Many teams in final race for eight tickets

GROUP 1

North Macedonia vs Türkiye
Sunday 30 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• North Macedonia enter the game on six points in second position, while Türkiye are third with four. This means a draw will secure the berth for North Macedonia
• the first leg between these teams ended with a 36:27 win for North Macedonia. Türkiye have never beaten North Macedonia in an official match, with six previous games having been played
• Türkiye would need a 10-goal win to overtake North Macedonia in second position. However, also a win with a smaller goal margin would put them in the mix to possibly qualify as one of the four best third-ranked teams
• Türkiye have equalled their most successful qualifiers record — ahead of the 2022 edition, they also won two matches in the qualifiers. This is only the second time they have accomplished such a feat
• North Macedonia have participated in the EHF EURO a total of seven times, including the last six tournaments, while Türkiye have never qualified

Portugal vs Luxembourg
Sunday 30 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• Portugal are yet to drop a point in the qualifiers, coming into round 6 with the maximum 10 points taken from five wins and as the only team from the group qualified for the final tournament
• Luxembourg have the opposite record and are one of only four teams in the qualifiers to have lost all five games. They cannot reach the final tournament
• Portugal have scored 174 goals in the qualifiers — the third highest in the competition
• Luxembourg goalkeeper Mika Herrmann has a very impressive record on penalties, having saved six at a rate of 60 per cent to rank second in this list
• Luxembourg have not beaten Portugal since 1990. Overall, Portugal have won eight of the 10 mutual encounters between the sides, including a 32:21 result against Luxembourg in round 2

GROUP 2

Serbia vs Slovakia
Sunday 30 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• this is only the third match between Serbia and Slovakia in history. The first match ended in a draw, before Serbia won the reverse fixture in the EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers 27:21
• Norway’s win in round 5 secured both their own and Serbia’s places at the final tournament
• Serbia recorded their fourth victory of the qualifiers against Finland on Thursday, having lost only to Norway and therefore counting eight points in their account
• Slovakia secured their only win of the qualifiers in round 4, when they beat Finland 32:25
• Serbia have booked a place at the EHF EURO for the eighth straight time, while Slovakia are aiming for their fifth participation overall

Norway vs Finland
Sunday 30 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• Norway have eight points in their tally following four wins and one defeat, to fellow already-qualified side Serbia. They booked their place at what is their 11th EHF EURO in round 5 with a 33:23 win against Slovakia
• Finland have two points from a round 3 win against Slovakia and still have a slim chance of reaching what would be their first EHF EURO ever
• in now six mutual matches, Finland have never beaten Norway. Norway won the reverse fixture in round 2, 35:22
• Norway have scored 165 goals in the qualifiers, ranking fifth in the overall list for this statistic
• Norway back Sander Sagosen has the second highest average number of assists per match in the qualifiers and has made a total of 18 in the three matches he has played

GROUP 3

Iceland vs Estonia
Sunday 30 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• Iceland secured their berth at the final tournament with their victory over Israel on Thursday night. They have now won four games in the qualifiers and lost once
• Estonia were defeated by Czech Republic in round 5, 30:32, and have two points gained from one win so far
• Iceland have won all five previous games against Estonia apart from one in 2009 that ended in a draw. But the EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers are the first time the teams have met since then and Iceland won the reverse fixture in round 2, 37:25
• Iceland rank among the top teams for both goalkeeper saves and goals scored, with 74 saves overall placing them third and 155 goals scored, placing them sixth. They have conceded the fewest goals as well, with 113 scored against them
• Estonia are in with a narrow chance for one of the tickets for top-ranked third-placed teams, which would take them to their first EHF EURO

Czech Republic vs Israel
Sunday 30 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• Czech Republic joined the line-up for the final tournament in Germany on Thursday night when they defeated Estonia 32:30
• Czech Republic have eight points after four wins and one loss, while Israel have recorded one victory and four defeats and have two points
• Israel are still in the race for what would be their first EHF EURO since their only participation in 2002
• Czech Republic won the round 2 game between these sides 29:19. Overall, it was their seventh win in nine games against Israel
• Tomas Mrkva has made the most saves in the qualifiers, with 57 stops in the Czech Republic goal

