(Un)informed Handball Hour

We're off to the main round at the World Championship and as things are beginning to heat up, we look at the big stories from recent days, including mixed fortunes for the host nations and which teams are truly emerging as medal contenders.

And we speak to Dutch star Kay Smits about his return to the national team after a layoff due to a heart inflammation, his side's progress in recent years and what they need to do to achieve their next major breakthrough.

The 2025 IHF Men's World Championship begins today, so we bring you our second big preview ahead of tonight's opening matches.

5:00 - Albin Falk Hansson previews the Nordic sides' chances 42:10 - Quickfire previews on the chasing pack 52:00 - Erwin Feuchtmann on his World Championship adventures with Chile 1:14:20 - Our final predictions

Join us on patreon.com/handballhour to enjoy bonus content throughout the month as we cover the tournament in Norway, Croatia and Denmark.

In the first of our World Championship previews, we speak to Kevin Domas about how France and Spain look after the departure of some legends and which players to look out for among the French-influenced African sides.

John Ryan joins us to look at the quintet of Pan American sides, highlighted by the preliminary round clash between Brazil and USA.

Join us on patreon.com/handballhour for bonus episodes and other benefits throughout the championship, which begins on 14 January!

Handball doesn't stop during the holiday season and neither will we. We dive back into the German Bundesliga drama with Kreis Ab's Sascha Staat as we discuss Nicolej Krickau's sacking at Flensburg, Maik Machulla's move to Löwen, Kiel's run of good form and how long Melsungen can keep setting the pace at the top of the league.

Norway left no doubt about their status as the best side in world handball with a convincing final victory over Denmark, driven by an unstoppable second half performance.

We break down the gold medal match, look at a lovely moment between the coaches, celebrate Hungary's bronze and dive into our alternative awards.

The big three are back in the semi-finals, no surprises there, but their special guest is Hungary this time. 

We preview the two semi-finals and hear from Grace Zaadi, who speaks about returning to the front line of France's attack, post-Olympics motivation and taking on their classic foes Norway and Denmark this weekend.

From third choice at the Olympics to outstanding goalkeeper at a home EURO, it's been a breakout tournament so far for Zsofi Szemerey. She speaks to us about Hungary's perfect start to the tournament, her move abroad in the summer, and the road to a potential medal.

And we look ahead to the main round and try to figure out who the genuine semi-final contenders are.

We're two rounds in to the championship and there has been little for the naysayers to complain about so far. Good atmospheres, results for the home nations and the newcomers in the expanded 24-team competition proving they belong.

We delve into what has stood out to us so far and speak to Montenegro's Djurdjina Jaukovic, who has returned from an 11-month injury absence in style and has led her team to a perfect start in the tournament's toughest group.

This is a teaser for the full episode, which is one of our Patreon-exclusive shows during the Women's EHF EURO. Catch the full episode and more bonus pods on patreon.com/handballhour

In our second preview pod, we look at some of the major contenders for the title, together with EHF journalist Courtney Gahan and commentator Alex Mair, while Fulya Öktem joins us to chat about debutants Türkiye.

We also look at the player you should all be picking in the Holdet Fantasy league and throw some predictions your way!

It's the eve of the largest Women's EHF EURO to date and we have a large preview to go with it!

In the first of our bumper previews with five expert guests, we turn the light on the home nations with some help from EHF journalist Danijela Vekic and former Austrian international-turned-TV expert Inés Rein.

The second preview will be out on Thursday for all to enjoy, or already on Wednesday if you're with us on patreon.com/handballhour

With the Women's EHF Champions League going into its winter break, we reflect on one of the season's major stories, the demise and sudden reprieval of Vipers Kristiansand.

TV2 Norway's Anja Borg breaks down the story of the 3-time champions' financial peril and looks ahead to a period of transition for Norway's national teams.

We also check in on the Bundesliga, where Flensburg piled on to Kiel's misery with a derby win and Melsungen keep on trucking at the top.

TV2's Lars Bruun-Mortensen joins us to discuss the surprise sacking of Maik Machulla as Aalborg coach.

Last season's Champions League finalists have developed a unique culture over the years, which seemingly did not fit with Machulla's practices and vision. Was it the right call to pull the plug after just four months and what next for the Danish side?

Aron Palmarsson's transfer to Veszprem last week caught us all by surprise. Filling in for the injured Yehia Elderaa, how will the Icelandic superstar fit in with a club he left under acrimonious circumstances seven years ago? Teddi 'Ponza' Palmason joins us to speak about the move, what we can expect and making his senior handball debut with him many moons ago.

And we catch up on the Women's Champions League, which is heating up nicely as we head into the international break. Adrian Costeiu takes us through some of the headlines from the opening six rounds.

The German Bundesliga is off to an intriguing start, proving once again to be a league full of dark horses. Björn Pazen joins us to sort through the top teams' start to the season and the surprise early retirement of Paul Drux.

We also discuss Peter Schmeichel's lasting love of handball, as he spoke about it on the Overlap this week.  He admires the art of goalkeeping and how it influenced his technique in football.

In classic Handball Hour fashion, we like to get a look at the teams in action before sharing some insights, but only a little look, to ensure we get carried away far too early.

It's the Men's EHF Champions League launch party as we celebrate the start of the new European season, reacting to the opening two rounds and the new EHFTV.

And we're on the search for your very own VELUX Men - who are your cult hero handball players who played in the Champions League in the 2010s?

Rasmus Boysen joins us to reel through the summer's major men's transfers, unveiling which of the big moves he reckons is the best of 2024.

Here it is, the long-awaited final round-up from Paris. Alex's recording took a while to reach civilisation as he recorded on a post-Olympics detox in the wilderness, which was followed by Chris' post-Olympics detox at Edinburgh Fringe. Sorry for the delay and thanks for joining us for a brilliant 3 weeks.

Normal service resumes shortly with the new season right around the corner!

The quarter-finals of the Olympic handball tournament left us with so much to unpack with drama in so many of the men's games. Ola Selby joins us for a chat about the remarkable victories for Spain, Germany and Denmark, heartbreak for their opponents and a preview of both competitions' semi-finals.

Join us on patreon.com/handball for bonus content from this episode and throughout Paris 2024.

We're off to Lille for the business end of the Olympic handball tournament and we're set for a thrilling and exhausting day on Wednesday for the quarter-finals.

We talk power rankings, break down the four contests and make some shaky predictions. For bonus content in this episode and throughout Paris 2024 and beyond, join us on patreon.com/handballhour

We have our elite eight in the women's Olympic handball competition and while there weren't too many surprises, the line-up is an exciting one. We delve into the four games coming up on Tuesday and see where they might be won and lost.

Join us on patreon.com/handballhour for bonus content from this episode and throughout Paris 2024.

Following Gabriela Moreschi’s outstanding performance in last week’s victory over Spain, the Brazilian public fell in love and her Instagram following skyrocketed to 320,000.

Chris met the keeper for a wide-ranging chat about her Olympic experience, what it means for the sport at home and her own long-winding road to her recent breakthroughs at the top level.

To enjoy bonus content from this episode and throughout Paris 2024, join us on patreon.com/handballhour

Two rounds of the Olympic handball tournament are behind us and we take a look at some of the teams and performances that have stood out so far at Paris. The donks are back, Denmark are scary and have France got their balance wrong?

Plus we hear from Lucie-Marie Kretchmar and Drew Donlin at the beach handball showcase about their future Olympic aspirations.

What a start to the women's tournament at Paris 2024 and the Olympics hasn't even started for real yet! We look back at a trio of upset victories for Korea, Brazil and Sweden and bring you a trio of great interviews with Sweden's miss versatile Carin Strömberg, Lucas Pellas on putting this season's heartbreak behind him and Antonio Carlos Ortega on going from winning the Champions League to leading underdogs Japan into battle.

This is a teaser for the full episode which is available on patreon.com/handballhour, where you'll find the hidden interviews and all our bonus content.

Over the course of the Olympics, we'll have a mix of public spisodes as well as bonus pods for those supporting the show.

It's the eve of the 2024 Olympic Games and here comes our handball tournament preview, suitable for our long-time listeners and those joining for Olympic rollercoaster. We take a look at each of the 12 competing teams in the men's competition and a broader look at the women's event as it already begins today.

Our next show will be a bonus episode for our Patreon subscribers, so join us on patreon.com/handballhour to enjoy all the benefits of our coverage from the very start of the games.

With 40-year-old Nikola Karabatic about to make his last stand as a handball player, leading France at a home Olympics in search of a fourth gold medal, we pay tribute to his career with the help of L'Equipe journalist Yann Hildwein.

From medals to match-fixing and his greatest moments, we fly through his career spanning over two decades, discussing what made him so special and what lies ahead for him and France over the next two weeks.

This marks the start of our Paris 2024 coverage, which we will bring to you from the heart of the action. Join us on patreon.com/handballhour to enjoy bonus episodes, our community discord and fantasy handball competition.

The Morning Club - 18 June: Åhus beach chats with Australian Olympian Daryl McCormack and Dr. Beach handball Marcio Menino

Chris continues his summer of handball events with Åhus beach, probably the largest beach handball festival in the world, but with a twist, which he discusses with Marcio Menino on their way to the courts.

Among the coaches of the 1300 participating teams was Daryl McCormack, Australian handball hero and Sydney 2000 Olympian, who speaks about his handball journey, how it led to settling in southern Sweden and hopes for his nation's next tilt at the Olympics in 2032.

This episode of the Morning Club is free for all, to give you a taste of what's to come when we shift our focus to Paris next week, where we'll be on site to cover the Olympic tournaments. Catch all bonus content by supporting us on patreon.com/handballhour

We're not short on entertainment during these summer months with some massive transfer news and the world's best sides shaping up for Paris 2024.

We chat about our favourite stories from the past week and speak to an array of people at the Partille World Cup, including Olympic gold medallist and Champions League winner Jesper Nøddesbo.

