The Montenegrin women’s handball team is set to face Serbia tomorrow in Debrecen, marking the beginning of the European Championship in Hungary, Austria, and Switzerland.

This Group B clash will kick off at 20:30. In the other match of the group, Romania will challenge the Czech Republic.

Montenegro’s team is on a mission to defend the European bronze medal they earned two years ago in Ljubljana.

During the qualifiers, Montenegro triumphed over Serbia under the guidance of Bojana Popović, winning both encounters. Last year, Serbia finished 21st in the world, their lowest position ever.

In the previous European Championship, Serbia could not advance past the initial round, suffering three defeats in their group.

Last year, the Czech Republic managed to break into the top eight at the World Cup, while Romania, coached by Florentin Pera, has struggled to match the quality of their national team during the era of Kristina Neagu and Pintea.

All participating players compete in their domestic leagues, which rank among the premier competitions in Europe.

This upcoming European Championship marks the first instance where 24 national teams will participate.

Group A (Debrecen) features Hungary, Sweden, North Macedonia, and Turkey; Group C (Basel) includes France, Spain, Poland, and Portugal; and Group D (Basel) consists of Denmark, Switzerland, Croatia, and the Faroe Islands.

Group E (Innsbruck) will see Norway, Austria, Slovenia, and Slovakia compete, while Group F (Innsbruck) includes the Netherlands, Germany, Iceland, and Ukraine.

The two best-placed teams from each group will advance to the second phase of the championship, which will take place in Debrecen and Vienna.

Norway will be defending their title as champions, having previously defeated Denmark 27:25 two years ago.

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