SUMMARY: Preparations for Men's EHF EURO in full swing

• the Men's EHF EURO 2024 throws off in Dusseldorf on Wednesday 10 January
• keep reading the live blog for build-up to the tournament
• on Monday: teams start arriving in Germany
• download the Home of Handball app to make your match predictions
• follow the EHF EURO social media channels: X, Facebook and Instagram
• don't miss our special live podcast episode on the Home of Handball Twitch channel at 17:00 CET on Monday evening
• all photographs © Kolektiff Images

18:00

That's all from us today. Tomorrow we have the first media calls with the teams in group A to look forward to (France, Germany, North Macedonia and Switzerland), as well as plenty more great content on all our channels. Come back to ehfeuro.eurohandball.com at 10:00 CET to stay on top of everything that's happening in the EHF EURO world!

17:45

Let's finish today with another of our EHF EURO preparation pieces. We've run a series looking at the hard-working behind-the-scenes staff who help make a handball team tick - including video analysts, goalkeeper coaches and those responsible for keeping players in tip-top condition. 

In the second of these pieces, EHF journalist Björn Pazen talked to Germany's team chef Nils Walbrecht about his work keeping the squad fed. It's a fascinating read!

17:20

Head to our Twitch channel now for the live episode of 'The Spin' podcast!

We are live for a EHF EURO 2024 special episode of The Spin!

Join us on the Home of Handball Twitch channel.

17:00

A little throw-back to the EHF EURO 2022 now, when Sigvaldi Bjørn Gudjonsson did this. Hopefully there'll be plenty more spectacular shots in the coming weeks!

16:20

Staying on the topic of France, they've had their first training session in the MERKUR Spiel-Arena and our photographer Sasa Pahic Szabo was there to capture some of the best moments. Enjoy this gallery!

15:55

Another team preparing to play on Wednesday in Dusseldorf are Olympic champions France, captained by Luka Karabatic. The 35-year-old already has one EHF EURO title but he wants another, especially as his brother Nikola is set to retire at the end of this season. The younger Karabatic is aware of how special this tournament will be and wants to make sure France perform to their abilities. Check out EHF journalist Kevin Domas' interview with Luka Karabatic!

14:45

Over the past few weeks we've been running a series of features focusing on some of the 24 teams set to play at the EHF EURO 2024. They're all worth reading (of course), but we'll highlight some of the best in the live blog over the next few days.

Let's start out with Germany, as the hosts. A year ago centre back Juri Knorr shot into the limelight with an outstanding performance at the 2023 IHF Men's World Championship, where he was named best young player and was Germany's best scorer and top of the team's assists ranking too. Knorr is no longer the team's baby, and he is aware of the weight of expectation on the hosts ahead of their home EURO. 

Not that that weight seems to be mattering for Knorr, who scored six goals in Germany's second friendly win against Portugal on Saturday and comes into the tournament in good form. Let's see what he can do in Dusseldorf on Wednesday!

14:20

With throw-off only a couple of days away, things are getting busier here in Dusseldorf. All the officials and referees have now arrived and they're spending the day at the officials' conference, taking the official oath and catching up on everything they need to remember before the tournament. Our photographers were there to capture some of the opening session.

13:45

Icelandic goalkeeper Björgvin Pall Gustavsson isn't just a handball legend (a member of the national squad since 2006, with Olympic silver and EURO bronze medals to his name) - he's also a published author. His second book is aimed at children and tells the story of a little boy who starts life filled with anger but grows up to become president of Iceland. While Gustavsson might not (yet) have ambitions to follow in his hero's footsteps he's hoping the book will inspire the next generation of Icelanders to dream big. And now you too can listen to the story in English, as 'Bjoggi' has now released the book as an audiobook in English. Click here for EHF journalist Björn Pazen's interview with Gustavsson, and head to Facebook or Instagram to listen for yourself.

And catch Gustavsson in action at the EHF EURO when Iceland throw off against Serbia in group C on Friday.

13:00

We're taking a lunch break now, but we leave you with a fascinating long read on our LinkedIn channel about how the MERKUR Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf has been transformed from a football stadium to the world's biggest handball arena - for one night only. The result promises to deliver a spectacular show for fans present for the games and also watching from home.

12:30

If you're wanting a break over lunch, why not watch one of our exclusive EHF EURO documentaries? Start with a look at Croatia's golden dreams through the eyes of their legendary captain Domagoj Duvnjak, who has won three silver and two bronze medals at the EHF EURO, plus one silver and one bronze medal at the IHF Men's World Championship, and bronze at the London 2012 Olympic Games. One colour is missing from his trophy cabinet, and it's gold. He opens up about the close misses and the memories over the years in this unmissable video.

12:00

Have you downloaded the Home of Handball app yet? It's available on the Apple and Google Play app stores and it's an easy way to follow all the EHF EURO action. That includes, this year, being able to vote for the Player of the Match for each game, and making your match predictions. The match predictor is already live, so sign up and get guessing in order to be in with the chance of winning some great prizes - and of course earning kudos among your friends.

11:30

How good is your EHF EURO knowledge? Can you get full marks in our quiz? Now's the time to find out!

11:00

We've been keeping up to date with what the teams have been doing, and which players are in and out. There were lots of friendly matches played in the last few days to indicate who's on form - most recently last night, when defending EURO champions Sweden demolished Japan 43:23. Austria and Iceland play again tonight at 18:10 CET, after Iceland beat Austria 33:28 on Saturday.

Meanwhile several players are unfortunately ruled out through injury, while others have not been selected for the final squads. Find out more in yesterday's news update.

10:30

To prepare you for the tournament, there's only one place you need to go - the official EHF EURO magazine. It's available here as a digital magazine to click through at your leisure!

10:00

A huge "herzlich wilkommen" to all handball fans from Germany, where the final preparations are being made ahead of the Men's EHF EURO 2024. This tournament promises to be the biggest European championships ever, with 24 teams all hoping to lift the coveted trophy on 28 January, and thousands of fans due to turn up to cheer them on.

It all throws off the day after tomorrow, when France face North Macedonia and hosts Germany play Switzerland in front of over 50,000 spectators in Dusseldorf's MERKUR Spiel-Arena. The set-up in the arena is progressing well; here are a few snaps our photographers got yesterday.

Keep refreshing this live blog for more behind-the-scenes photos, pictures of teams arriving, and some of the brilliant features we've published across our channels in the past few weeks. There's lots to share and we can't wait to get started!