Mikken Hansen came so close to closing this chapter of handball history with a fairytale ending but the crossbar said no and it was glory once more for a brilliant Barca, led by two men operating on a different plane in Emil Nielsen and Dika Mem. We look back at the FINAL4 weekend and how it played out for the contenders in Cologne.

It's the biggest weekend in men's handball and we're celebrating it in style with our FINAL4 preview. Rasmus Boysen joins us to break down the semi-finals and make some predictions.

We speak to Stefan Madsen ahead of his final games as Aalborg coach, looking back at his time with the club, how they navigated the season and taking on Magdeburg on Saturday.

Full steam ahead to the Women's EHF FINAL4 in Budapest! We speak to Danijela Vekic and Björn Pazen about the route to gold for the contenders and break down our predictions.

With so much going on right now, we also dabble in a little penalty drama in Poland, Nordic finals and Chris cracks the code of the World Championship seedings.

In the first of two shows this week, we speak to Björn Pazen about it being better late than never for Flensburg as their late-season form results in a European League title.

Did it all go wrong for Berlin? And if so, where? And while there was drama in Hamburg, Magdeburg were busy wrapping up the Bundesliga title.

Women's EHF FINAL4 preview comes your way tomorrow with an early release for subscribers on patreon.com/handballhour

This season's quarter-final's of the Men's EHF Champions League provided all the drama we could possibly handle. We look back at the four ties, diving into how each game unfolded and where that leaves Europe's elite clubs.

The big matches keep on coming and we're here to accompany you with a look at this weekend's Women's EHF Champions League Quarter-finals and a look back at an entertaining European League night on Tuesday.

Ana Gros joins us to speak about one of her greatest playing achievements - reaching the Olympics with Slovenia. She also looks back on a difficult season so far and trying to put it to one side as Györ face Vipers in a battle of the champions.

It's a big week of Champions League handball and we have two Quarter-final podcasts coming your way. In this men's preview show, we look ahead to each of the midweek matches and speak to Montpellier goalkeeper Rémi Desbonnet about his hometown club, making an impact for France and his forays out of goal both on the court and the sand.

German journalist, commentator and Kreis Ab podcast host Sascha Staat joins us to chat about last week's REWE Final4, convincingly won by Magdeburg, the business end of the Bundesliga season and Germany's three remaining clubs in the men's and women's Champions League.

The Morning Club is a weekly show available exclusively for our fans on patreon.com/handballhour. Join the gang and get access to all episodes now.

EHF commentator Alex Mair joins us to chat about the recently concluded Women's EHF EURO 2024 Qualifiers and upcoming Olympic Qualification Tournaments. We also chat about two shocking news stories from the past 48 hours - Nikola Portner's positive doping test and Great Britain's wildcard to the Paris 2024 qualifiers.

Mikkel Hansen announced his retirement after this summer's Olympics, bringing an end to an incredible international career but a club career that never reached the very top. 

We take a look at the great Dane's achievements and impact on the sport, as well as chatting about Wednesday's Champions League ties and Sävehof's latest scalp in the European League.

Journalist Danijela Vekic joins us to look at the Women's Champions League Play-offs on the back of a couple of surprise results and couple of the ties still on the line.

Alex showed his athletic career is still on the rise as he delivers under pressure in front of a crowd of almost 20,000 - we delve into his 32 seconds of fame.

There are six spots for Paris 2024 up for grabs and this weekend and 12 men's teams will be battling for them. We look forward to the three groups and try to figure out who will emerge with those golden tickets, plus we break down Sunday's top-of-the-table clash in the Bundesliga.

This is a special Morning Club show available to all for free. The regular weekly Morning Club can be accessed by supporting us on patreon.com/handballhour

Anna Vyakhireva joins us to speak about the best decision ever to move to Vipers, balancing life on and off the court and her hopes for this season and beyond.

We also discuss the Men's European League action as the main round comes to an end, Sporting are on fire while Nexe get fiery with some young Swedish fans.

We speak to Magdeburg match-winner Gisli Kristjansson and coach Bennet Wiegert following their big comeback win against Barca in a crucial Champions League encounter, discussing the brilliant atmoshphere, their second half performance and the importance of a top two finish in their group.

Zagreb are back in business, beating big names in front of packed crowds, and we're here for it, while Kolstad's debut season ends prematurely. We discuss both as well as some interesting coaching news plus Dylan Nahi's new-found love for the line.

Skjern's Alfred Jönsson speaks to us about his rollercoaster of a career, what makes his club special and what's next for a man who turns just 26 tomorrow. 

Alfred also discusses his international future as he was born in the USA and a unique opportunity is on the table with the Los Angeles Olympics just four years away.

Chris and Alex also look back at the past week's action in the Champions League, Bundesliga and GOG's revival at the Danish Cup Final4.

We break down France's extra-time win over Denmark, hear post-match reaction from Mikkel Hansen and Nedim Remili and announce the winners of our traditional Alternative Awards.

It's crunch time in Cologne as just four teams remain in the hunt for the European title. Sweden and France renew their semi-final rivalry, while Germany will try to hang on for dear life against Denmark.

We discuss an anti-climactic main round conclusion and preview Friday's semi-final pairings.

We're just a couple of days into the main round and the drama continues with some late and contentious calls in key matches. 

Germany claim a crucial win, while Brian loses patience with monotonous clapping. We reflect on the end of the Scandi derby, hearing post-match reactions from Hampus Wanne and Emil Nielsen.

A wild preliminary round has come to a close and we take a look back at the main storylines from the first week in Germany and see where the 12 remaining teams stand as we dive straight into the main round.

We also hear post-match reactions from Iceland's Aron Pálmarsson, Hungary's Adrián Sipos, Portugal's Martim Costa and Denmark's Mathias Gidsel.

This pod is available in full for subscribers on patreon.com/handballhour

The first half of the preliminary round has seen some brilliant stories emerge, but none better than Faroe Islands and their late comeback to beat Norway 26:26.

We also speak to Vuko Borozan about his winding handball road, which has led him back to playing for Montenegro after almost seven years away.

This is a teaser for the Patreon-exclusive podcast, available for all our members on patreon.com/handballhour

German fans were worried that Switzerland might ruin the party by beating them, when actually they ruined the party by being absolutely terrible.

There was no shocking start to the Men's EHF EURO 2024 as Switzerland failed to show up and were shut down by the brilliant Andreas Wolff, providing a performance worthy of a world record-breaking crowd in Düsseldorf.

Chris and Alex react to the match and get some impressions from courtside from our man on the ground, Brian.

Ready for more EHF EURO hype building? Enjoy part 2 of our championship preview with another array of brilliant guests.

2:10 mins - Group D with Daniel Høglund and Helgi Hoydal 23:30 mins - Group E with Ola Selby and Stijn Steenhuis 36:50 mins - Group F with Marcio Menino and Rasmus Boysen

Join us as a member on patreon.com/handballhour for early access to episodes and bonus content throughout the championship

Enjoy our first EHF EURO 2024 preview podcast, where we've spoken to a bunch of guest experts to get their takes on the championship's big names and make their predictions. We have Groups A-C in focus here:

5:35 mins - Group A with Björn Pazen and Kevin Domas

34:25 mins - Group B with Nedzad Smajlagic

57:15 mins - Group C with Zika Bogdanovic and Teddi "Ponza" Palmason

Become a member on patreon.com/handballhour to enjoy bonus content and coverage throughout the championship.

We take a break from our preview podcast recordings to look forward to our coverage of the EHF EURO in Germany and share some of the good stuff coming your way in the next three weeks.

There's a taste of what's to come from our experts in the two upcoming preview pods, Brian looks forward to a fitness test in the world record game and we consider which major team could see their campaign crash to an early end.

Join us on patreon.com/handballhour to get early access to our previews plus more bonus content throughout the championship.

France claimed gold as 20-year-old Lena Grandveau took control and denied Norway another famous comeback. We dive into the final day of action and give out our traditional end-of-tournament alternative awards.

We're on to the main event, the final weekend in Herning and we have you covered not only with semi-final previews but a look ahead to all of the potential final pairings on Sunday.

We also speak to Anna Lagerquist about Sweden's incredible quarter-final victory, making a major breakthrough and an explosive battle on the line against France. Brian also makes a promise that could cost him for years to come.

As Montenegro ready themselves for a dramatic final night of the main round, we catch up with superstar player-turned coach Bojana Popovic to speak about the challenges of rejuvenating the squad, her approach as a coach and her brief comeback on the biggest stage of all at Rio 2016.

Plus, we bathe in the joy of fulfilled predictions and discussed what we've learned from Sunday's group finales.

Cameroon made history at the 2023 Women’s World Championship this week, reaching the main round for the first time, thanks to a 26:23 victory over Paraguay on Monday. However, they have achieved this success with a 14-woman squad, an unusual sight at this level in this day and age. The depleted squad is not due to a lack of handball athletes in Cameroon but rather players disappearing from the squad.

Cameroonian sports journalist Leocadia Bongben spoke to us about the conditions for these players, why some of them make this life-changing decision and what could be done to help them.

The Morning Club is a weekly short podcast we release for our Patreon subscribers. If you'd like to catch all episodes and more bonus content from the championship, join us on patreon.com/handballhour

In a bonus pod for Patreon fans, we move on to the main round today and it finally feels like the World Championship is about to kick into gear!

As well as running through the four groups, we catch up with Croatian star Ćamila Mičijević as she takes us through a turbulent start to the tournament, how her team has developed and the challenges of reaching the top again after a severe injury.

You get the first part here as a taster, but you can enjoy the full show and lots more bonus content on patreon.com/handballhour

We caught up with Senegal's Fanta Keita and Coura Camara the morning after their enthralling 22:22 draw with Croatia, talking about dealing with adversity, what this means for all of Senegal and their hopes for African handball as a whole.

Some of the World Championship's underdogs have really impressed in the opening round, we dive into their performances and Denmark's nervy start to the campaign.

For more World Championship content throughout the month, join us on patreon.com/handballhour.

