2024_European_Women's_Handball_Championship
The 2024 European Women's Handball Championship will be held in Austria, Hungary and Switzerland from 28 November to 15 December 2024.[1] This will be the first tournament to feature 24 teams. Norway are the two time defending champions.
Official logo | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host countries |  Austria Hungary Switzerland |
| Venue(s) | 4 (in 4 host cities) |
| Dates | 28 November – 15 December |
| Teams | 24 (from 1 confederation) |
First bidding process
Originally, there were two bids for the EHF Women's Euro 2024.[2]
On 5 September 2017, Russia's bid was the only bid left.[3]
However, later on, when the bids were announced for the 2022 and 2024 EHF Euros, Russia's bid was withdrawn and thus there were no applications left. On 20 June 2018, the day the host was supposed to be confirmed, the EHF voted to delay the awardment of the hosting rights.[4][5]
| Delay the vote | |
|---|---|
| Votes | |
| Yes | 37 |
| No | 5 |
| Total | 42 |
Second bidding process
In April 2019, the EHF reopened the bidding process. On 20 September 2019, there were 3 new bids.[6]
Austria, 
Hungary and 
Switzerland
Czech Republic, 
Poland and 
Slovakia
Russia
The host announcement took place on 25 January 2020 at the EHF Extraordinary Congress in Stockholm. The winners were Austria, Hungary and Switzerland, who defeated the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia bid, 28–21, in the second round.[1][7]
| Bids | Rounds | |
|---|---|---|
| Round one | Round two | |
| Austria, Hungary and Switzerland |
Advanced | 28 |
 Czech Republic,  Poland and  Slovakia |
Advanced | 21 |
 Russia |
Eliminated | – |
Possible hosting change
On 12 January 2023, the Hungarian government's chancellery minister, Gergely Gulyás, announced that Hungary would withdraw as hosts due to financial reasons.[8] A few days prior, the Austrian Handball Federation was informed by the Hungarians about the decision to withdraw. The other co-hosts, Austria and Switzerland, now wanted to negotiate with the EHF about how the tournament will be held.[9] On 28 January, the European Handball Federation released a statement concerning the issue, and said that they were amazed and surprised with the decision to potentially withdraw as co-hosts.[10] On 16 March 2023, the EHF announced a change to the organisation structure of the championships. Hungary remained as a co-host, but played a reduced part in the hosting of the competition, including the whole portion of the tournament at the MVM Dome in Budapest (one Main Round group and the Final Weekend) being axed and replaced by Vienna.[11] During all the uncertainty, Romania had stated that they would be able to host the tournament if the original hosts could not.[12]
The final weekend was scheduled to be held at the MVM Dome in Budapest, Hungary, but later it was replaced with the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria.[13][14]
| Innsbruck, Austria |
Debrecen, Hungary | |
|---|---|---|
| Olympiahalle Capacity: 8,000 | Főnix Aréna Capacity: 6,500 | |
| Basel, Switzerland | Vienna, Austria | |
| St. Jakobshalle Capacity: 12,400 | Wiener Stadthalle Capacity: 12,000 | |
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Expanding the competition, to 20 or 24 teams, was first considered on 30 August 2018. The idea was proposed by the Euro Delegation, but the EHF competitions commission strongly opposed the proposal, due to the fact that:
- It would dilute the quality of the event
- Trying to find a host would be more difficult because of a bigger tournament
- Not many countries, who don't already qualify for the EHF Euro, would create a lasting legacy by qualifying[15]
Despite the opposition from the competitions commission, the EHF received positive feedback from their new commercial partners, Infront and DAZN about the possible expansion. On 15 December, at the EHF Executive Committee in Paris, the EHF decided to examine to proposed expansion further.[16] In January 2019, they had introduced a working group to oversee the possible enlargement.[17] On 5 April 2019, based on the recommendations by the working group, the EHF officially decided to expand the tournament to 24 teams.[17][18]
31 teams registered for participation and competed for 20 places at the final tournament. Great Britain withdraw late which would have been the 32nd team. The teams were drawn into seven groups of four and one group with three teams. The top-two placed teams in each group qualified for the final tournament, alongside the four best-ranked third-placed teams, not counting the matches against fourth-placed teams. The qualifiers draw took place on 20 April 2023 in Zürich, Switzerland. Qualification started in October 2023 and ended in April 2024.
All 16 teams from the 2022 edition qualified, including North Macedonia who qualified for a major handball competition on merit for the first time since 2012. Debuting in the first 24 team championship are Faroe Islands and Turkey, with the former becoming the smallest nation ever to qualify for the finals.
