Montenegro are staging the W17 EHF EURO for a second straight edition, after the 2021 event also took place in Podgorica. The hosts did well two years ago, winning their group in the preliminary round and only just missing the semi-finals after being edged out on goal difference by Denmark in the main round.
Of course, Montenegro also impressed as one of the co-hosts of the Women's EHF EURO 2022 last November, when the senior national team earned the bronze medal.
Will Montenegro’s next generation be inspired by these achievements? This time, the hosts share group A with W17 EHF EURO 2021 silver medallists Germany, Czech Republic, and Iceland.
Croatia headline group B, which also includes Switzerland, Sweden, and Serbia.
Record three-time winners Denmark have a Nordic derby coming up against Norway, with Portugal and Netherlands the other contenders in group C.
All eyes will be on Hungary in group D: the country has been to at least the semi-finals in each of the last four editions of the W17 EHF EURO while winning gold in both 2019 and 2021. The same generation that won the title two years ago also lifted the trophy at the W19 EHF EURO 2023 in Romania in July. This time, Hungary's opponents are Romania, France, and North Macedonia.
Women's 17 EHF EURO 2023 preliminary round:
- group A: Germany, Montenegro, Czech Republic, Iceland
- group B: Croatia, Switzerland, Sweden, Serbia
- group C: Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Netherlands
- group D: Hungary, Romania, France, North Macedonia
The preliminary round ends on Sunday 6 August. The top two teams from the four groups advance to the main round (on Tuesday and Wednesday), with the winners and runners-up of those two main round groups qualifying for the semi-finals (Friday). The medal matches are scheduled for Sunday 13 August.
All matches of the W17 EHF EURO 2023 in Podgorica are streamed live on EHFTV, and the official EHF EURO channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook offer additional coverage.