Our second preview podcast for the 2023 Women's World Championship, held across Scandinavia. We cast an eye over Groups A to D and speak to TV2 Norge's Anja Borg about the opening night in Stavanger and the big topics surrounding the reigning champions.

It's time for the 2023 Women's World Championship, held across Scandinavia, and we're bringing you two preview podcasts. First up, we look at Groups E to H and speak to Playmaker WH's Laura Agena about the South American participants and their chances of making a splash.

We give all 16 teams in the Men's Champions League their mid-term report, grading each from A+ down to F and explaining why.

Support the podcast on Patreon.com/handballhour and tell us your own mid-term grades for the teams, plus enjoy all the benefits of being a member at the best time of the year with the Women's World Championship and Men's EURO on the way!

A bonus podcast for true handball nerds as we delve into the exploits of Australian, US and British sides in action. The first section of the episode is available to all here and you can listen to the full show on patreon.com/handballhour

We speak to University of Queensland goalkeeper and Patreon subscriber Dan Reid as prepares for his IHF Super Globe debut next week and looks ahead to facing Champions League winners Magdeburg.

We also check in on the USA's Panamerican Games campaign in Chile and Great Britain face Finland in World Championship Qualification - their first home game in 10 years.

While they're cruising in Europe, domestic action has been a nightmare for THW Kiel. We try to break it down and hear from Magnus Landin and Samir Bellahcene following their win over Kielce last week.

Portugal's Patricia Lima and Netherlands' Lois Abbingh speak to us after their entertaining EHF EURO 2024 Qualifier and we look at a scenario where damage limitation could book a ticket to the expanded women's championship.

Plus, handball hipsters' favourite competition, the European League, begins with a whopping 32-team group phase and the return of some old faces.

We're making the first of our two Morning Club episodes this week available for everyone to enjoy! You can access bonus Morning Club podcasts every week if you join us on patreon.com/handballhour.

Chris speaks to Kim Ekdahl du Rietz, who has just experienced his first championship as a coach as he led Hong Kong's men's team to the Asian Games, facing Qatar and South Korea in an incredibly tough group.

The former Sweden, PSG and Rhein-Neckar Löwen left back speaks about living his happiest life in Hong Kong, how he got involved with the team and how their enthusiasm and dedication keeps them all battling against the odds.

Eurohandball reporter Danijela Vekic joins us to talk all things Women's EHF Champions League as we break down the first two rounds of the competition, jump into the main storylines and predict how things will unfold in this wide-open competition.

If you haven't already, the busy start to the season is the perfect time to join us on patreon.com/handballhour and access extra content on the regular.

With the EHF Champions League about to throw off, we question the big contenders' credentials, interesting signings, highlight matches and make some very contrasting predictions.

With the EHF Champions League about to throw off, we look at the big questions, weird and wonderful signings, highlight matches and make our predictions

What a duo to have on for a Bundesliga preview! Björn Pazen and Sascha Staat give us their insights on each of the teams in Germany's top flight, from yo-yo teams to title contenders and, of course, whether it will be another season of midtable obscurity for Melsungen.

Nicolej Krickau joins us to discuss taking over at SG Flensburg-Handewitt and its new challenges, overseeing the GOG resurgence and setting the record straight on the GOG five-step.

Lars Bruun-Mortensen from TV2 in Denmark speaks to us about his experiences investigating and filming ‘Mistænkeligt spil’, a two-part documentary focused on match-fixing in handball.

With money the big topic across the handball world recently, we check in on Kolstad's financial struggle, Andre Gomes following the footballers to Saudi Arabia and how all this news has given us a fresh insight into player salaries.

Kolstad cutting wages as their big names arrive in town, is the honeymoon over before it even began, or is it just a bump in the road?

Brian is still going strong in Romania, where the race for the medals heats up at the Women's 19 EHF EURO.

Want access to all the morning club episodes on a weekly basis? Support the podcast on https://www.patreon.com/handballhour

Alex and Chris went to Holland, Michigan in the USA to take part in the American Handball Championship a few weeks ago, playing and hosting a live podcast on the first night of the event with the players as our audience. It was a great way to connect with the community there and here is a recording of the live show.

We spoke to tournament organiser Joey Williams, JD Orr shared some of his best and worst moments with Team USA, then we heard alternative award nominations from fellow players Jacob Smith (Toronto), Michelle Nizza (RIP Beach Handball), Geran Christiansen (Canada Beach Handball), Kurt Shaffer (Columbus Armada) and Richard Hesketh (Detroit).

SC Magdeburg emerged victorious from an unforgettable EHF FINAL4 weekend in Cologne, winning their first CL title in 21 years. We react to it all in three parts.

3:55 mins - Chris and Alex speak to Andrea Lekic, Bengt Kunkel and Andrian Costeiu 33:10 mins - Alex speaks to Andreas Wolff, Matthias Musche, Michael Damgaard, Kay Smits, Nikola Portner and MVP Gisli Kristjansson 51:20 mins - final words with Brian, Alex and Chris

We look forward to the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 with our live Twitch show in Cologne, delving into the stories, strengths and Achilles' heel of each contender, while Chris speaks to Magdeburg's Christian O'Sullivan and PSG's Luc Steins at Friday's media call.

Vipers Kristiansand do it again! We were on-site in Budapest and had a chance to reflect on a record-breaking EHF FINAL4 Women with Gabriella Horvath, Anja Althaus, Ditte Vind, Martin Vilstrup and Lucie Marie Kretschmar.

Episode 204 - Big Women's EHF FINAL4 preview, live from Budapest with Esbjerg's Dinah Eckerle

A mixture of praise and disappointment in the wake of the Champions League quarter-finals, Alex delves into optionality and we bring you the final part of our live show, where we discussed handball's future as a global sport.

In the morning club, we have 15 minutes to tackle one hot topic in the handball world. This is usually only found on our Patreon account, but we're giving everyone a taste this time. If you want more, support the podcast on https://www.patreon.com/handballhour.

This week, Brian and Chris check in at the halfway mark of the Men's EHF Champions League Quarter-finals.

Now for the main event from our live show, celebrating 200 episodes of the podcast, debating the all-time all-star team in men's handball!

Everyone gets a taste for this episode but the real juicy stuff and the full team is reserved for our supporters on Patreon this time. Join them and get the full show on https://www.patreon.com/handballhour

We celebrated passing 200 episodes with a live show on Sunday, with Yahia Omar, Courtney Gahan and Rasmus Boysen as our special guests.

Here's the first part of the show with a look back at the Women's Champions League quarter-finals and ahead to the men's!

What a fitting way to mark our 200th episode. Brian and Chris head to Faroe Islands for their crucial EHF EURO 2024 qualifier against Ukraine and take the chance to delve into what makes handball here so special, interviewing Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu, Nicholas Satchwell, Ári Rouch, Peter Bredsdorff-Larsen and Hákun West Av Teigum.

Plock coach and one of our very first guests Xavi Sabate returns to the pod to speak about his side's wild ride to the Champions League Quarter-finals.

We reflect on the brilliant German Cup final and Granollers' seismic victory in the European League, led by a brilliant Nigerian talent.

We also have news about our live show on Zoom - due to scheduling issues, we're changing it to Sunday 7 May at 20:00 CEST. 

We have confirmed Yahia Omar and Eduarda Amorim so far, so make sure you sign up nice and early with the link on https://www.patreon.com/handballhour

An Easter weekend treat as Alex and Chris discuss the Champions League play-offs, which quarter-finals look hot, Stoilov taking on unruly fans in Skopje and Alex's move to Boston.

And we have some exciting news! To celebrate our 200th episode, we'll be recording it live online with our listeners, on Sunday 23 April at 20:00 CEST. The live audience will be Patreon listeners only, so join us now on patreon.com/handballhour.

The business end of the handball season is in full flow and we're here for it with our latest Patron-only podcast.

Featuring a dramatic reading of Szeged fans' open letter, impressive wins for Rapid Bucuresti in the women's CL and Aalborg in the men's, plus a quick look at the Bundesliga's latest twist in the title race.

You get a taste of it here, enjoy the full episode on patreon.com/handballhour

As we enter the business end of the Men's EHF Champions League season, we go head-to-head in deciding the most impressive players so far this season and discuss who is on course to be this season's MVP.

We speak to CSM Bucuresti coach Adrian Vasile about his interesting journey with the club as he was a constant in a volatile few years of coaching changes. Since taking on the head coach job, he has made it his own and is on course to lead the club to one of their best seasons since their surprise Champions League triumph in 2016.

Our first domestic league special of the spring takes us to the LIQUI MOLY Handball Bundesliga, in the middle of one of its most exciting and open seasons ever.

Sascha Staat from German handball podcast Kreis Ab joins us to discuss the big four's current form and who has impressed and disappointed in the midfield.

These episodes are available in full to Patreon subscribers, so join us now on https://www.patreon.com/handballhour

We get up to speed with the final group phase rounds in both the men's and women's EHF Champions League, Alex gush's over another gold for GOG, Borussia Dortmund break attendance records and there is international success for Irish club teams.

We get up to speed with the final group phase rounds in both the men's and women's EHF Champions League, Alex gush's over another gold for GOG, Borussia Dortmund break attendance records and there is international success for Irish club teams.

Kielce's latest financial troubles have been in the spotlight with talks of players on their way out the door and fears for the future of the club. Polish journalist Maciek Wojs gives us some context and insight into what lies behind it and how bad it could be.

Just days after the World Championship, we were hit with a flurry of big matches and one terrible injury for a gold medallist in the highlight clash, we discuss this and the big transfer news doing the rounds.

Denmark won their third consecutive world title on Sunday evening, inspired by an almost forgotten man who was flung into their attack in the second half. We look back at the final day's drama and hand out our traditional alternative awards.

France spoil the party in Stockholm with a formidable performance, while Denmark survive a classic Spain comeback and win an epic goalkeeper battle. We look back at Friday night's semi-finals and ahead to a clash between the two very best teams in the world in the final.

