Summary: Preliminary round groups promise thrills aplenty

19:36

As we come to the end of this live blog coverage for the Men's EHF EURO 2022 draw, we leave you with the key pieces of news from the evening: a wrapup of the draw itself as well as a full rundown of the Instagram live reactions from Dominik Mathe, Marcel Schiller, Jonas Truchanovicius and Antonio Areia. 

Find them below! 

18:29

We have just heard from four players via Instagram live: Hungary's Dominik Mathe, Lithuania's Jonas Truchanovicius, Portugal's Antonio Areia and Germany's Marcel Schiller!

See the highlights of what they had to say below and watch the full interview with all four players here.

17:48

Here we have the groups for the Men's EHF EURO 2022! We can expect plenty of world-class clashes as well as regional derbies and renewing of classic rivalries. 

17:40

The surprise we were promised at the start of the draw has been revealed: the official ball of the Men's EHF EURO 2022 is here! Read more about it below. 

17:38

That completes the draw for the Men's EHF EURO 2022! The broadcast is not yet over, but we have the preliminary round groups.

17:36

The final team drawn is the Netherlands, who will start in group B with Portugal, Hungary and Iceland. 

17:36

Bosnia and Herzegovina join group E, with Spain, Sweden and Czech Republic. 

17:36

Ukraine are drawn into group C with Croatia, Serbia and France. 

17:35

Montenegro are drawn into group A, setting up some regional derbies as they join Slovenia and North Macedonia, as well as Denmark. 

17:34

Lithuania are the next draw from pot 4. They round out group F, with Norway, Russia and Slovakia. 

17:34

Poland are the first team drawn from pot 4. They join group D with Germany, Austria and Belarus. 

17:33

Ahead of the draw for pot 4, here is the how the groups look. 

17:30

"It's not so easy to choose who to play against because the level of this championship is so high, but now I would like to play against Hungary," says Spain goalkeeper Rodrigo Corrales, explaining that his choice is not only due to the fact that he lives in Hungary (playing for Veszprém) but that he hopes to play in front of crowds again. 

Corrales will now help draw pot 4. 

17:29

The final team drawn from pot 3 is North Macedonia. They join group A together with Slovenia and Denmark. 

17:29

Belarus are drawn into group D, where they join Germany and Austria. 

17:28

Iceland are the second team drawn from pot 3, joining group B with Portugal and Hungary. 

17:28

Starting the pot 3 draw, France are drawn into group C with Croatia and Serbia. 

17:27

As we start pot 3, here is the situation so far. 

17:26

"We want to show to our country, the next generation that handball is a really nice sport," says Slovakia goalkeeper Marian Zernovic. "We don't think about our opponents — we think about us." 

Zernovic is ready to help draw the teams in pot 3. 

17:25

Reigning world champions Denmark join Slovenia in group A. 

17:24

World Championship 2021 finalists Sweden are drawn into group E with Spain and Czech Republic. 

17:24

Serbia are drawn into group C, which means we can expect a fiery derby as they join current EURO vice-champions Croatia. 

17:23

Austria are the second team drawn from pot 2, joining group D with 2016 champions Germany. 

17:22

The first team drawn from pot 2 is Russia, who join Norway and Slovakia in group F. 

17:21

As we get ready to draw pot 2, here is how the groups look so far. 

17:20

"It will be the greatest experience of my life," says Hungary line player Bence Banhidi as he gets ready for his part in the draw. 

17:18

The third team drawn is Portugal. Portugal are drawn into group B, where they join Hungary. 

17:18

Next drawn were the defending champions Spain, who join Czech Republic in group E. 

17:17

The first team drawn by Stepancic was Norway — the very team Croatia defeated in the epic semi-final in 2020. Norway have been drawn into group F. 

17:16

We have just heard from Croatia right back Luka Stepancic, who played the final at the EHF EURO 2020. 

Stepancic says that if you reach the final, it does not matter who you play, but "if the arenas will be full, if the people are back, I can say maybe I don't want to play against Hungary because they will have a lot of support."

Stepancic will now draw the first balls.

17:12

Six teams have already been allocated their preliminary round groups, based on spectator interest. The teams have all been placed in rows according to their pot. 

The teams already placed are Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, Germany, Czech Republic and Slovakia. 

17:10

We have also been treated to a glimpse of the five host cities for the EHF EURO 2022. Check them out below!

17:06

The draw has opened with words of welcome from the presidents of the two host federations: Maté Kocsis from Hungary and Jaroslav Holesa from Slovakia. 

