2024 European Championship guide: Crash course in all the groups

The 2024 European Championship starts in less than two weeks and it’s time to introduce all the groups here at GoHandball.

The first day of the 2024 European Championship is almost here. On Thursday the 28th of November it all starts.

Here is GoHandballs guide for all of the groups. We go through each group and the different nation’s stars and expectations.

Group A

Sweden

Number of ECs (including 2024): 14
Result last EC: 5 (2022)
Greatest merits: 1 EC silver (2010), 1 EC bronze (2014)
Stars: Jamina Roberts (Vipers Kristiansand), Linn Blohm (Györi), Nathalie Hagman (Ramnicu Valcea), Johanna Bundsen (HB Ludwigsburg)

Hungary

Number of ECs (including 2024): 16
Result last EC: 11 (2022)
Greatest merits: 2 bronze medals in Olympics (1976, 1996), 1 WC gold (1965), 1 EC gold (2000)
Stars: Katrin Klujber (Ferencvaros), Petra Vámos (Metz), Csenge Kuczora (Thüringer HC)

North Macedonia

Number of ECs (including 2024): 7
Result last EC: 16 (2022)
Greatest merits: 7th WC 1997, 7th EC 2008
Stars: Andrea Sedloska (Lokomotiv Zagreb), Sara Ristovska (Rapid Bukarest)

Turkey

Number of ECs (including 2024): 1
Result last EC:
Greatest merits:
Stars: Asli Iskit (Craiova), Beyza Irem Türkoglu (Gloria Buzau)

Group B

Montenegro

Number of ECs (including 2024): 8
Result last EC: 3 (2022)
Greatest merits: 1 EC gold (2012), 1 silver Olympics (2012) 1 EC bronze (2022)
Stars: Itana Grbic (Brest Bretagne), Jelena Radivojevic (Buducnost), Dijana Mugosa (Craiova)

Romania

Number of ECs (including 2024): 15
Result last EC: 12 (2022)
Greatest merits: 1 gold WC (1962) 1 bronze EC (2010)
Stars: Bianca Maria Bazaliu (CS Gloria), Lorena Ostase (Rapid Bukarest)

Serbia

Number of ECs (including 2024): 13
Result last EC: 15 (2022)
Greatest merits: 1 silver WC (2013), 1 bronze WC (2001)
Stars: Andjela Janjušević (Rapid Bukarest), Jovana Jovovic (Schaeffler), Sanja Radosavljevic (CS Magura)

Czechia

Number of ECs (including 2024): 15
Result last EC: 15 (2020)
Greatest merits: 8th WC (2017)
Stars: Marketa Jerabkova (Ikast), Charlotte Cholevová (Ramnicu Valcea)

Group C

France

Number of ECs (including 2024): 13
Result last EC: 4 (2020)
Greatest merits: 1 gold in Olympics (2020), 3 gold medals in WC (2003, 2017, 2023), 1 EC gold (2018)
Stars: Pauletta Foppa (Brest Bretagne), Chloé Valentini (Metz), Tamara Horacek (RK Krim), Estelle Nze Minko (Györi)

Spain

Number of ECs (including 2024): 13
Result last EC: 9 (2022)
Greatest merits: 1 bronze Olympics (2012), 1 silver WC (2019), 2 silver medals EC (2008, 2014)
Stars: Jennifer Gutierrez Bermejo (RK Krim), Alexandrina Cabral (Brest), Paula Arcos (Vipers Kristiansand)

Poland

Number of ECs (including 2024): 9
Result last EC: 13 (2022)
Greatest merits: 4th place WC (2013, 2015)
Stars: Monika Kobylinska (CSM Bukarest), Aleksandra Rosiak (Lublin)

Portugal

Number of ECs (including 2024): 2
Result last EC: 16 (2008)
Greatest merits: 16th place EC (2008)
Stars: Patricia Emidio Rodrigues (Benfica), Mariana Ferreira Lopes (Békéscsabai)

Group D

Denmark

Number of ECs (including 2024): 16
Result last EC: 2 (2022)
Greatest merits: 3 gold medals in Olympics (1996, 2000, 2004), 1 gold WC (1997), 3 gold medals EC (1994, 1996, 2002)
Stars: Kristina Jörgensen (Györi), Emma Friis (CSM Bukarest), Mie Höjlund (Odense)

Switzerland

Number of ECs (including 2024): 2
Result last EC: 14 (2022)
Greatest merits: 16th place EC (2022)
Stars: Kerstin Kündig (Thüringer HC), Lisa Frey (Blomberg-Lippe)

Croatia

Number of ECs (including 2024): 13
Result last EC: 10 (2022)
Greatest merits: 1 EC bronze (2020)
Stars: Tea Pijevic (Gloria Buzau), Katarina Jezic (Dunarea Braila), Valentina Blazevic (Craiova)

Faroe Islands

Number of ECs (including 2024): 1
Result last EC:
Greatest merits:
Stars: Jana Mittún (Viborg HK), Suna Hansen (Skanderborg), Turid Arge Samuelsen (Kyndil Torshavn)

Group E

Norway

Number of ECs (including 2024): 16
Result last EC: 1 (2022)
Greatest merits: 3 gold medals in Olympics (2008, 2012, 2024), 4 WC gold medals (1999, 2011, 2015, 2021), 9 EC gold medals (1998, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2022)
Stars: Henny Reistad (Team Esbjerg), Katrine Lunde (Vipers Kristiansand), Kari Brattset Dale (Györi)

Austria

Number of ECs (including 2024): 9
Result last EC: 15 (2008)
Greatest merits: 1 WC bronze (1999)
Stars: Petra Blazek (Hypo), Sonja Frey (Hypo), Patricia Kovacs (Hypo)

Slovenia

Number of ECs (including 2024): 9
Result last EC: 8 (2022)
Greatest merits: 8th place WC (2003), 9th place EC (2004)
Stars: Ana Gros (RK Krim), Tjasa Stanko (RK Krim), Elisabeth Omoregie (CSM Bukarest)

Slovakia

Number of ECs (including 2024): 3
Result last EC: 12 (2014)
Greatest merits: 12th place EC (2014)
Stars: Barbora Lancz (Mosonmagyaróvári), Reka Bizik (Dunajska Streda)

Group F

Netherlands

Number of ECs (including 2024): 10
Result last EC: 6 (2022)
Greatest merits: 1 gold WC (2019), 1 silver WC (2015), 1 silver EC (2016)
Stars: Dione Housheer (Györi), Angela Malestein (Ferencvaros), Lois Abbingh (Vipers Kristiansand)

Germany

Number of ECs (including 2024): 16
Result last EC: 7 (2022)
Greatest merits: 1 gold WC (1993), 1 silver EC (1994), 2 bronze medals WC (1997, 2007)
Stars: Alina Grijseels (CSM Bukarest), Emily Bölk (Ferencvaros), Xenia Smits (HB Ludwigsburg)

Iceland

Number of ECs (including 2024): 2
Result last EC: 15 (2012)
Greatest merits: 12th place WC (2011)
Stars: Sandra Erlingsdottir (Metzingen), Andrea Jacobsen (Blomberg-Lippe), Karen Knutsdottir (Fram)

Ukraine

Number of ECs (including 2024): 12
Result last EC: 16 (2014)
Greatest merits: 1 Olympic bronze medal (2004), 1 EC silver medal (2000)
Stars: Yevheniia Levchenko (Targu-Jiu), Tamara Smbatian (Alba Fehervar)