As this is a bonus episode, you can get a taste of it here but the full show is available for all our members on https://www.patreon.com/handballhour

We promised a bonus episode once Spain knock Norway out in the quarter-finals... and here it is. A look back at Wednesday's drama and ahead to a recurring semi-final quartet, while Chris catches rising Sweden star Eric Johansson.

This is a taste of the episode, which is available in full on https://www.patreon.com/handballhour

Who is ready for the quarter-finals?

We look back at the group finals and how Wednesday's pairings match up. Chris proposes a new World Championship format and Alex brings back his beloved stats game.

Support us and gain access to bonus episodes and more on https://www.patreon.com/handballhour

With 6 of the quarter-final places set in stone, we look back at two of the weekend's biggest matches with the help of Merle Schaack from Kieler Nachrichten.

Hungary have surprised us all as they sit on the verge of the knockout rounds and this was the perfect time to speak to a man close to our hearts on the podcast, Adrian Sipos, who discusses his opinion-dividing defensive style, his long road to the national team and a surprise critic every time he gets a red card.

After all of Thursday evening's fun at the World Championship, we've decided to bring out our next members' bonus episode a day early! We look at the dramatic draw between Denmark and Croatia, Norway's second-half surge and whether Paul Skorupa really bit a Bahrain bicep.

This is just a snippet, the full episode is available for all spporters on https://www.patreon.com/handballhour

With the preliminary round over, there's no time to waste as we move on to the main round. We look back on what we've seen and speculate on the days to come with the help of the brilliant Rasmus Boysen, Egypt's Yehia El-Deraa and Brazil's Gustavo Rodrigues.

We react to the opening round of action with a discussion about the games that stood out for us, including the victories for Iceland, Sweden and the USA.

Poland's Tomasz Gębala chats to us about the aspects of playing in a home championship and we catch Drew Donlin right after the USA's historic win.

This is a bonus episode for Patreon members, so the first 20 minutes, including the interview with Tomasz, is available for all but the full episode can be found on https://www.patreon.com/handballhour

The IHF Men's World Championship begins today in Sweden and Poland and here is the first episode made exclusively available for members on Patreon.

You get a taste of the show here but to enjoy the full look at the groups and our medal predictions, head over to https://www.patreon.com/handballhour

Group E - 02:50 mins Groups F to H on Patreon

The IHF Men's World Championship begins this week in Sweden and Poland and we're set to cover the event more than ever before.

We begin with the first of two preview podcasts and with it, news of our Patreon account, which will feature exclusive shows for members throughout the month on https://www.patreon.com/handballhour

Group A - 13:30 mins Group B - 24:00 mins Group C - 44:15 mins Group D - 57:15 mins

We turn our attention to Group B for the mid-term report card in the EHF Champions League, and Oliver Preben Jørgensen joins us to talk about the Danish teams' mixed fortunes.

We dish out some mid-term grades to the teams of Group A in the EHF Champions League Men, where the performances inspired a full range from A to F.

Recording of our final live show from Ljubljana, reacting to the end of the championship which saw Norway win their ninth EURO. We delve into that and Denmark's disappointment with the help of Nedzad Smajlagic and hear from Tatjana Brnovic after Montenegro's stunning bronze medal victory.

Recording of the live show held during Saturday morning's media call on the Home of Handball Twitch channel, where we dished out our alternative awards and spoke to a plethora of brilliant players.

Among our 16 guests were Norway's Stine Oftedal and Silje Solberg, Denmark's Sandra Toft and Emma Friis, Montenegro's Milena Raičević and Itana Grbić and France's Pauletta Foppa and Cléopâtre Darleux.

Denmark and Norway will meet for the second time in five days, this time with a gold medal on the line. We hear from Denmark's Kristina Jørgensen and Mette Tranborg and Norway's Sunniva Andersen, while we share a Handball Haiku or two before previewing the final matches in Ljubljana.

We are on to the semi-finals of the Women's EHF EURO 2022! We take a quick look back at the key games in recent days, hear from each of the semi-finalists and preview Friday's clashes of Denmark vs Montenegro and France vs Norway.

Denmark playmaker Mie Højlund speaks to us about Denmark's evolution in recent years, how well-defined her and every squad member's job in the team is and Wednesday's decisive match against Norway.

Group II continues to throw up surprise twists and Katrine Lunde is handball's version of a cheat code.

Friday night’s antics throw Group II wide open, which caught us all by surprise. Germany’s Alina Grijseels and Emily Bölk reflect on their huge win over Netherlands (5:30 mins).

We speak about the first batch of teams with genuine hopes of semi-final spot and discuss what they need to do to reach the final weekend and maybe even claim gold.

Grace Zaadi speaks about France's unusually perfect start to the championship, managing player time, the crucial showdown with Montenegro and what France need to improve on to go all the way (27:30 mins).

With the preliminary round over, we speak about the standout moments of recent days, including Spain playing the system, Sandra Toft shutting down Sweden, Jovanka Radicevic's emotional final home game and Switzerland doing too well?

Brian caught up with Estelle Nze Minko and Nikita Van der Vliet after the Group C final in Skopje.

We are deep into the preliminary round now, looking at the teams and players who have stood out so far. We speak to Jenny Carlson (21:30 mins) about Sweden’s ideal start to the championship, including a momentous win over co-hosts Slovenia, and her efforts to raise awareness of IBD - inflammatory bowel disease.

Sweden’s starting playmaker was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at the age of 18 and had an ileostomy constructed in emergency surgery in 2018. Carlson speaks about what changed for her as a handball player with a stoma, how life has gotten better for her on and off the court since then and fighting stigma with her openness on the topic and her Instagram account @athletewithstoma.

Elizabeth Omoregie spoke the morning after Slovenia’s impressive opening day win over Denmark, laying out the methods behind their success, rooted in their intense and clever defending.

The 25-year-old also shares details of her unique journey to the heart of the team. Born in Greece to a Nigerian father and Bulgarian mother, her discovery of handball came through another sport and her tale is an inspiring one.

On top of that, we look back at the opening two days of the championship, speaking about what we liked and did not like, plus a look ahead to the second round of matches.

A recording of our live show on Wednesday night, hearing from some big names across Europe and predicting the results of every preliminary round match at the Women's EHF EURO 2022.

Camilla Herrem - 18:30 minutes Group A predictions - 28:55 Mikaela Mässing - 38:30 Group B predictions - 48:20 Siraba Dembele Pavlovic - 1:05:50 Group C predictions - 1:18:30 Mireya Gonzalez - 1:30:30 Group D predictions - 1:46:00

Join the prediction league here: bit.ly/HOHleague

Henny Reistad, Norway's latest world star and our women's player of 2021, joins us to discuss her evolving role within the national team, what makes her such a complete player and the driving factors of success.

We look back at 2020’s “Queens of Shock” Croatia, how they navigated their way to a remarkable bronze medal and the impact it has had on the team and personally for our guests Katarina Jezic and Ana Debelic.

Sydney Uni coach and our former teammate Eoin Murray joins us from Saudi Arabia as they prepare to take on the IHF Super Globe, while we look back at the week's EURO Qualifiers and Sweden vs Denmark.

In the first of our Women's EHF EURO 2022 specials, Montenegro's Jovanka Radicevic and Djurdjina Jaukovic join us to speak about their team's, memories of the 2012 gold medal and how they will make the most of a home championship in November.

The whole gang is here for a short pod that turns into an hour... We chat about the teams impressing us and not so much, Brian's encounter with Jannick Green's former neighbour, the European League, EURO qualifiers and whether we need more handball content that we can all relate to.

Episode 164 - Women's CL and Wheelchair handball with Adrian Costeiu, early season impressions

With the Champions League season launching, we look at the summer transfers that have impressed us most with fan favourite Rasmus Boysen.

We are back after a wee summer break with stories that caught the eye in recent weeks and some pre-season ramblings before we get into the serious business next week.

Leo Bordonhos from 7 Metros in Portugal speaks to us about the Men's 20 EHF EURO in his homeland, where the hosts are storming towards the medals thanks to the Costa brothers and we discuss other rising stars and trends at the championship.

There is also the African championship, USA come good and wonder if there is a World Games in Alabama but no stream to show it, does it even happen?

Marcio Menino joins Chris to reflect on the Beach handball World Championships, how Germany and Croatia reached gold and other notable stories from Crete.

The Beach Handball World Championship has begun in Greece, so we bring in Dr. beach handball himself, Marcio Menino, to discuss this week's action.

We also dive back to when Chris was in California last month and had a chat with USA trio Ebiye Udo-Udoma, Raj Chattopadhyay and Bryan Cook.

Barça are the champions of Europe once again! Relive the weekend's intensity and drama with our podcast, featuring the live shows we did on Saturday and Sunday in Cologne.

Sunday's show featured the brilliant Nedzad Smajlagic and the whole thing featured some raw emotion, hot takes and the odd insight or two.

EHF FINAL4 preview live from Cologne, starring Dika Mem and Alex Dujshebaev

We ease you into a busy EHF FINAL4 weekend, where you'll hear and see a lot of us, with a look back at Vipers' triumph in Budapest and some of the biggest headlines as the domestic leagues and cups concluded.

Don't forget to join us for live podcasts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, live from LANXESS arena in Cologne on https://twitch.tv/homeofhandball.

We were live on the Home of Handball Twitch channel with our Women's EHF FINAL4 preview show, joined by Nerea Pena for her insight on the four contenders in Budapest this weekend.

Katrine Lunde is aiming for her sixth EHF Champions League title this weekend in Budapest, so there is no better person to hear from as she shared her life story in handball.

We also have some exciting FINAL4 live show news and report on a stunning European League Final in Lisbon.

Alex and Brian react to Tuesday's wild Polish league decider between Kielce and Plock, two teams involved in the upcoming EHF FINAL4 in Cologne and EHF Finals in Lisbon, which we also look ahead to in a quickfire episode!