EHF President Michael Wiederer has also addressed the audience, saying that the draw will "define thrilling matches even in the first phase of the tournament. To the fans, we do hope we see as many of you as possible in the five venues."

17:01

We are live with the draw for the Men's EHF EURO 2022 now! And we have already been promised a special surprise...be sure not to miss it! Join us live here. 

16:55

Time to tune in! The draw is just a few minutes away. Head to EHFTV.com or the Home of Handball Facebook page now to watch live. 

16:46

As the excitement for the Men's EHF EURO 2022 builds, it is time to name the mascot! Have you had your say yet? 

16:41

Need to refresh on the teams' performances during the qualifiers? Find all the group standings and match results here. 

16:31

In pot 4 we have Netherlands, Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Lithuania. This group represents two second-ranked teams (Netherlands and Montenegro) and four third-ranked teams (Ukraine, Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Lithuania) from the qualifiers. 

For the Netherlands and Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is the second participation in the EHF EURO following their debuts in 2020 (17th and 23rd position, respectively). 

For Lithuania, the final tournament in Hungary and Slovakia will be a return to the EHF EURO for the first time since 1998, when they ranked ninth.

Ukraine, Montenegro and Poland are all more seasoned EHF EURO participants, although Ukraine had a long break before the 2020 edition, previously contesting the 2010 event.  

16:24

The teams in pot 3 are Slovakia, Belarus, Iceland, Czech Republic, France and North Macedonia — the organisers and five second-ranked teams from the qualification groups. 

For co-hosts Slovakia, it is the fourth EHF EURO tournament following their last participation in 2012. 

For the other teams in pot 3, the rankings at the EHF EURO 2020 were as follows: Belarus in 10th, Iceland in 11th, Czech Republic in 12th, France in 14th and North Macedonia in 15th. 

France's ranking in 2020 was the biggest surprise of this group, as the team plummeted from third in 2018 in Croatia to their lowest EHF EURO ranking in history. France returned to be among top sides at the World Championship 2021, where they played the semi-finals and ultimately finished fourth. 

16:10

Moving on to pot 2! The teams in pot 2 are Sweden, Hungary, Russia, Denmark, Serbia and Austria.

Sweden, Russia, Denmark and Serbia were the first-ranked teams in their respective qualifier groups, while Austria were second in group 2 behind Germany. 

Sweden were the highest ranked of these sides at the previous edition, placing seventh after contesting the final in 2018. Austria placed eighth and Hungary were ninth in 2020, while Denmark ranked 13th, Serbia were 20th and Russia were 22nd. 

Austria were the only team of this pot to record their highest ranking in history at the 2020 edition. For Denmark, Serbia and Russia, it was the lowest ranking ever and all three teams will be looking to put on a much stronger showing in Hungary and Slovakia. 

15:58

With just over one hour until the draw begins, let's take a look at the pots!

Pot 1 features defending EHF EURO champions Spain and EHF EURO 2020 runners-up Croatia, as well as four of the first-ranked teams from the qualifiers: Norway, Slovenia, Germany, Portugal. 

Slovenia and Norway played for the bronze medal at the 2020 edition, with Norway securing third for an historic first medal at the event. For both teams, it was the second appearance in the semi-finals, after Norway reached the final weekend for the first time in 2016 (fourth place) and Slovenia made it to the final on home ground in 2004. 

Germany and Portugal played for fifth at the EHF EURO 2020, with Germany winning the placement game. Germany were EURO champions in 2016 and have won three other medals at the event. For Portugal, sixth place was the best result in history. 

Spain are the only one of the teams in pot 1 to have reached the semi-finals at the World Championship 2021, where they clinched the bronze medal. 

15:46

After the draw is complete, head over to our EHF EURO Instagram page to hear what the players think!

Hungary's Dominik Mathe, Portugal's Antonio Areia, Lithuania's Jonas Truchanovicius and Germany's Marcel Schiller will feature in live interviews with their immediate reactions to the draw. 

15:14

You can watch the draw live on EHFTV and on the Home of Handball Facebook and YouTube pages. Geoblocking will apply in territories broadcasting the draw on TV. See the list here. 

Below, check out the summary of the technical procedure for the draw. 

15:00

Welcome to our live blog coverage of the Men's EHF EURO 2022 draw! In just two hours, the draw begins and we will find out who will play who in the preliminary round at the final tournament in Hungary and Slovakia. 

While we wait for the draw to get started, have a read through the related news below: how to follow the event (aside from here on the live blog!) and information on the draw pots.