Czech Republic return after missing the 2022 edition. The teams returning after long absences include co-hosts Austria (first time since 2008), Iceland (first time since 2012) plus Slovakia and Ukraine, who both return after last appearing at the Euro ten years ago in 2014. Portugal qualified for only their second ever major handball tournament after only participating at the 2008 European Women's Handball Championship.
Denmark were the first team to secure qualification after defeating Poland in February,[19] while the Danes, Germany, Hungary and Norway all continue their flawless record of making every European Championship.
Qualified teams
The draw was held at 18:00 CET on 18 April 2024 in Vienna, Austria.[20] The guests for the draw were Norwegian goalkeeper Silje Solberg, Austrian goalkeeper Petra Blazek, Swiss goalkeeper Lea Schüpbach and right wing for the Hungarian national team Viktória Győri-Lukács. The draw started with the teams from pot one being drawn followed by pots two, three and four.[21]
Seedings
The pots were announced on 8 April 2024.[22]
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Sweden |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Main round |
| 2 | Hungary |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 |  North Macedonia |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 |  Turkey |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
| 28 November 2024 18:00 |
Hungary |
v | Turkey |
Főnix Aréna, Debrecen |
| Report | ||||
| 28 November 2024 20:30 |
Sweden |
v | North Macedonia |
Főnix Aréna, Debrecen |
| Report | ||||
| 30 November 2024 18:00 |
Sweden |
v | Hungary |
Főnix Aréna, Debrecen |
| Report | ||||
| 30 November 2024 20:30 |
North Macedonia |
v | Turkey |
Főnix Aréna, Debrecen |
| Report | ||||
| 2 December 2024 18:00 |
North Macedonia |
v | Hungary |
Főnix Aréna, Debrecen |
| Report | ||||
| 2 December 2024 20:30 |
Turkey |
v | Sweden |
Főnix Aréna, Debrecen |
| Report | ||||
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Montenegro |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Main round |
| 2 |  Romania |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 |  Serbia |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Czech Republic |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
| 29 November 2024 18:00 |
Romania |
v | Czech Republic |
Főnix Aréna, Debrecen |
| Report | ||||
| 29 November 2024 20:30 |
Montenegro |
v | Serbia |
Főnix Aréna, Debrecen |
| Report | ||||
| 1 December 2024 18:00 |
Montenegro |
v | Romania |
Főnix Aréna, Debrecen |
| Report | ||||
| 1 December 2024 20:30 |
Serbia |
v | Czech Republic |
Főnix Aréna, Debrecen |
| Report | ||||
| 3 December 2024 18:00 |
Serbia |
v | Romania |
Főnix Aréna, Debrecen |
| Report | ||||
| 3 December 2024 20:30 |
Czech Republic |
v | Montenegro |
Főnix Aréna, Debrecen |
| Report | ||||
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  France |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Main round |
| 2 |  Spain |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Poland |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 |  Portugal |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
| 28 November 2024 18:00 |
Spain |
v | Portugal |
St. Jakobshalle, Basel |
| Report | ||||
| 28 November 2024 20:30 |
France |
v | Poland |
St. Jakobshalle, Basel |
| Report | ||||
| 30 November 2024 15:30 |
Poland |
v | Portugal |
St. Jakobshalle, Basel |
| Report | ||||
| 30 November 2024 18:00 |
France |
v | Spain |
St. Jakobshalle, Basel |
| Report | ||||
| 2 December 2024 18:00 |
Poland |
v | Spain |
St. Jakobshalle, Basel |
| Report | ||||
| 2 December 2024 20:30 |
Portugal |
v | France |
St. Jakobshalle, Basel |
| Report | ||||
Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Denmark |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Main round |
| 2 | Switzerland |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 |  Croatia |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 |  Faroe Islands |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
| 29 November 2024 18:00 |
Switzerland |
v | Faroe Islands |
St. Jakobshalle, Basel |
| Report | ||||
| 29 November 2024 20:30 |
Denmark |
v | Croatia |
St. Jakobshalle, Basel |
| Report | ||||
| 1 December 2024 15:30 |
Croatia |
v | Faroe Islands |
St. Jakobshalle, Basel |
| Report | ||||
| 1 December 2024 18:00 |
Denmark |
v | Switzerland |
St. Jakobshalle, Basel |
| Report | ||||
| 3 December 2024 18:00 |
Faroe Islands |
v | Denmark |
St. Jakobshalle, Basel |
| Report | ||||
| 3 December 2024 20:30 |
Croatia |
v | Switzerland |
St. Jakobshalle, Basel |
| Report | ||||
Group E
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Norway |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Main round |
| 2 | Austria |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 |  Slovenia |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Slovakia |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
| 28 November 2024 18:00 |
Austria |
v | Slovakia |
Olympiahalle, Innsbruck |
| Report | ||||
| 28 November 2024 20:30 |
Norway |
v | Slovenia |
Olympiahalle, Innsbruck |
| Report | ||||
| 30 November 2024 18:00 |
Norway |
v | Austria |
Olympiahalle, Innsbruck |
| Report | ||||
| 30 November 2024 20:30 |
Slovenia |
v | Slovakia |
Olympiahalle, Innsbruck |
| Report | ||||
| 2 December 2024 18:00 |