It's half-time in the quarter-finals of the EHF Champions League Men - will this be a surprisingly straightforward round? We look back at the first European club title handed out this season in Viborg and remember Bengt Johansson with an story from Taip Ramadani.

Yahia Omar has been a leading light in Egypt's recent reemergence to the top table of world handball and has become a star for Veszprém since his move in 2019.

He speaks about his handball upbringing in Egypt, what makes him the player he is and his hopes for the future of the sport at home.

We catch up with last week's European action and consider the discussion about the Champions League's best format, before looking ahead to the business end of the season and Alex dashes off to Las Vegas.

We reveal your final choice for Women's Player of 2021 and discuss the various awards, look back at the first play-off matches in the Champions League and ahead to a jam-packed week of important matches across Europe.

After crowning Mathias Gidsel as the unofficial men's player of 2021 in episode 129, it's time for the women's award and we brought in playmakerwh.com's Laura Agena in to help us figure out who shone brightest last year.

But you get to make the final call by voting on the @handballhour Twitter and Instagram accounts on Wednesday to Friday.

After a post-EURO holiday, we're back with news of Russia and Belarus' suspension by the EHF, big transfers, the miraculous return of the world player of the year awards and even some handball talk.

Our live show on Sunday looked back at the thrilling EHF EURO 2022 final between Sweden and Spain, before moving on to the serious business - our alternative awards!

Discover who claimed prestigious titles such as the Swiss Army Knife, Super Sub and Random Rocket.

You can still watch the live show on https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1281660469

Friday night's drama proves you can never take anything for granted in handball. We reflect on a brilliant semi-final day, hear Valter Chrintz's post-match thoughts and look ahead to the gold medal match.

We wrap up the main round by hearing from Spain's Rodrigo Corrales and Denmark's Rasmus Lauge as well as delving into the dramatic finales in Bratislava and Budapest, before looking ahead to Friday's semi-finals.

Sebastian Barthold's journey to Norway's starting seven has been long and winding but the success he is enjoying now makes it all worthwhile. We hear from the Aalborg left wing and break down the business end of the main round, pondering who will join Denmark in the semi-finals.

Nebojša Simić is the man of the moment at EHF EURO 2022, producing some outstanding performances in goal as Montenegro pulled off huge wins over Slovenia and Croatia.

We speak to him and take a look at the headline games from the main round so far.

In our latest live show, we preview the main round of EHF EURO 2022 with a top-notch pair of guests - Stefan Kretzschmar and Rasmus Boysen.

• Looking back at the drama in Budapest as Hungary bow out early
• Fredericia and Twitter star Rasmus Boysen helps us look at how group I will play out
• Germany and SC Magdeburg legend Stefan Kretzschmar gives us his insight on the German team and the championship as a whole
• The latest predictions make for some interesting listening but who will be right?

With the preliminary round of EHF EURO 2022 heating up, we delve into the second round of matches, which threw up plenty of tension and the odd surprise.

Karl Konan speaks to us about his remarkable journey from Ivory Coast to the centre of France's defence and Alex notices some new trends.

Following a dramatic start to the Men's EHF EURO 2022, we speak to Stijn Steenhuis from Handbal Inside about the Netherlands' shock win over Hungary and hear from Nikola Bilyk, Sebastian Frimmel and Kamil Syprzak in the aftermath of Austria vs Poland.

We finish our EHF EURO 2022 preview with Groups E and F accompanied by two brilliant guests, Nedzad Smajlagic and Ole Erevik! Make sure you've joined our prediction league and entered your scores for today on Bit.ly/predictorEHF.

We continue our bumper preview of EHF EURO 2022 with Groups C and D, where we are joined by Dragan Djukic, Zika Bogdanovic and Conny Wilczynski as guests. Join our prediction league now on Bit.ly/predictorEHF

It's part 1 of the big EHF EURO 2022 preview we did live on Monday on twitch.tv/homeofhandball, running through every group in the championship and predicting every match. Slovenia and Limoges right wing Dragan Gajic and Portuguese journalist Marcio Menino joined us to talk about Groups A and B!

One of the world's very best players, Sander Sagosen, joins us to speak about his standout EHF EURO moments, how Norway's mindset is changing and just how much winning an international championship would mean to him.

In the first of our pre-EHF EURO 2022 podcasts, we take a look at co-hosts Hungary and their hunt for a first medal. Their star line player Bence Banhidi speaks to us about his start in handball and what we can look forward to in January.

As Spain 2021 draws to a close, we discuss Norway's brilliant second half, some cringe moments from the IHF's big dogs and a quick look through some non-World Championship news!

Time to dissect the quarter-finals and look forward to the final weekend of Spain 2021, while we catch up with Allison Pineau, speaking about her role in the French team and how Olympic gold has changed her perception on the final years of her career.

We jump on the mics shortly after Monday night's drama at the Women's World Championship and make some predictions for the quarter-finals.

We also hear from Louise Burgaard and Jesper Jensen about the key to Denmark's success so far at Spain 2021.

With the preliminary round of the Women's World Championship over, we ponder what we can actually take from it, make our quarter-final predictions and hear from Serbia playmaker Kristina Liščević!

We anoint our very own Men's World Handball Player of 2021, look back at some of the most recent big matches in the Champions League and preview the start of the Women's World Championship in Spain!

Björn Pazen and Sascha Staat take us through the German Bundesliga and one of its most interesting seasons so far!

Lise Lotte Henriksen was in Trondheim to see Kolstad's big reveal of Sander Sagosen and co. and gives us some local flavour to handball's next big-money club.

Is there a new power rising in Norway? We discuss Kolstad's hunt for Sagosen, Kielce's transfer spree, our hits and misses of the season so far and Laura Agena (playmakerwh.com) joins us to discuss the early days of the Women's EHF Champions League.

It's time for IHF Super Globe! While the jury may be out on its credibility, our pair of interviews with Sydney Uni's Luke Ireland and CalHeat's Danilo Rojevic will convince you that this is a competition not to be missed next week.

With the new season underway, we're hitting you with a series of podcasts, beginning with a look at the French and Danish men's leagues, thanks to the insight of Kevin Domas and Rasmus Boysen!

With the business end of the handball tournament at Tokyo 2020 flying in, not only do we look back at the quarter and semi-finals, but we preview each possible lineup for the men's final, to prevent this podcast from going out of date in 18 hours - genius!

We've passed the halfway mark in the group stage, so we connect with Björn Pazen over in Tokyo to speak about the handball tournament's headlines and which teams have been catching the eye in the long race towards Olympic gold.

Gather round the table, handball fans new and old, for our preview of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics preview. We give you a basic overview, then go deep into the teams, players and matches to look out for over the next couple of weeks.

Chris reports from sunny Bulgaria as the beach handball EURO begins and waxes lyrical on the best shootout of all time. We also look at the Champions League groups and the Tokyo Olympics.

It's far from the line-up we expected in Cologne but that's what makes these weekends so special. We preview the Men's EHF FINAL4, look back at Vipers' triumph on the women's side and some of the biggest headlines in domestic handball.

One of the biggest names in handball, Nora Mørk, joins us to talk about her up and down first season back in Norway, shaking things up with Vipers at the FINAL4 and facing her Olympic demons this summer.

We also look ahead to the EHF FINAL4 Men and back at the EHF Finals won by Magdeburg.

The Champions League quarter-finals are beautifully poised after the first leg, so we take a look at what happened and what might happen yet in the race to Cologne. 

HBC Nantes and Denmark goalkeeper Emil Nielsen has had quite the career already at the age of 24, he brings us through his rapid breakthroughs as well as a seriously dark period ahead of the EHF Champions League quarter-finals next week.

After the entire sports world united in their hatred for football's Super League, we look back at similar proposals for one in handball. 

We also discuss Aalborg's latest mega-signing, Aron Palmarsson, and answer the questions you sent us.

We dive in for a mid-round update in both Champions Leagues, discuss a bad week for Danish coaches, the business end of the EHF European League and hear Chris' chat with Sandra Toft, one of the world's best goalkeepers, about the moments that shaped her life.

Merle Schaack, a journalist with Kieler Nachrichten, speaks to us about Saturday's derby between Flensburg and Kiel, Alex explains why Jim Gottfridsson is the best, we look back at the Olympic qualifiers and forward to the Champions League.

It’s a wild time of the season with Olympic qualifiers and Champions League play-offs for men and women, we look at them all as well as interviewing Slovenia and Szeged magician Dean Bombac.

Marcio Menino joins us to pay our respects to Alfredo Quintana, the outstanding figure who followed his dreams from Cuba to Porto, where he would go on to lead a bright generation in Portuguese handball before passing away at the age of 32 last week.

We catch up on the biggest news in the handball world, including the breaking story of Mikkel Hansen's return to Denmark as he is set to join Aalborg in 2022.

Julian Rux and Oliver Brosig from Handballytics join us to chat about their pioneering work in bringing data analysis to handball and what it will mean for the future of the sport.

Denmark emerged as world champions again on Sunday, bringing an end to a weird and wonderful Egypt 2021. We look at the final day of action, discuss our all-star team and the much more enjoyable alternative awards!

We're down to the elite eight at the World Championship and we're joined by EHFTV commentator and friend Tom Ó Brannagáin to discuss the standout moments from the tournament so far and preview Wednesday's quarter-finals.

Egypt's top scorer at the World Championship Mohammad Sanad chats to us about the event so far and the range of emotions he feels competing at a home tournament with no fans.

We take a look at the four main round groups, the most exciting matches and who looks likely to reach the quarter-finals.

Egypt 2021 is only a few days old but we've been spoiled for things to talk about. From instant legends to the rise of non-European teams, we speak about our favourite moments so far.

On the eve of Egypt 2021, we take a look at the serious medal contenders and how they're shaping up for the largest World Championship to date. Kevin Domas joins us to discuss what the hell is going on with France at the moment.

In our first 2021 Men's World Championship preview, we look at some of our favourite dark horses and underdogs. USA star player Drew Donlin and team manager JD Orr, who also hosts the US handball pod Shootin' Straight, join us for a great chat as they prepare for their first appearance on the world stage in 20 years.

