IHF Women's Olympic Qualification Tournaments 2024 preview: Teams, full schedule and how to watch live handball Olympic qualifying action
Six teams have already obtained their Paris 2024 Olympic quota spots in women's handball. This week, the final six will join them following three IHF Women's Olympic Qualification Tournaments due to be held from 11-14 April.
The six qualified teams include reigning champions France, Denmark, the Republic of Korea, Angola, Brazil, and Norway.
Based on the results of the 2023 World Championship held in December, as well as the continental qualifiers for Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa, another 12 teams have qualified for this week's Olympic Qualification Tournaments.
Discover the schedule, favourites, and how to watch the live action below.
National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective teams at the Olympic Games, and athletes' participation at Paris 2024 depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation.
IHF Women's Olympic Qualification Tournaments 2024: Teams and stars to watch
Tournament 1 features Sweden, hosts Hungary, Great Britain, and Japan.
Sweden will be desperate for a chance at redemption after finishing fourth at the World Championships, having been fifth at the 2022 European Championships. Both results taken together meant the team, led by their top scorer at both tournaments Nathalie Hagman, have yet to secure their quota spot for the Games.
It has been a tale of near-misses for the Swedes, who also missed out on the podium at Tokyo 2020 after defeat in the bronze-medal playoff.
Hungary, 10th at the world championships, will be favoured to take the second qualification spot in front of their vocal home support.
In Tournament 2, hosts Spain welcome Netherlands, Czechia, and Argentina.
For Argentina, there may be a sense of déjà vu. Just like last time out, they finished second to Brazil at the Pan American Games to miss out on a direct quota, and have been drawn into a Qualifier Tournament held in Spain. In 2021, they finished third in a group of three and missed out – they will want to avoid the same fate.
The Czechs have come far in a short span of time. After not even qualifying for the 2022 European Championships, they finished an impressive eighth at last year's World Championships, losing in the quarter-finals to eventual winners France. Marketa Jerabkova earned top-scorer honours at the World Championships, and the Czechs will provide stiff resistance for both the Dutch favourites, who were fifth at Worlds, and Spain – who the Czechs defeated in December.
Finally, Germany will host Montenegro, Slovenia, and Paraguay in Tournament 3.
After a disappointing World Championships where they finished seventh just behind the Germans, Montenegro – who were European bronze medallists in 2022 and Olympic silver medallists 10 years prior at London 2012 – are looking to bounce back.
Dijana Mugoša tallied 43 goals at the Worlds, having missed the previous Euros through injury. She will be a key player for the Lionesses this time around again.
Meanwhile, Germany's Viola Leuchter is still just 19 and was named the Best Young Player at the World Championships. If they are to reach their first Olympic tournament since 2008, she will no doubt play a crucial role.
IHF Women's Olympic Qualification Tournaments: Format and how to qualify for Paris 2024
The final 12 teams competing in the Olympic Qualification Tournaments have been split into three separate tournament of four teams each.
All three tournaments will take place as single round-robin events in a group stage, with each team playing three games.
The top two teams in each tournament will obtain a Paris 2024 Olympic quota. If teams are tied on points, head-to-head results will be the first tiebreaker, before overall goal difference, total goals scored, and, if necessary, a drawing of lots.
Six qualified teams will join the six who have already secured a quota for Paris.
Where are the IHF Women's Olympic Qualification Tournaments 2024 taking place?
There are three separate tournaments that will take place on the same dates.
Tournament 1 will be held at the Főnix Arena in Debrecen, Hungary.
Meanwhile, the Costa Blanca city of Torrevieja, Spain, plays host to Tournament 2 at the Palacio de Deportes.
And finally, fresh off the back of hosting the 2024 Men's European Championships, Germany will host Tournament 3, albeit at an arena that was not used for the Euros. The Arena Ulm/Neu-Ulm, located to the south of both Ulm and Neu-Ulm, will hold the matches.
IHF Women's Olympic Qualification Tournaments 2024: Schedule
All times are in Central European Summer Time / CEST (UTC +2).
Thursday 11 April
- 15:30 – Tournament 1: Hungary vs Great Britain
- 17:45 – Tournament 3: Germany vs Slovenia
- 18:00 – Tournament 1: Sweden vs Japan
- 18:30 – Tournament 2: Czechia vs Spain
- 20:15 – Tournament 3: Montenegro vs Paraguay
- 21:00 – Tournament 2: Netherlands vs Argentina
Friday 12 April
- 18:00 – Tournament 1: Sweden vs Hungary
- 18:30 – Tournament 2: Netherlands vs Czechia
- 20:30 – Tournament 1: Japan vs Great Britain
- 21:00 – Tournament 2: Argentina vs Spain
Saturday 13 April
- 14:15 – Tournament 3: Germany vs Montenegro
- 16:45 – Tournament 3: Slovenia vs Paraguay
Sunday 14 April
- 13:30 – Tournament 3: Paraguay vs Germany
- 15:30 – Tournament 2: Czechia vs Argentina
- 16:00 – Tournament 3: Montenegro vs Slovenia
- 16:45 – Tournament 1: Great Britain vs Sweden
- 18:00 – Tournament 2: Spain vs Netherlands
- 19:15 – Tournament 1: Hungary vs Japan
How to watch the 2024 IHF Women's Olympic Qualification Tournaments
The three tournaments will be broadcast on various rights holders and IHF partners.
- Argentina: DirectTV
- Austria: DYN
- Czechia: Czech TV
- Germany: ARD, ZDF, Sport1, DYN
- Hungary: MTVA, Sport1/AMC
- Japan: BS Shochiku-Tokyu
- Montenegro: RTCG
- Netherlands: Ziggo
- Spain: Teledeportes
- Sweden: Kanal 5
- Switzerland: DYN
- Other countries can watch on the IHF Competitions YouTube.