Since this Sunday, all the nations qualified for the handball tournaments at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games have been known. Hungary, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany and Slovenia were the last teams to qualify for the women's competition following the world Olympic qualifying tournaments. Now it's time for the draw, this Tuesday, April 16 at the Maison du Handball in Créteil, which will allow the 24 teams to plan for this incredible deadline, which begins in 100 days.
The format of the competition is already known. The 12 teams in each tournament will be divided into two groups of six. After facing each opponent, the top four teams will advance to the quarterfinals and participate in the knockout stage which will determine the final winner. In Tokyo, the French teams won both titles, a monumental feat.
Blues and Blues in the Hat 4
For each tournament, the 12 nations were divided into six “hats”. Among the men, France, placed in hat 4, will therefore not be able to face Slovenia, who are also there. On the other hand, it is sure to come across several big nations. It will thus be necessary to rub shoulders with Denmark or Spain, Croatia or Norway, and even Hungary or Germany. A group with Denmark, Sweden, Germany and Norway is therefore possible, and would be particularly dangerous given their results during the last Euro (2nd, 3rd, 4th and 9th respectively).
Host country status requires, the women are also in pot 4. They will therefore avoid crossing paths with Sweden in the group phase. Norway and Hungary are in the first hat, while the Netherlands and Germany will be in the second. The last hat seems more affordable, while the fifth contains a rather tricky team, Denmark, third in the last World Cup.
The two French teams, however, remain favorites. World champions last December, Les Bleues are riding in insolent form, with 23 consecutive successes. They will still have to be wary of the Norwegians, the only ones who were able to compete with them during the Worlds.
The Blues are also ready for the Olympic deadline. European champions in January after a crazy scenario and an anthology goal from Elohim Prandi in the semi-final, the teammates of Nikola Karabatic, who will end his career in Paris, are aiming for a fourth Olympic coronation. However, the competition will be tough, very tough, particularly from Scandinavian countries.