It's Christmas in Cologne for Europe's top club sides! With the EHF FINAL4 and our delayed 100th episode celebration, there's no better man to have as our guest than our very first guest and everyone's favourite handball nerd, Rasmus Boysen!

Norway are the champions of Europe for the eighth time after fending off a spirited French comeback. We reflect on that game, Croatia's bronze medal and dish out our alternative awards.

It’s our big Women’s EHF EURO 2020 semi-final preview, where we look at Friday’s two clashes by comparing the teams position by position. We speak to EHF Secretary General Martin Hausleitner about the challenges of running this championship and the contention surrounding the red zone and an all-female refereeing panel.

With three of the semi-final places still up for grabs, it's gonna be a wild final day of the main round. We preview the crucial clashes and speak to the coach of contenders Germany, Henk Groener.

With Norway through to the semi-finals, we figure out who will join them and there is another tale from the bubble with the mystery of the Nutella bandit.

We speak to Kristina Jørgensen, on her championship so far and Denmark's approach to the big games, and Jamina Roberts, on Sweden's tough loss to Denmark and her speedy return to action.

Croatia continue to astound us and Norway are unstoppable, but something's gotta give this weekend. Brian details his most awkward encounter in the bubble.

Hungarian duo Gréta Márton and Dorottya Faluvégi discuss the future of their young team, coaching dynamics, outside pressure and their friendship.

Croatian duo Larissa Kalaus and Dora Krsnik chat to us about their amazing start to EHF EURO 2020, which has left all of us eating some humble pie, the atmosphere within the team and the impact on the current state of women's handball at home.

We also wrap up the preliminary round, discuss the big group finals and look ahead to Thursday's main round launch.

We try to get a grip on the Croatian sensation, where it has all gone wrong for the Dutch and Alex makes a bold claim about France vs Denmark.

Our guests Emily Bölk and Sheniia Minevskaja speak about Germany's campaign so far, dealing with the loss to Norway and what makes each other so important to the team.

Russia's Vladlena Bobrovnikova joins us to chat about the opening day victory over Spain, life in the EHF EURO bubble and how her team have adapted in their approach to the unique championship.

We also look back at the first two days of action and tackle the biggest on-court topics.

The Women's EHF EURO 2020 begins today, an event we all need in our lives this December, and we're here every two days with a new podcast covering the action in Denmark. We begin with a preview of the four groups, checking out the top contenders and hearing some predictions from experts across the world.

We take a look at the Women's EHF EURO 2018 through the eyes of the champions France as Estelle Nze Minko and Siraba Dembélé Pavlović revisit their glorious home championship, disappointment a year later and the drive to get back on top in 2020.

Norway have become the gold standard in European women's handball, winning a record seven EHF EURO titles. We speak to stars of the past and present - Stine Oftedal, Kari Grimsbø and Karoline Dyhre Breivang - to get their insights as to what makes Norwegian handball so special.

Andrea Lekic joins us to talk about her international career with Serbia and two back-to-back championships which changed her life.

We bring you part two of our interview with Cristina Neagu and it gets even better here as she details a turning point for Romania as a team and her as a person.

We are joined by arguably the best player in the world, Cristina Neagu, for our first Women's EHF EURO 2020 podcast.

The Romanian superstar takes us through a journey of the championships which changed her life in the first of a two-part interview.

A highly-entertaining clash between Kiel and Veszprém gave us plenty to talk about as the Men's EHF Champions League takes a break, that plus whether anyone can stop Barca?

The Women's EHF Champions League has given us plenty to talk about and Laura Agena joined us to break down the season so far.

We go on a voyage across Europe's leagues with Kevin Domas and Björn Pazen, discuss life without Karabtic for PSG and touch on the new Flensburg documentary

With the pandemic wreaking havoc on all aspects of society, we look at the impact on handball clubs with sports business expert and lecturer Kenneth Cortsen.

We also breakdown the finances at clubs like Kiel, Barca and Vardar and kick things off with chat on the men's EHF Champions League and European League.

The man at the centre of one of the best feel-good stories this season, Bevan Calvert, chats to us about his experience with THW Kiel and making history for Australian handball.

With a couple rounds of the EHF Champions League Men behind us, we reflect on what's happened and make some predictions for the year to come.

Renowned fitness coach Marija Lojanica chats to us about the pitfalls of returning from a long pandemic-induced break and how she has dealt with it at Veszprém.

We also look back at the first weekend of the DELO EHF Champions League, look forward to the first men's action and review the Egypt 2021 draw.

With handball's pre-season well and truly underway, we delve into some of our favourite feel-good stories and the uncertainty that still surrounds us with the pandemic.

With the new season just weeks away, we speculate on how it's going to work, we break down the top summer transfers, look at NRK's brilliant Sander Sagosen article and relive our favourite Olympic moments with Björn Pazen.

With the new season just weeks away, we speculate on how it's going to work, we break down the top summer transfers, look at NRK's brilliant Sander Sagosen article and relive our favourite Olympic moments with Björn Pazen.

The Olympics should have started this week, but we'll keep the flame alive by reliving one of the greatest handball finals in Athens 2004 with Danish gold medallist Trine Nielsen.

We also discuss the recent World Handball Player of the Year awards and the new European Cup formats.

Björn Pazen speaks to us about the brilliant report he has just released, detailing the views of 39 top handball coaches on the much-maligned 7 vs 6 rule. We get into what the coaches said and what should be done about it.

We recently launched our own Ko-Fi page, so if you like what we do, why not support us with a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/handballhour 

We reflect on the new EHF Champions League format and who made the cut. Magda Pluszewska speaks to us about Kielce's money troubles (21:40 min) Laura Agena and Nagore Odriozola from https://www.playmakerwh.com/ talk everything women's handball from Nora Mørk's big move to the EHF EURO 2020 draw (35:50)

On a side note, we just launched our own Ko-Fi page, so if you like what we do, why not support us with a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/handballhour 

25 years on from France's first World Championship title, we look back at the story of 'Les Barjots' - the party-loving gang who took the handball world by storm!

Bruno Martini, France's goalkeeper at the time and now general manager of PSG, and French journalist Kevin Domas speak to us about the rise of French handball and the origin story of one of handball's international superpowers.

On a side note, we just launched our own Ko-Fi page, in case any of you lovely listeners would like to support us with a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/handballhour

Double interview in this episode, beginning with Siófok KC coach Bent Dahl discussing the disappointing end to the Hungarian season and life in lockdown for a coach.

Filip Mishov joins us from Skopje to discuss Vardar's latest reversal of fortune and an emerging Macedonian rival in Eurofarm Pelister.

Despite the coronavirus crisis, there's no shortage of handball chat

• We reflect on what you, the fans, decided how this season's VELUX EHF Champions League would have turned out
• Round-up the comings and goings of the top clubs
• Bring you the best of our chat with Veszprém's Dragan Gajic
• Best of the rest of handball's headlines

Who is up for a Handball Hour Virtual Pub Quiz?

Join us and special guest Dragan Gajic on Wednesday at 21:00 CET for a mix of handball and general knowledge questions as well as a few laughs.

20 questions. You bring a pen & paper, it’s a BYO bar and it’s live-streamed on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1rmxPAQymPdKN Do it on your own, as a household or challenge friends via video and fill in your score after each round here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rIDdozfGdL_zAN624ni5OSfU6mmrJkOy7wdJ3t_c3BQ/edit#gid=0

We discuss the VELUX EHF FINAL4 moving to Christmas, Siofok's sorrow in Hungary and the latest wave of handball hype in the USA.

We're also excited to announce our first Virtual Pub Quiz on Wednesday 22 April at 21:00 CET. Grab a drink, a pen and paper and enjoy it here: https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1rmxPAQymPdKN

ehfTV commentator and friend of the podcast Tom O'Brannagain joined us to watch his very first final as a commentator, Ciudad Real (ESP) vs THW Kiel (GER) in the EHF Champions League Final 2nd Leg in 2009.

You can watch the match with our commentary over it on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn663DbEvTg from 21:00 CET on Thursday.

With handball well and truly in lockdown, we cast our eye over what those in charge have decided to do, turn momentarily to Belarus for our fix of live action and think about what the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics for one year means for some teams' chances.

We go back in time to 2007 and the infamous World Championship semi-final between Germany and France. We're commentating on the entire match, which you can watch along with us on https://youtu.be/Dw4t0v07pfg. 

We start the video (00:00) at 2:24 The second half (38:20) begins at 41:56 Extra-time (1:16:00) begins at 1:19:49

The Coronavirus has brought a halt to all major handball events for the foreseeable future. What now?

We discuss the current situation, whether this season can conclude in a satisfactory way and throw out some ideas on how to end the Champions League season and entertain ourselves in the meantime.

Former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler has become an unlikely public enemy number 1 in the handball world after his claim that he could storm to Olympic gold, which drew responses from the likes of Nikola Karabatic, Stefan Kretzschmar and NBA star Luka Doncic.

We ended up in the middle of the discussion on Twitter, so we reflect on a crazy week online and speak to USA handball expert John Ryan.

Spain won their second EHF EURO title in a row with a 22:20 win over Croatia on Sunday. We break the game down, hear from key players Gonzalo Perez de Vargas and Viran Morros and hand out our own very special awards.

We brought handball's top Twitter nerd/Champions League player Rasmus Boysen into the studio to react to an unforgettable semi-final night in Stockholm, which saw Croatia and Spain book their spot in the EHF EURO 2020 Final.

On the eve of the EHF EURO 2020 semi-finals, we have a bumper episode.

Chris and Alex go at it in a head-to-head debate about which teams will progress to the final.

We sat down to have a chat with Hanna Fogelström, ex-Swedish national team player turned TV handball pundit to talk all things Sweden and much more.

To wrap up, Croatian EHF EURO 2020 refereeing duo Matija Gubica and Boris Milosevic answered the listeners' questions, tackled some of the tricky situations they face on and off the court, and discuss the life of a referee at such major events.