Slovenia |
v | Austria |
Olympiahalle, Innsbruck |
| Report | ||||
| 2 December 2024 20:30 |
Slovakia |
v | Norway |
Olympiahalle, Innsbruck |
| Report | ||||
Group F
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Netherlands |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Main round |
| 2 |  Germany |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 |  Iceland |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 |  Ukraine |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
| 29 November 2024 18:00 |
Netherlands |
v | Iceland |
Olympiahalle, Innsbruck |
| Report | ||||
| 29 November 2024 20:30 |
Germany |
v | Ukraine |
Olympiahalle, Innsbruck |
| Report | ||||
| 1 December 2024 18:00 |
Netherlands |
v | Germany |
Olympiahalle, Innsbruck |
| Report | ||||
| 1 December 2024 20:30 |
Iceland |
v | Ukraine |
Olympiahalle, Innsbruck |
| Report | ||||
| 3 December 2024 18:00 |
Ukraine |
v | Netherlands |
Olympiahalle, Innsbruck |
| Report | ||||
| 3 December 2024 20:30 |
Iceland |
v | Germany |
Olympiahalle, Innsbruck |
| Report | ||||
Points and goals gained in the preliminary group against teams that advance will be transferred to the main round.
Group I
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Semifinals |
| 2 | B1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | C1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Fifth place game |
| 4 | A2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | B2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | C2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
| 5 December 2024 | C1 | v | B2 | Főnix Aréna, Debrecen |
| 5 December 2024 | A2 | v | C2 | Főnix Aréna, Debrecen |
| 5 December 2024 | A1 | v | B1 | Főnix Aréna, Debrecen |
| 6 December 2024 | C1 | v | B1 | Főnix Aréna, Debrecen |
| 6 December 2024 | A1 | v | C2 | Főnix Aréna, Debrecen |
| 6 December 2024 | A2 | v | B2 | Főnix Aréna, Debrecen |
| 8 December 2024 | A1 | v | B2 | Főnix Aréna, Debrecen |
| 8 December 2024 | A2 | v | C1 | Főnix Aréna, Debrecen |
| 8 December 2024 | B1 | v | C2 | Főnix Aréna, Debrecen |
| 10 December 2024 | A1 | v | C1 | Főnix Aréna, Debrecen |
| 10 December 2024 | A2 | v | B1 | Főnix Aréna, Debrecen |
| 10 December 2024 | B2 | v | C2 | Főnix Aréna, Debrecen |
Group II
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Semifinals |
| 2 | E1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | F1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Fifth place game |
| 4 | D2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | E2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | F2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) goal difference.
| 5 December 2024 | F1 | v | E2 | Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna |
| 5 December 2024 | D2 | v | F2 | Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna |
| 5 December 2024 | D1 | v | E1 | Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna |
| 7 December 2024 | F1 | v | E1 | Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna |
| 7 December 2024 | D1 | v | F2 | Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna |
| 7 December 2024 | D2 | v | E2 | Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna |
| 9 December 2024 | D1 | v | E2 | Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna |
| 9 December 2024 | D2 | v | F1 | Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna |
| 9 December 2024 | E1 | v | F2 | Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna |
| 11 December 2024 | D1 | v | F1 | Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna |
| 11 December 2024 | D2 | v | E1 | Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna |
| 11 December 2024 | E2 | v | F2 | Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna |
Bracket
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 13 December | ||||||
| I1 | ||||||
| 15 December | ||||||
| II2 | ||||||
| 13 December | ||||||
| II1 | ||||||
| I2 | ||||||
| Third place | ||||||
| 15 December | ||||||
Semifinals
| 13 December 2024 | I1 | v | II2 | Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna |
| 13 December 2024 | II1 | v | I2 | Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna |
Fifth place game
| 13 December 2024 15:00 |
I3 | v | II3 | Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna |
Third place game
| 15 December 2024 15:15 |
LSF1 | v | LSF2 | Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna |
Final
| 15 December 2024 18:00 |
WSF1 | v | WSF2 | Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna |
| Qualified for the 2025 World Championship |
| Rank | Team |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
 | |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| 6 | |
| 7 | |
| 8 | |
| 9 | |
| 10 | |
| 11 | |
| 12 | |
| 13 | |
| 14 | |
| 15 | |
| 16 | |
| 17 | |
| 18 | |
| 19 | |
| 20 | |
| 21 | |
| 22 | |
| 23 | |
| 24 |
The official logo was unveiled on 19 November 2022 at the closing press conference of the 2022 edition in Ljubljana, Slovenia.[24]
The official ball for the 2024 European Championship come out on 7 April 2023, made by manufacturer and EHF partner, Select. The ball in made of faux leather and is decorated in contrasting red tones with green accents and white areas with the tournament's slogan "Catch the Spirit" on the ball aswell.[25]
The mascot was announced on 2 April 2024.[26][27] The mascot is a wildcat.