GROUP 4

Ukraine vs Romania
Sunday 30 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• both teams are in the race for the second ticket from group 4 and potentially one of those for the best-ranked third-place teams, but Romania are in the most favourable position, entering the game with four points to Ukraine’s two
• there are several scenarios involving this match and Faroe Islands’ result against group leaders Austria to determine who progresses, but if Romania win versus Ukraine, they are through to the final tournament no matter what
• Ukraine need a big win of their own plus a Faroe Islands’ defeat in order to be in contention for the group’s second ticket. The chances appear slim
• should Romania make it to the final tournament, it will be their first appearance since 1996, after they participated in the first two editions of the EHF EURO. They have not reached a major tournament since the 2011 World Championship. Ukraine are vying for their third straight EHF EURO ticket and eighth overall
• Romania won the round 2 game between the sides 34:26. That was their third win in eight games against Ukraine, with Ukraine having taken three victories and two other matches seeing draws

Austria vs Faroe Islands
Sunday 30 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• Austria are the only team in the group to have qualified ahead of the last round. They reached the final tournament when they maintained their perfect winning record in round 4, before adding a fifth victory against Romania in round 5
• Faroe Islands are in a fierce race for the group’s second allocated ticket, although Romania are in the best position of the three sides. But if Faroe Islands can overthrow Austria and Ukraine beat Romania, Faroe Islands will proceed to what would be their first major championship ever
• Faroe Islands are in the midst of their best qualifiers campaign ever, with two wins recorded in this stage — 28:26 against Romania in round 3 then their biggest victory in this stage ever, 33:26 versus Ukraine in the last round
• Austria have won all three previous mutual games, including a 30:28 result in round 2
• Austria have scored the fourth most goals of the qualifiers, 170. Wing Robert Weber is the fourth top scorer of the qualifiers, with 32 goals, while back Nikola Bilyk is the clear leader for individual attacking statistics, with 30 goals and 26 assists

GROUP 5

Croatia vs Belgium
Sunday 30 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• Croatia booked their place at the final tournament in round 5 as they beat Greece 31:26 to take their points tally to seven, following two other wins and one draw
• with five losses in five games, Belgium are out of the running for the final tournament
• Croatia won the round 2 clash between these sides 30:27. They have been the victors in all three games against Belgium
• Croatia can finish first in the group only if they win and Netherlands take no points against Greece. If Netherlands win against Greece, Croatia will place second
• Croatia have reached the EHF EURO for the 16th time, they have played every edition of the final tournament

Netherlands vs Greece
Sunday 30 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• neither team are through to the final tournament, but both are in a promising position to proceed, if not as one of the top two sides in the group then as one of the best-ranked third-place sides
• Netherlands have seven points gained from three wins and one draw, while Greece have taken three victories and have six points
• if Netherlands win this match, they will top the group. If Greece win, they can only top the group if Croatia take no points against Belgium
• Netherlands are targeting their third straight EHF EURO appearance, while Greece have never made it to the final tournament
• Greece were responsible for Netherlands’ only loss of the qualifiers — a 32:28 result. In 14 matches overall, Greece have won five, Netherlands eight and one game ended in a draw

GROUP 6

Hungary vs Georgia
Sunday 30 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• Hungary were among the first teams to book a place at the final tournament, back in round 4. They enter round 6 with the maximum 10 points gained from five straight victories
• Georgia have two points after winning one match in the qualifiers, against Lithuania, and have a slim chance to progress as one of the best third-ranked teams. They have never made it to the EHF EURO before
• Georgia back Giorgi Tskhovrebadze is the third top scorer of the qualifiers ahead of round 6, with 34 goals scored
• Hungary have scored the most goals in the qualifiers, with 196, and also have clearly the highest shooting accuracy
• this is only the fourth mutual game between Hungary and Georgia. Hungary have won all three prior to this round 6 clash
• Hungary left wing Robin Molnár (who had debut in national team Thursday): "I was very excited against Lithuania, it is hard to tell how touching it is to play in the national team, it is a big honour. I enjoyed all moments of the match and I hope we will have the same feelings on Sunday against Georgia. We would like to win our last qualifier."

Switzerland vs Lithuania
Sunday 30 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• Switzerland qualified for the EHF EURO 2024 in round 5, thanks to their third win in the qualifiers, which took them to six points in the table
• Switzerland’s qualification means their legendary back Andy Schmid will continue his international career for a little longer and retire following the final tournament in Germany, after which he will become the team’s head coach
• Lithuania have won one game in the qualifiers and count two points to their name. They have a narrow chance of reaching what would be their third EHF EURO in history
• overall, the historic balance between these sides is equal — five wins apiece and one draw. Switzerland won the reverse fixture 27:26
• Switzerland’s Nikola Portner is one of the stand-out goalkeepers of the qualifiers, with 55 saves placing him third on this ranking