EHF EURO journalists Courtney Gahan and Adrian Costeiu join the crew, and a live audience of 1, to look forward to the final day of main round matches.

We caught up with Norway keeper Torbjorn Bergerud and Alex unleashes his shooting percentage quiz.

Icelandic handball hero Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson sat down with us to talk about having 300,000 national team coaches, teammates younger than his oldest daughter and living with the highs and lows of top-level handball in an honest and open interview.

We also discuss Sander Sagosen’s milestones, which are eclipsed by his hunt for medals and the biggest matches of the past two days at EHF EURO 2020.

Following Portugal's latest big upset, shocking hosts Sweden on Friday night, we got an immediate and emotional reaction from EHF EURO's Dr. Handball Marcio Menino and right wing Antonio Areia.

Slovenia coach Ljubomir Vranjes chats to us about the success he has enjoyed with Slovenia since taking over just a few weeks ago and what it's like to lead his new team at a home championship.

After Hungary's mesmerising second half against Iceland knocked world champs Denmark out at the first hurdle, we spoke to one of their coaches and legendary player Laszlo Nagy about their surprisingly good EHF EURO so far.

Alex Kulesh joins the crew and helps us preview an unexpected and wide-open main round.

Spain's perfect start to EHF EURO 2020 has been helped big time by the performances of superb goalkeeper duo Gonzalo Perez de Vargas and Rodrigo Corrales, who spoke to us together about each other's performances and their handball marriage.

ehf-euro.com journalist Björn Pazen joined us to explain what's happening to Germany as well as looking at some of the championship's other big stories.

Norwegian handball legend, Kristian Kjelling, and TV3/Viasat commentator, Daniel Høglund, joined the podcast to talk all things Norway, the emergence of this new generation and being hosts of an EHF EURO.

Kjelling looked back at his own experience of a home EHF EURO back in 2008 and how Norwegian handball has developed both on and off the court since then. With interesting insight, some old stories and a few laughs thrown in for good measure, this episode is a real treat.

The Men's EHF EURO 2020 party has started and we take a quick look back at Thursday's opening matches, before looking forward Friday's big clash by speaking some of Portugal's stars and French EHF EURO journalist Kevin Domas

Bobby Schagen and Kay Smits chat to us ahead of the Netherlands' EHF EURO debut against Germany on Thursday, we also break down groups A, B & C and get championship predictions from 10 experts from around the world.

In the first podcast of EHF EURO 2020, we speak to Swedish stars Kim Ekdahl Du Rietz and Mikael Appelgren ahead of their bid to win a home championship and we take a look groups D, E and F.

Let's start the new year with a few disagreements. We had a look back at the last 10 years and put together our men's handball team of the decade.

We're delighted to reveal that we'll be official media partners with the EHF at January's EHF EURO 2020, which means we'll be bringing you podcasts every second day during the championship.

We also chat about the conclusion of the Women's World Championship and keep track of how tight it is at the top of the German Bundesliga.

A special guest joins us from Kumamoto to look back at a first week full of drama and surprise results and ahead to the business end of the Women's World Championship 2019!

With the IHF Women's World Championship 2019 beginning on 30 November, we look forward to the event in Japan with France and Györ star Estelle Nze Minko and Romanian journalist Adrian Costeiu.

04:00 - Estelle Nze Minko on France's title defence and her past year 23:50 - Adrian Costeiu joins us to discuss Romania's doping saga 40:00 - Breaking down the four World Championship groups and predictions

We celebrate our 50th episode with a look back at a few of our favourite chats from the past two years, including Kim Ekdahl du Rietz, Veronica and Jeanett Kristiansen, Taip Ramadani, Tom O'Brannagain, Casper Mortensen and Vid Kavticnik.

Thank you to everyone who has listened and been a part of the podcast so far, here's to the next 50!

Line Jørgensen joins us to chat about on Team Esbjerg great start to the DELO Women's EHF Champions League season, her time with CSM Bucuresti, injuries and more in a wide-ranging interview.

Chris and Brian look back at the first set of rounds in both women's and men's Champions League's, plus Chris and Alex's international tournament with Ireland against the USA and Great Britain this weekend.

Australian beach handball hero Scott Nicholson joins us to chat about the very first ANOC World Beach Games in Doha (43:45)

We reflect on worrying times for Veszprem and Ljubomir Vranjes' Kristianstad, plus the happier stories of Aalborg and Porto in the VELUX EHF Champions League (01:15)

With so much handball to talk about, we fly through topics such as the opening Women's CL weekend, the challenge trial in Denmark and sneaky beers in Korea (25:30)

It's all about the major men's leagues this week and we've brought in experts from across Europe to get us up to speed!

• Zika Bogdanovic speaks about the new-look SEHA league and Veselin Vujovic's return as Zagreb coach (12:20 min)
• Kevin Domas gives us the lowdown on the French league, speaking about outside challengers Aix, the biggest games so far and whether anyone can stop PSG (31:40 min)
• Sascha Staat explains Hannover-Burgdorf's perfect start to the Bundesliga, sorts out the plethora of teams huddled up in the top half and whether Kiel look like serious VELUX EHF FINAL4 contenders (51:35 min)

This is the final chance to fill out our listener feedback survey for a chance to win a signed jersey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/L7DMM83

The VELUX EHF Champions League is back and we're celebrating with a preview podcast, featuring our favourite handball nerd turned Champions League player Rasmus Boysen, who chats to us about his move to Elverum and helps us look through the top clubs.

New York City playmaker and club president Bini Mustafa chats to us about fulfilling his dream of leading his side to the IHF Super Globe for the first time.

Courtney Gahan takes us through the summer's underage World Championships and the very first Women's Super Globe.

Please fill out our listener feedback survey for a chance to win a signed jersey - we'll reveal which jersey in the next podcast! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/L7DMM83

Fresh from Denmark's double beach handball EURO gold, star player Martin Vilstrup Andersen chats to us about the rocky road to glory, his love for the sport and beach handball's exciting future.

Against all odds, HC Vardar climbed to the top of the podium at the end of another crazy VELUX EHF FINAL4. We speak about how the pride of Skopje came out on top and what happened to their opponents.

Your hosts certainly talk the talk, but can they walk the walk? Alex and Chris put that to the test as they represent Ireland at the IHF Emerging Nations over the next week, and we preview this exotic international championship.

Tom O'Brannagain, the voice of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 throughout the years takes us down memory lane ahead of its 10th edition and previews a mouthwatering weekend of action at LANXESS arena.

We look back at the VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-finals and the comebacks that never were. All eyes on Budapest for the Women's EHF FINAL4 this weekend, while there's a new competition in New York with a Super Globe spot on the line.

It will be a special weekend for the Kristiansen family in Budapest. We speak to Györ's Veronica and Vipers' Jeanett before they face each other in Saturday's semi-final of the DELO Women's EHF FINAL4.

Barcelona legend Victor Tomas joins us to speak about the VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final against Nantes, the development of Barça's style and the recently launched player welfare campaign, while the guys preview all four quarter-finals and have a chat about Beijing joining the SEHA League.

Fresh from guiding Kosovo to their first EHF EURO Qualification victory, Taip Ramadani speaks to us about handball there and shares a few remarkable Australian handball stories, including playing in the Sydney Olympics.

CSM Bucuresti's Majda Mehmedovic joins us for a chat, while we also cover a busy time in the Champions League and the world's biggest stars joining together to voice their worries about too many matches.

00:00 - #DontPlaythePlayers - big names make speak as one 15:30 - VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 review 35:50 - Majda Mehmedivic joins us to talk CSM Bucuresti, WCL Quarter-finals, moving back to Buducnost and Montenegro 50:20 - Women's EHF Champions League Quarter-final preview 1:01:25 - SEHA League Final4

Everyone's favourite handball nerd and Danish pro player Rasmus Boysen joins us to discuss the flawed World Player of the Year award, the recent big transfer news, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 and his own club Ribe-Esbjerg, who are in the hunt for a place in the Danish league play-offs.

Globetrotting goalkeeper Thomas Bauer joins us to chat about his handball travels, life in Porto, Austria at the WCh and life off-court, Alex gets angry at the Player of the Year vote, plus Larvik, Mork and much more. 00:00 - Alex's Player of the Year rant 12:50 - Champions League and Bundesliga chat 25:30 - Latest from the EHF Cup 32:00 - Interview with Thomas Bauer 58:30 - Nora Mork on the move and Larvik in trouble again

Self-confessed handball nerd, EHF lecturer and Siófok KC (HUN) coach Bent Dahl speaks to us about his brilliant start to life in Hungary and spreading our sport.

We also take a look at the return of the EHF Champions League and Kiel in the EHF Cup.

Having decompressed from the handball marathon of the World Championship, Chris and Alex take a look back at the championship with Denmark's domination and our own all-star team, including special awards!

At the halfway point of the World Championship, we discuss the big winners, the best moments so far and Australian sports scientist & handball player Caleb Gahan joins us to talk about handball's big injury debate.

00:00 - Looking back at the World Championship so far - the biggest winners and losers 39:17 - Caleb Gahan discusses player injury debate and what are the causes 59:44 - Favourite moments of the World Championship so far and final predictions

We look forward to the World Handball Championship in Germany and Denmark (10-27 Jan) with a breakdown of the groups and some predictions!

Chris and Alex welcome Brian back to the podcast after three months in Brazil for the first podcast of 2019, which is a look back at 2018's biggest moments in the handball world. 

We take a look back at the opening EHF EURO 2018 match between France and Russia, make some bold predictions and chat to brilliant players Tess Wester (Netherlands) and Hanna Blomstand (Sweden) about the championship.

Swedish superstar Bella Gulldén speaks to Chris about her return from injury just in time for EHF EURO 2018, her move to France and EURO memories. We also hear from Norway coach Thorir Hergeirsson as he assesses his squad and the other major contenders.