Tickets
For the matches of the European Championship, tickets are offered by the EHF as a package with several matches as follows:[28][29][30][31]
- Preliminary round, Group A in Debrecen (featuring Hungary): three days from 18,600 to 34,800 Ft
- Preliminary round, Group B in Debrecen: three days from 7,800 to 20,300 Ft
- Preliminary round, Groups C and D in Basel: three days from 105 to 875 Francs
- Preliminary round, Groups E and F in Innsbruck: three days from €78 to €159
- Main round Group I in Debrecen: four days from 32,000 to 57,200 Ft
- Main round, Group II in Vienna: four days from €104 to €248
- Final round in Vienna: two days from €74 to €169
Official song
The official song was unveiled on 15 April 2024. It is Live Is Life by Austrian band Opus which has been adapted to fit the tournament.[32] The song was officially unveiled at the draw on 18 April 2024.
- "Hungary, Switzerland and Austria awarded Women's EHF EURO 2024 at Extraordinary Congress". European Handball Federation. 25 January 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
- "These nations want to bid for EHF EUROs in 2022 and 2024". EHF. 4 May 2017.
- "Four nations intend to bid for Women's EHF EUROs in 2022 and 2024". EHF. 5 September 2017.
- "Minutes to the 14th Ordinary Congress of the European Handball Federation (EHF) in Glasgow, SCO, 19-20 June 2018" (PDF). EHF. 16 July 2018 – via handball.no.
- "EHF EUROs bids for 2022/24 now available online". EHF. 15 February 2018.
- "EHF Executive Committee confirms bids to host Women's EHF EURO 2024". EHF. 20 September 2019.
- Szabolcs, Vincze (25 January 2020). "NŐI KÉZI: TÁRSRENDEZŐK LESZÜNK A 2024-ES EURÓPA-BAJNOKSÁGON!". Nemzeti Sport. Malmö. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- "Magyarország részben vagy egészben visszaléphet a 2024-es női kézilabda Európa-bajnokság rendezésétől". M4 Sport. 12 January 2023.
- "Ungarn zieht sich als Ausrichter der Frauen-Handball-EM 2024 zurück". handball world. 12 January 2023.
- "Official statement on Women's EHF EURO 2024". EHF. 12 January 2023.
- "New Organizational Structure for Women's EHF Euro 2024". EHF. 16 March 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- "CE LOVITURĂ! ROMÂNIA VA ORGANIZA EUROPEANUL DE HANDBAL FEMININ! ORAȘELE CARE VOR GĂZDUI MECIURI". Eurosport (in Romanian). 21 July 2023.
- "New organisational structure for women's EHF EURO 2024". EHF. 16 March 2023.
- "Wien Hauptschauplatz bei Frauen-EM 2024". sport.ORF.at. 16 March 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- EHF Competitions Commission handball.no
- "EHF Executive meets at EHF EURO 2018 in Paris". EHF. 15 December 2018.
- "Women's EHF EURO expands to 24 teams from 2024". EHF. 5 April 2019.
- "Minutes to the 145th Executive Committee Meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark" (PDF). EHF Executive Committe. 10 April 2019 – via handball.no.
- "Denmark book EHF EURO 2024 ticket; Azerbaijan win; Faroes make history". ehfcl.eurohandball.com.
- "Confirmation of seeded teams at Women's EHF EURO 2024". European Handball Federation. 5 March 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
- "Six groups set for Women's EHF EURO 2024". European Handball Federation. 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- "Draw procedure for Women's EHF EURO 2024 released". European Handball Federation. 8 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- "Match schedule for Women's EHF EURO 2024 released". European Handball Federation. 24 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- "Three countries, four cities, one special taste in 2024". Retrieved 19 November 2022.
- Handballbund, Österreichischer. "Offizieller Ball der EHF EURO 2024 enthüllt". Österreichischer Handballbund.
- "The Women's EHF EURO 2024 presents its mascot". www.eurohandball.com.
- "Handball Austria - Österr. Handballbund". www.oehb.at.
- "OPUS hit "Live is Life" is official song of Women's EHF EURO 2024". www.eurohandball.com.