Summary: Germany and France win before world-record crowd
The Men's EHF EURO 2024 is finally here and more than 53,000 people are expected at the MERKUR SPIEL-ARENA to watch the first matches in group A. Follow the live blog for all the build-up and match coverage.
21:14
They're chanting his name and this is why - Andy Wolff is playing insanely well tonight, although he's just let in Switzerland's fifth goal. We can let him off, his save efficiency is still at 66.7 per cent after 24 minutes.
21:11
The referees go to a video review for the first time this tournament and decide that Lukas Mertens did score. Germany are into double digits at 10:4.
21:06
Germany are effectively stopping most of the Swiss attacks; the men in red haven't scored for seven minutes and Andy Wolff has stopped 70 per cent of their shots.
21:00
Much has been said about Juri Knorr and his importance for Germany, but the centre back is still only 23 - however, he's not letting any pressure get to him tonight and has scored a couple of stunning goals already.
Julian Köster is also having a good night, as Germany take a 6:3 lead.
20:55
Andreas Wolff is out there doing Andy Wolff things in goal - but don't discount Nikola Portner at the other end, who is also frustrating Germany somewhat. It's 3:2 now; Wolff saved an Andy Schmid penalty but the Swiss legend netted on the rebound.
20:50
Who else but Andy Schmid to score first for Switzerland? After that first quick goal from Germany, it's been a slow few minutes with strong defence at both ends stopping all attempts. Schmid brings it level, though, at 1:1.
20:46
Back to business as Germany throw off against Switzerland and Juri Knorr scores the first goal within 60 seconds.
20:44
We can now confirm that the fans in the MERKUR SPIEL-ARENA have set a world record for the number of spectators at a handball match - 53,586! What an amazing occasion.
20:36
The teams are being presented for the Germany vs Switzerland match. Find the line-ups here.
This match will have live audio description in German - click here to find out more and access the tool.
20:30
Culcha Candela are banging out their official song 'Celebration' and it's a proper party in the arena!
20:23
The German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has arrived in the arena to formally open the tournament, alongside EHF President Michael Wiederer.
20:17
Dancers in white are now on court and the atmosphere is building.
20:12
The stadium is lit by thousands upon thousands of mobile phone lights, it's stunning!
19:44
Hot off the (virtual) press, here's the match review for the opening game.
Next up is the opening ceremony at 20:00 CET, followed by Germany's game against Switzerland at 20:45 CET.
18:33 | HALF-TIME
FRANCE 17:13 NORTH MACEDONIA
France were the heavy favourites before this game, but the Macedonians have put up a solid fight throughout the first half - helped by some good saves. But as the half drew on, the French started to score more on the counterattack and in fast breaks and looked better and better. It's not yet a done deal, however ...
18:25
France have found a bit of an edge; a 3:0 run takes them into a 14:11 lead and it's time for Kiril Lazarov's first timeout. North Macedonia have about six minutes to get back on terms before the break.
18:21
Hugo Descat adds his fourth goal and puts France back into the lead.
18:20
The coaches are both looking a little frustrated at the mistakes their players are making. It's 10:10.
18:15
Kiril Lazarov is playing a seven-on-six attack and it's put North Macedonia into a 10:9 lead. Remi Desbonnet makes a potentially important save, and Guillaume Gille calls a timeout.
18:09
Remi Desbonnet looks frustrated as he allows a Nikola Kosteski shot to go past him and the Macedonians to equalise, but Ludovic Fabregas scores quickly on the counterattack. The Olympic champions look to just have the edge but the Macedonians are pressing hard and a good save from Nikola Mitrevski helps things.
18:03
Both teams' first attempts are misses, but Filip Taleski scoring from the field followed by Hugo Descat netting a penalty. And that sparks a flurry of action; Dika Mem, Ivan Djonov, Hugo Descat all netting within seconds of each other.
18:00
And we throw off, with North Macedonia in possession.
17:58
Anthems over ... are you ready?
17:50
The squads are being announced and Nikola Karabatic got a huge roar. If he scores 10 times this tournament he'll become the highest EHF EURO scorer ever.
17:33
Squad lists are out for both teams - you can see the line-ups on the match page here. There are no big surprises. From France's squad of 19, goalkeeper Samir Bellahcene, left back Timothey N'Guessan and Yanis Lenne are sitting this one out - Lenne has been suffering with back problems, so that's no surprise.
North Macedonia will be hoping their captain and goalkeeper Nikola Mitrevski has a good day as a squad with a number of younger players takes to the court.
17:20
The doors have opened and the fans are streaming in; both teams are on court warming up. 40 minutes until throw-off.
Remember, there's lots of ways to follow the EHF EURO: click here for the full list of broadcasters showing matches. If you can't find a broadcaster in your country, head to EHFTV where there will be live streaming of every game with English commentary. Geo-restrictions will apply if a broadcaster in the country where you live has the rights to the tournament.
17:00
Throughout the night our social media channels will be packed with content - in particular, keep an eye on our Instagram stories for exclusive on-court video.
16:45
We have arrived in Dusseldorf and are looking down at the absolutely spectacular view from the media tribune in the MERKUR SPIEL-ARENA. There's lots of fans outside already and the place will be jumping in only an hour or so!
16:20
The EHF EURO live show presented by Trivago is well underway - tune in now and join the fun ahead of the games.
16:10
Here we go! It's less than two hours until throw-off between France and North Macedonia. Right now the Swiss fans are gathering to march to the stadium, ahead of their team's game against Germany at 20:45 CET.
Stay with us for the rest of the day for full match coverage, clips, photos and analysis!
14:00
The blog is now on a break until we get to the arena in a couple of hours, but don't worry, there's plenty to do in EHF EURO world until then.
- make sure you've made your match predictions in the Home of Handball app
- watch the EHF EURO live show presented by Trivago and hosted by Martin Vilstrup and Victor Tomas, live on Twitch from 15:30 CET
- and head to ehfeuro.eurohandball.com to check out all the coverage so far!
Switzerland is the toughest opponent we could get from this pot in the draw. The players know each other very well because many Swiss play in the Bundesliga or played like Andy Schmid. Both teams want to win, we want both teams to get into the main round.
Our players shall feel real joy when playing in this world record match, they shall feel light-hearted, they shall be like little boys who simply want to play handball. We have to stand the pressure in the first 15 minutes to gain stability and to stop the German speed.
We are definitely the underdogs. France are the best team in the world with Denmark, Germany at home is always tough to beat and Switzerland have a lot of players playing in the Bundesliga, that shows their quality. It’s going to be very difficult for us, but in the meantime, we will try to beat anyone that does not take us seriously.
We have not played against North Macedonia for a long time, but they are a new team, with a lot of new players, we don’t know much about the way they play. The first game in any competition is rarely the best game you will play in your career. It’s hard to move from the preparation to the competition, you still have shaky knees.
12:30
Every day our stat-meister Julian Rux will deliver a 'stat of the day' - here's today's, good news for Germany!
12:10
The Macedonian team put together a fun reel of their preparations yesterday, including training and their media call.
11:47
It's impossible to have too many pictures of the magnificent set-up in Dusseldorf. The Swiss like it!
11:23
Their women's team became world champions in December - can the men's team end Nikola Karabatic's career with EHF EURO gold? This is the French squad for these championships.
11:00
Matchday and the teams will be filled with anticipation right now as they prepare to step on to the court for the first time in anger. Yesterday at the media calls EHF journalist Kevin Domas found out how the players are feeling ahead of their first game in a football stadium. Only Kentin Mahé and Andy Schmid have an idea of how it might feel, having played in front of the current world record crowd in Frankfurt 10 years ago!
