After the disappointment of the silver medal at the Olympic Games, the Blues must already concentrate on their new goal: the Euro. The competition opens on Thursday, November 28, and is co-organized by Switzerland, Hungary and Austria. The French team, which has only won the Euro once in 2018, has always managed to reach the last four over the last four editions (3rd place in 2016, 2nd in 2020, 4th in 2022). She hopes to dethrone Norway, with a new figurehead after the retirement of its emblematic coach Olivier Krumbholz. Its competition begins this Thursday, with a match against Poland, in Basel (Switzerland), at 8:30 p.m.
For the Blues, a stable group to open a new cycle
A new era is dawning for the France team. After the departure of Olivier Krumbholz, who took Les Bleues to the roof of the world (in 2003, 2017 and 2023), Europe (2018) and Olympus (2021), it has been his former assistant since 2016, Sébastien Gardillou, who took over on the bench. The Périgourdin intends to follow in the footsteps of his mentor, and has summoned 15 of the 17 Olympic vice-champions of Paris 2024. Only Cléopâtre Darleux (choice) and Méline Nocandy (injured) are absent. In a larger group than at the Olympics, with 20 players, Pauline Coatanea and Deborah Lassource are back, while goalkeeper Floriane André and left back Clarisse Mairot, current top scorer in the Champions League with Brest, will compete their first major competition with the Blues.
France is in a group with Spain, which they beat (32-24) at the Olympics, Poland, which finished 16th in the 2023 World Cup, and Portugal, for whose first participation since 2008. After the first match against Poland, the Blues will meet Spain (Saturday November 30 at 6 p.m.) and Portugal (Monday December 2 at 8:30 p.m.).
Norway, title holder and favorite, without Stine Oftedal
They should be, as during the Olympic Games which they won by beating France in the final, the main rivals of the Bleues. The Norwegians, double title holders, will however have to cope without two of their stars, Stine Oftedal and Nora Mork. The first, best player in the world in 2019, former Issy-Paris (2013-2017), triple world champion, five-time European champion and Olympic champion, retired after winning the gold medal Olympic in Paris. The second, top scorer of the last Euro, has decided to take a break from her career, for physical and mental reasons, and is waiting for a happy event.
But with a plethoric squad and the presence in goal of Katrine Lunde, voted best player of the Paris Olympics at 44 years old (42% saves on average), the Norwegians still have the arguments to aim for a new title. We will also have to count on the Danes and the Swedes, semi-finalists at the Games.
A Euro with 24 teams, a first
In the hope of developing handball on a larger scale, and to establish equity with the men’s tournament, the women’s Euro will be contested for the first time with 24 teams, compared to 16 previously. Turkey and the Faroe Islands will thus make their debut in the competition. These 24 teams are divided into six groups for the preliminary round. The top two from each group will qualify for the main round, made up of two groups of six teams, which will retain the points acquired during the preliminary round. They will play four matches, without meeting the other nation from the same group. At the end of these four matches, the best two in each group will advance to the semi-finals, played in Vienna (Austria).
The first three teams in the Euro will qualify for the 2025 World Cup. France, as the reigning world champion, has already validated its ticket.
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