France top second EHF EURO power ranking, Danes slip to third

10. Norway (=)

Norway did their job in Oslo, beating Ukraine and Czechia as planned, but then had to recognise that defending champions France were out of reach. Thanks to a strong goalkeeper in Torbjørn Bergerud and with an improvement in attack, Norway can hope for one or two surprises in group I in Herning, perhaps even in the opener against Spain.

9. Croatia (-2)

They had a shaky start against Georgia, then showed a solid performance against the Netherlands, but Croatia were chanceless against Sweden and arrive in the main round with zero points. Victories against Slovenia and Switzerland are manageable, but in general it proved that the world championship runners-up play differently when not boosted by their home crowd. The defence was not stable enough, and in attack, they definitely missed injured line player Marin Šipić. The crucial match is the opener against Iceland.

8. Spain (+1)

The transition in the Spanish team is in full swing, and Spain showed huge variety in attack, with some young guns such as 18-year-old Marcos Fis, combined with a solid rock defence and strong goalkeepers. But finally they let a crucial win slip from their hands against Germany. Starting with zero points in the tough group is a challenge; their final match against their neighbours Portugal could tip the scales in terms of the semi-final berth. 

7. Hungary (+1)

Chema Rodríguez’s team was close to winning the group and take two points into the main round, but failed too often against goalkeeper Viktor Hallgrímsson in the crucial duel with Iceland. Definitely, Hungary will be out for revenge for the dramatic quarter-final elimination by Croatia one year ago at the World Championship, and they are capable of beating Slovenia and Switzerland. Both goalkeepers did a great job up until now and the defence was usually rock solid, but in the attack, sometimes they lacked options.

6. Germany (-1)

Germany rode a rollercoaster in the preliminary round: after losing against Serbia, they were close to their first ever main round elimination, but the outstanding performance against Spain put them on top of the group. Relying on the goalkeeper duo of Andreas Wolff and David Späth and many variations in defence, they are strong at that end of the court, but in attack, they missed many chances, including their traditional problems from the penalty line. The match against Spain proved the Olympic silver medallists are ready to rumble, but their historic statistics against Denmark and France are not the best. Therefore, the opener against Portugal may already decide in which direction the rollercoaster ride will continue.

5. Iceland (-2)

Two easy-going wins against Italy and Poland and a lucky victory against Hungary was Iceland’s outcome from the preliminary round. Unfortunately, two crucial defenders got injured against Hungary, and in attack, it was not that fluid as expected, taking all the profit from their extraordinary superstars Gísli Kristjánsson and Ómar Ingi Magnússon. But there is one thing that can give Iceland hope they could reach the semi-finals: goalkeeper Viktor Hallgrímsson is on a high again after some initial problems. The first two main round matches will decide Iceland’s fate, as they face Croatia and Sweden.

4. Portugal (+2)

After the draw against North Macedonia Portugal were down, but two days later they celebrated a sensational 31:29 victory against Denmark in Denmark, thanks to a tactical master class by coach Paulo Pereira. A well-prepared defence and 18 goals from Martim and Francisco Costa — adding to the 39 goals they had scored in the first two games — were crucial. The mix of youth and experience and the confidence of knowing that they can beat any team on the right day could bring the Portuguese side to their first ever EHF EURO semi-final. However, that means two out of the top three sides — France, Denmark and Germany — need to be out of contention. Beating Germany in the main round opener is key.

3. Denmark (-2)

The state of shock turned into the motto: “Now more than ever”. Denmark have not won the EHF EURO since 2012, but after losing to Portugal they face an uphill battle in the main round. “We have only lost one match, so we need the next four to win to go to the semi-finals,” is the team mantra before the main round. Although Denmark are four-time world, and Olympic, champions, Portugal proved they are not unbeatable. If they play their usual style, no one can stop them; if the opponents find the means to stop their attack, they are vulnerable. The potentially highest hurdle waits right at the start: France, the defending champions, who beat them in the last EHF EURO final.

2. Sweden (+2)

Boosted by their home fans, Sweden might have an easy cruise to the semi-finals in the main round in Malmö. Within two days they can seal the deal early by beating the two other group winners, Iceland and Slovenia. Sweden played stable, with a great defence backed by their veteran goalkeepers Andreas Palicka and Mikael Appelgren. In attack, super talent Nikola Roganović proved his value by scoring 18 goals, and the way they beat Croatia in the top duel of their group was an impressive signal to their opponents. In contrast to their last EHF EURO on home ground, when they missed the final weekend, things look much better now for the record European champions — but then the final weekend is in Denmark.

1. France (+1)

Before this EHF EURO, many experts said, France were the only team which could beat Denmark. Portugal have already proven that prediction wrong, but France have a chance to consolidate the new reality in their first main round match. In the preliminary round, Guillaume Gille’s team scored two new EHF EURO goal records in two days: 42 goals against Czechia, 46 against Ukraine. In the group final against Norway, they ensured another win, this time 38:34. Despite having to replace EHF EURO 2024 MVP Nédim Rémili due to an injury, France play an extremely efficient high-speed attack, although they have not had to face the strongest teams in their first round. But seeing the huge confidence they carried from Oslo to Herning and the individual quality and experience of players such as Dika Mem, Melvyn Richardson and Ludovic Fabregas, they can go all the way. Still, compared to their main round opponents, they have one weak point: the goalkeepers, who are both below 30 per cent saving percentage. But if you score more than 40 goals in every match, this is enough.

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