The IHF Trophy - European Zone for men’s youth and junior teams will be held in the Kosovan capital Pristina from October 23 to 28. The championship will feature four teams competing in the youth age category and six in junior, all from emerging European nations.

 

In the youth category, Kosovo, Moldova, Great Britain and Albania will vie for the trophy. In the junior age group, Kosovo, Moldova, Great Britain, Malta, Georgia and Ireland will battle for the title. The U20 matches will be played in the Palace of Youth and Sports, Pristina, while the U18 games are to be held in the Palace of 1 October.

 

Due to the different number of teams in each age category, the competition format will vary. The youth championship will feature three days of round-robin matches, at the end of which the top two teams qualify directly for the trophy match and the next two proceed to the bronze-medal game on the 27th. The junior age group will play only round-robin games, with the top-ranked team at the end of the competition to be crowned the champions.

 

IHF referees from Denmark, Germany, FYR Macedonia, France, Slovenia and Poland have been nominated for the event, along with technical delegates from Norway, Spain, Denmark and Czech Republic.

 

2018 marks the first year the IHF Trophy has been contested by both junior and youth men’s teams. As the championship has been integrated into the IHF calendar, men’s and women’s competitions will alternate per year, with the women’s IHF Trophy to be played in 2019. The winners of each Continental Phase proceed to the Intercontinental Phase, which will not only see a battle for the trophy, but in the junior category also a place at the 2019 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship.

 

The final day of the 2018 IHF Trophy - European Zone will finish in a handball celebration as the national teams of Kosovo and Germany will face each other in the EHF EURO 2020 Qualification Phase 2 in the Palace of Youth and Sports.

 

Follow the event HERE and watch the matches live HERE. 

COMPETITION SCHEDULE

 

Youth competition

Participants: Kosovo (KOS), Moldova (MDA), Great Britain (GBR), Albania (ALB)

 

Tuesday 23 October

14:00     MDA-ALB

16:00     KOS-GBR

 

Wednesday 24 October

14:00     GBR-ALB

16:00     KOS-MDA

 

Thursday 25 October

14:00     GBR-MDA

16:00     KOS-ALB

 

Saturday 27 October

14:00     Bronze-medal match

16:00     Gold-medal match

 

Junior competition

Participants: Kosovo (KOS), Great Britain (GBR), Moldova (MDA), Malta (MLT), Georgia (GEO), Ireland (IRL)

 

Tuesday 23 October

14:00     MDA-IRL

16:00     MLT-GEO

18:00     GBR-KOS

 

Wednesday 24 October

14:00     MDA-MLT

16:00     GBR-GEO

18:00     IRL-KOS

 

Friday 26 October

14:00     IRL-MLT

16:00     GBR-MDA

18:00     KOS-GEO

 

Saturday 27 October

14:00     GEO-MDA

16:00     IRL-GBR

18:00     MLT-KOS

 

Sunday 28 October

11:00     GEO-IRL

13:00     MLT-GBR

15:00     KOS-MDA