GROUP 7

Slovenia vs Kosovo
Sunday 30 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• Slovenia booked their ticket to the final tournament in round 4, at which point they had a perfect record of wins. In round 5, they were defeated for the first time, by Bosnia Herzegovina
• Kosovo have lost all five games and cannot reach the final tournament
• the round 2 match between these teams was their first clash in history, with Slovenia winning 29:24
• Slovenia wing Blaz Janc has the highest shooting efficiency among the top 25 scorers of the qualifiers, with a huge rate of 92.3 per cent — only two shots missed in 26 attempts
• Kosovo goalkeeper Haris Barisha ranks among the top 10 goalkeepers for saves made, with 43 overall

Montenegro vs Bosnia Herzegovina
Sunday 30 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• this is a direct battle for the group’s second ticket to the EHF EURO, with the winning side to progress. If the game ends in a draw, Montenegro will qualify based on their 36:25 victory over their visitors for Sunday’s match in round 2
• all is not lost for the team defeated in this match, as they may still go through to the final tournament as one of the best-ranked third-placed sides
• both teams enter the game with six points after taking three wins in the qualifiers and losing twice
• Montenegro hope to reach the EHF EURO for the seventh time overall, while Bosnia Herzegovina are on the hunt for their third berth
• the teams had never met in an official match prior to these qualifiers

GROUP 8

Poland vs Latvia
Sunday 30 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• Poland qualified for what will be their 11^th EHF EURO in round 5 when they recorded their third win and moved up to six points,sitting in second position in the table
• Latvia were trying to reach the final tournament for the second time, after their maiden participation in 2020, but are now out of the running for the 2024 edition
• this will be the fourth official match between the teams. Latvia have never beaten Poland, and the hosts for Sunday’s match won the reverse fixture 37:19
• in the first match between the teams, Poland wing Arkadiusz Moryto had a double-digit outing, scoring 10 goals. He is the sixth top scorer overall with 30

France vs Italy
Sunday 30 April, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• reigning Olympic champions and the only semi-finalists from the EHF EURO 2022 in the qualifiers, France, were one of the first to book a place at the 2024 edition. They have won all five games and are certain of finishing first in the group
• Italy have four points from two wins. Although the group’s two allocated tickets are booked, they can still proceed to the final tournament as one of the best-ranked third-placed teams
• if Italy make it to the EHF EURO 2024, it would be their first ever qualification and their second participation, after they were direct participants as hosts in 1998
• Italy have never beaten France in now five prior mutual games. France beat Italy 40:29 in round 2 of the qualifiers
• France have conceded the second lowest number of goals (121) while scoring the second most (181). Their goalkeepers have made the most saves (80) and have the highest efficiency (39.8 per cent)
• France line player Nicolas Tournat: "Our goal is to maintain the momentum of our victory in Latvia. Our team is reshuffled, but with the support of our fans we are very motivated to finish the qualifiers with six victories."

EHF EURO CUP

Denmark vs Sweden
Saturday 29 April, 16:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• this game will decide the winners of the EHF EURO Cup 2024, with Sweden entering the game with the maximum 10 points after five straight wins while Denmark count eight points from four victories
• the Scandinavian neighbours have a long history against one another. Denmark have won 11 times while Sweden were the victors 17 times, including a 34:32 result in the round 2 game
• Sweden won the two most recent encounters against Denmark, but Denmark beat Sweden in the final of the 2021 World Championship to take their second of what would become three straight world titles
• 2023 World Championship MVP Mathias Gidsel is the third top scorer of the Cup, with 24 goals for Denmark

Germany vs Spain
Sunday 30 April, 15:35 CEST, live on EHFTV

• neither of these teams enters round 6 with the record they might have hoped for, with Germany taking no wins yet and Spain recording only one
• EHF EURO 2022 silver medallists Spain are currently third in the table, with their two points, while Germany are last
• the reverse fixture saw Spain win 32:31. Overall, in the extensive history between the sides, Germany have won six times against Spain, Spain took 21 victories and two games ended in draws
• these two teams are the most recent EHF EURO winners prior to current champions Sweden, with Spain winning in 2020 and 2018 and Germany the victors in 2016, when they beat Spain in the final
• two Germans lead the top scorers in the EHF EURO Cup: line player Johannes Golla, with 28 goals, and centre back Juri Knorr, with 25
• Spain head coach Jordi Ribera: "It will be a test to gain experience, to continue building the group in this process of players who will make up the team of the future. Germany will probably want to win and it is going to be a very good game for sure."