO. Now, great is even an understatement for this stunning video that Spain have just posted. Watch out for Las Guerreras, they are more than ready to conquer the Women's EHF EURO 2022: 

14:49

The first game in group A in Ljubljana, starting Friday at 18:00 CET, features tournament debutants Switzerland, who are up against Hungary. The duel between two of the co-hosts of the EHF EURO 2024 is anxiously awaited by the Swiss team. Let's hear from head coach Martin Albertsen:

14:11

It is getting serious now. Groups A and B will open the Women's EHF EURO 2022 tomorrow evening, so players and coaches of the eight teams are taking the opportunity today to talk to the media today.

Let's start with Croatia, the surprise bronze medallists from 2020, who are going to face defending champions Norway in their opening game in Ljubljana at 20:30 CET.

This is what centre back Valentina Blazevic says:

12:31

Apart from all the content you find on the EHF social media channels, it is worthwhile following the 16 participating teams and see the great stuff they are posting in the build-up to the Women's EHF EURO 2022.

France, for instance:

11:56

Playing With Heart is the slogan of the Women's EHF EURO 2022. Over the past couple of weeks, we have talked to a number of Women at the Heart of the Game, former stars whose involvement in the sports is stretching far beyond their playing careers.

The eighth and last episode features Branka Mijatovic, former EHF Champions League winner with Krim Mercator Ljubljana and current assistant coach of the Slovenian national team.

11:04

A month ago, the Women's EHF EURO 2022 still felt far away when we started our countdown series 30 Iconic Moments. Every day we took you on a trip down memory lane by posting a video clip on our EHF EURO Twitter channel featuring a noteworthy moment from the rich EHF EURO history.

We completed the series yesterday evening with the below post, but of course you can still scroll through all 30 iconic moments here. Recommended!

10:34

Sports is business, you hear many times nowadays. In a certain way it is true, as sports provides unparalleled opportunities for businesses. That is exactly what the three-day conference 'Business Opportunities in Slovenia' is exploring in the build-up to the Women's EHF EURO 2022.

EHF journalist Danijela Vekić has visited the opening day for us:

9:30

Good morning and welcome back to the live blog for the Women's EHF EURO 2022.

The on-court action starts tomorrow, but we will be able to provide you with a lot of interesting content already today. Most notably, we will be speaking to players and coaches of all the teams in group A in Ljubljana and group B in Celje that are set to play on the opening night.

Wednesday 2 November

19:00

Let's close our first live blog for the Women's EHF EURO 2022 with one of the stars, who is playing a home tournament: Slovenia ace Ana Gros. She features in the final episode of our five-part Handball Portrait series, offering a in-depth look at her career.

You can see the full video on the YouTube Home of Handball channel, and read her story in the accompanying Meet the EHF EURO stars episode with Ana Gros on eurohandball.com.

Enjoy the remainder of the Twitch show and hope to see you back tomorrow!

18:44

Not just players and coaches are going through their final preparations, so are the EHF officials. The referees and delegates have gathered in Ljubljana to get the finetuning for their important tasks one the tournament has thrown off. Read all you need to know about the EHF Officials Conference.

Also, read more background about the extended use of video replays here.

Plus, if you haven't already done so, check out the referee nominations for days 1 and 2 there.

16:08

Have I already mentioned the Twitch show coming up at 18:00 CET at the Home of Handball channel? ;-)

If you were not sure yet whether you are going to tune, this will convince you that have to watch:

14:40

The question is not if, but where you will watch the Women's EHF EURO 2022.

Today it has been revealed the tournament will be broadcast in 80 (yes: eighty) countries worldwide. Infront and DAZN Group, the EHF's exclusive media and marketing partners, have secured agreements with 35 partners around the world.

See the full overview here:

(And note: South and Central America can watch on ESPN; worldwide EHFTV is available though geo-restrictions may apply.)

12:48

While the on-court action starts Friday, there is already a lot of buzz around the EHF EURO in the days leading up to the tournament opening.

For instance, we are bringing you a series of shows on the Home of Handball channel on Twitch – already these days, but of course also during the tournament.

Today's show start at 18:00 CEST, but you can now watch the previous episodes of the Twitch show with EHF EURO referees and the preview show with Vid Kavticnik. Don't miss it!

11:30

The countdown is down to two... in two days the Women's EHF EURO 2022 throws off! So, welcome to the dedicated live blog for the 15th edition of the European Championship in women's handball.

As of today until Sunday 20 November, we will keep you up to date on all that is happening on and off the courts. News, updates, previews & reviews, opinions - everything you need to know as the 16-team tournament is going to keep you on the edge of your seat for the next 2 1/2 weeks.

Let's start the live blog with the final episode of our Team Presentation series, which featured all 16 participating nations and concludes this morning with out record champions, Norway:

(You will find all other 15 teams in News in the EHF EURO section on eurohandball.com.)