01:15 – Bella Gulldén interview 13:00 – Breaking down the EHF EURO 2018 groups 25:00 - Thorir Hergeirsson interview

Is there any need for a shot clock in handball? We break down why some people call for it and how it could be implemented. We also bring you the second half of our chat with Tom O'Brannagain, discussing what makes the great handball clubs so special.

00:00 - A shot clock in handball? 10:10 - Tom O'Brannagain on the world's great handball clubs 34:40 - Kiel flying, PSG vs Flensburg double-header, Chambery on top in France

We look back at an entertaining week of Men's EHF EURO 2020 qualifiers, talk about the rise of Portugal with Marcio Menino - who we also preview the Beach Handball Champions Cup with.

00:00 - Looking back at EHF EURO Qualification 23:00 - Marcio Menino on Portugal's wins and the future of Portuguese handball 37:00 - Beach Handball Champions Cup chat

ehfTV commentator Tom O'Brannagain joins us to chat about the peculiar start to the new season, discussing 7vs6 attack, passive play and the biggest stories from the last few weeks.

Györ's Brazilian star Eduarda "Duda" Amorim chats to us about last season's final, changes at the club, making history and the decline of Brazil. Chris and Alex go through the madness of recent weeks and preview the Women's EHF Champions League.

01:45 - Vranjes leaves Veszprém 13:00 - Chris' crazy journey 22:45 - Champions League surprises 28:15 - #Kimback and angry Zeitz 34:00 - Eduarda Amorim talks Györ, making history and Brazil 50:30 - Women's EHF Champions League preview

World handball aficionado and top-level Danish player Rasmus Boysen chats to us about the summer's biggest transfers, Europe's major leagues and how the club handball landscape has changed in recent years.

Time to preview the new VELUX EHF Champions League season! Riihimäen Cocks captain Teemu Tamminen chats about the Finnish team's rise from Challenge Cup also-rans to Champions League debutants, Alex Kulesh joins the (Un)informed Handball Hour crew and Brian Campion sends us a postcard from Rio.

We're back from our summer break with a preview of the beach handball World Championship in Russia as we chat with Ebiye Udo-Udoma about the US team, the Dream Team he created and the future of the sport.

Montpellier's Vid Kavticnik speaks to us after becoming a Champions League winner for the second time in 11 years, we look back at handball's May Madness and Magnus Sean Clarke tells us about the first British & Irish League

We caught up with the brilliant VELUX EHF FINAL4 commentator Tom O'Brannagain for a chat about all things Cologne.

Romanian handball journalist Adrian Costeiu chats about CSM Bucuresti and the Women's EHF FINAL4 as a whole as we look forward to arguably the most evenly-contested event to date.

Everyone shares their favourites to come out on top in Budapest and their dream final day storyline.

Romanian handball journalist Adrian Costeiu chats about CSM Bucuresti and the Women's EHF FINAL4 as a whole as we look forward to arguably the most evenly-contested event to date.

Everyone shares their favourites to come out on top in Budapest and their dream final day storyline.

Vincent Gérard shares how he's feeling after reaching the VELUX EHF FINAL4 for the very first time with Montpellier, what goes through a goalkeeper's mind and stepping out of Omeyer's shadow.

We begin the search for a 'Handball Mastermind' among Europe's handball podcasts and Brian previews the biggest clash in Finnish handball.

Skjern's Norwegian line player Bjarte Myrhol chats to us about his side's incredible run to the Champions League Quarter-final, the clash against Nantes and how the town has gone handball-mad.

Danish journalist Peter Bruun gives us his thoughts on what makes Skjern so special and the quarter-finals as a whole, while we also reflect on a Women's EHF FINAL4 draw which has given us story lines galore.

HBC Nantes and THW Kiel fan favourite Dominik Klein speaks to us about helping Nantes to their first Champions League quarter-final in his final season as a pro, we preview the Women's Champions League quarter-finals and Chris gives his hipster pick of the weekend from the North American & Caribbean championship in Mexico!

With one of handball's biggest names confirming a big transfer, PSG winning a trophy and the VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 underway, there is plenty to chat about!

However, Brian is stuck in Cairo, so after he shares his tale of woe, Kevin Domas (HandNews/FRA) and Jimmy Grandin (Handbollskanalen/SWE) are drafted in to save the day and share their expertise.

We're doubling up on guests this time around, with Hannover-Burgdorf's Casper Mortensen telling us about their magnificent season so far and Ana Gros shares her desire to end her time at Metz with a trip to Budapest.

We also sum up the Kim Ekdahl du Rietz story so far with the help of Take That and discuss Tibor Ivanisevic's hypnotic power over Chris.

Just over a year since Kim Ekdahl du Rietz surprised the handball world with his decision to retire at the age of 27, the former Rhein-Neckar Löwen and Sweden left back speaks to us about life after handball, making the most of his freedom and what he misses about the sport.

We delve into the plethora of transfers in women's handball and share our "freaks of the week" 

January's continental championships witnessed a 'Spanish treble' with Spanish coaches leading Qatar to Asian gold, Spain to EURO gold and Tunisia to African gold.

We speak to Tunisia coach Toni Gerona about his success, the future he's shaping for his team and his take on what makes Spanish coaches so great.

We preview EHF EURO 2018 with Croatian journalist Filip Ožbolt, who speaks about the host nation's chances, Domagoj Duvnjak's importance and goes through the rest of the groups with us.

We also share who you think will shine or flop in Croatia, while Brian and Chris have conflicting theories about Norway.

The Czech women pulled off the biggest surprise of the World Championship Last 16 on Monday, beating Romania, and we spoke to Michaela Hrbková, who scored the winner, about that match and the championship as a whole.

We also reflect on some terrible predictions, talk about the event in Germany so far, then make some more potentially terrible predictions!

The IHF Women's World Championship begins on Friday 1 December, so we've devoted a special episode to the event and brought in two guests who will be at the centre of it all in Germany.

00:00 - Women's World Championship - favourite group, who's hot and who's not, the inevitable final 15:00 - Björn Pazen's predictions, favourite stories and facts & figures 30:30 - Germany's rising star Emily Bölk looks forward to a home championship

Serbian international and Sporting CP wing Ivan Nikcevic speaks to us about the latest chapter in his fascinating career, looks back at reaching the EURO final at home and his nation's chances at EHF EURO 2018.

Brian and Chris relive their trip to Skopje, discuss Vardar big man Dainis Kristopans and get Brian's reaction to the newest mythical creature in handball.

Norway international and FC Midtjylland star Veronica Kristiansen is our special guest, speaking about her own season so far, Norway's hunt for gold and her dream handball destination. Chris and Brian discuss how a beach handball player beat PSG and a penalty shootout showdown in St. Petersburg.

1:30 - Looking forward to PSG vs Veszprem 13:00 - Veronica Kristiansen interview 38:00 - Women's EHF Champions League chat 43:00 - Sunday shootout showdown in St. Petersburg

2012 British Olympian Mark Hawkins and teamhandballnews.com creator John Ryan join to discuss what the USA should do to build competitive national teams for their home Olympics in 2028. Women's handball and Aron Palmarsson's transfer are also in the spotlight this week.

2:30 - Surprises galore in the Women's EHF Champions League 13:35 - Aron Palmarsson to Barcelona 17:30 - John Ryan and Mark Hawkins talk British and US Olympic adventures

Brian and Chris discuss what they've learned from the first few weeks of the season, compare women's handball powerhouses Györ and Bucharest and bring you part 2 of the interview with former Veszprém coach Xavi Sabate.

After taking over as Veszprém head coach just one match into the 2015/16 season, Xavi Sabaté embarked on a two-year rollercoaster ride.

He speaks to us about moving from assistant to head coach, the unforgettable loss at the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in 2016 and his move to Germany in part one of a two-part interview, the rest of which will be on the next full (Un)informed Handball Hour on 12 October.

HC Vardar coach David Davis speaks about bringing Champions League glory to Skopje after a year of ups and downs, then takes a look back on his own playing days with Spain's biggest clubs and the national team.

(Un)informed Handball Hour hosts Chris O'Reilly and Brian Campion also reveal their slightly informed VELUX EHF Champions League predictions and share the predictions of those who got in touch with us.

Enjoyed the newest handball podcast in town? Subscribe and we'll have another one to catch every two weeks.

Disclaimer - Brian and Chris are both employed as freelance journalists by the European Handball Federation, but the views expressed in this podcast are our own - just two Irish lads rambling about a sport they love.

Welcome to the (Un)informed Handball Hour. A brand new handball podcast, brought to you by Brian Campion and Chris O'Reilly.

Popular ehfTV commentator Tom O'Brannagain reflects on early commentating days, shares his views on this season and contemplates the future of handball.

3:40 – Tom’s first commentating job 12:45 – Evolution of ‘Match of the Week’ 19:30 – Commentary approach over the years 24:45 – Preparing for Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs FC Barcelona Lassa 28:15 – Kim Ekdahl du Rietz 34:00 – Paris Saint-Germain analysis 40:10 – Vranjes in Veszprém 46:45 – Tom’s personal power ranking 57:45 – Dagur Sigurdsson the man for all jobs? 1:01:30 – Vision for the future of handball

Subscribe if you enjoyed the show and we'll have another one to enjoy every two weeks.

Disclaimer - Brian and Chris are both employed as freelance journalists by the European Handball Federation, but the views expressed in this podcast are our own - just two Irish lads rambling about a sport they love.

Welcome to the (Un)informed Handball Hour. A brand new handball podcast, brought to you by Brian Campion and Chris O'Reilly.

Danish handball player and creator of handballtransfers.com Rasmus Boysen joins us to talk about the biggest summer moves, we chat about the Super Globe, VELUX EHF Champions League contenders and the Aron Palmarsson "saga".

Subscribe if you enjoyed the show and we'll have another one to enjoy every two weeks.

Disclaimer - Brian and Chris are both employed as freelance journalists by the European Handball Federation, but the views expressed in this podcast are our own - just two Irish lads rambling about a sport they love.