The journey to the men’s EHF EURO 2022 has begun, with Cyprus and Luxembourg the first to take a step towards the final tournament in Hungary and Slovakia.

 

In 2020, the European championship, previously contested between 16 teams, will grow to a 24-nation tournament. As such, the qualification stage for the EURO has become much more extensive.

 

As the co-hosts of the EURO 2022, Hungary and Slovakia are already qualified for the final tournament. On Sunday, two other teams took an important step toward reaching the final tournament, as they won their qualification phase one groups. Luxembourg defeated Bulgaria, Great Britain and Ireland at the round-robin competition played on their home court. In Malta, Cyprus topped Group B after wins against Georgia, Azerbaijan and their hosts.

 

Luxembourg and Cyprus therefore progressed to the relegation round, which will also feature the three lowest-ranked sides out of those that place fourth in EHF EURO 2020 qualification phase two. The EURO 2020 qualification phase is currently underway, with four more rounds of matches to be played up until June 2019. After that, the three teams to join the relegation round will be known.

 

More information on the men’s EHF EURO 2022 qualification phase can be found on the official website of the EHF.

 

Photo: Cyprus Handball Federation