Six cities, a great sports nation as host, 24 best national teams on the continent and 18 days of top handball...
Germany is ready for a spectacle - the 16th European Championship starts today in Dusseldorf.
And the hosts made an effort to make this championship go down in history on the very first day, since the first two matches France - North Macedonia and Germany - Switzerland will be played at the "Merkur Spil Arena" football stadium.
It is expected that there will be 53.000 fans in the stands of the home of Fortune from Dusseldorf, which will be a new world record when it comes to visiting a single handball match.
In addition to the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, handball will also be played in Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Mannheim and, of course, the temple of handball, the Lankses Arena in Cologne, starting today, January 28.
Part of the Euro spectacle, for the seventh time in history, will be Montenegrin handball players who will play group stage matches in the famous "Olympic Hall" in Munich, where handball was also played at the 1972 Olympic Games.
The "Lions" open the European Championship on Friday (20.30:XNUMX p.m.) against Hungary, and their rivals in the group will also be Iceland and Serbia. The two best selections will win a trip to Cologne and the main round of the championship.
Handball is one of the most popular sports in Germany, so it's no surprise that tickets for the matches are practically sold out in all cities. It's the same with Munich, because only the most expensive and the cheapest tickets remain for the hall that holds over 12.000 spectators - a few each in the VIP zone, that is, for standing.
The European crown will be defended in Germany by Sweden's handball players, and that country is also the most successful in the history of European championships, as it was the continental champion five times.
France was the champion three times, Spain, Denmark and Germany twice each, and Russia once.
January is handball month - it's time for the European Championship.
Bonus video:
