After the 2007 World Championships – Poland was runner-up – a Dutch success would be a great surprise to most experts.

In fact, the Polish squad no longer needs an introduction to handball fans. The team of Bogdan Wenta played a fantastic World Championship and only lost in the final against the host country, Germany. Players such as Lijewski, Tkaczyk, Bielecki, Jurecki and the others will arrive in great form – though somewhat tired – to the play-offs. Since the World Championship they have played European Cup finals with their Bundesliga clubs, Flensburg, Hamburg and Magdeburg.

Netherlands played in the qualification round to clinch a play-off place. The Dutch team finished second after Montenegro in Group 4. The best players of coach Pim Rietbroek also play in the Bundesliga.

The only time Lithuania played the European Championship was in 1998, Italy. Two years ago Spain eliminated the Baltic country in the play-offs. This year the Lithuanians played in the qualification round and they finished second in Group 5. Their opponent will be Hungary.

The Hungarians finished 9th in the World Championship, which was bitter disappointment after beating Denmark and Norway in the initial phase of the tournament. A good Euro 2008 campaign would be their last chance to qualify for the Olympic Games in Beijing – the most important objective for the team.

The Ukrainians have great traditions at the European championships. Last time in Switzerland they went into the main round, but they won only one match against the hosts during the entire tournament. This time they will surely go for more victories, but they have to beat Slovakia on the way.

Slovakia qualified for Euro06 before, and coach Zoltán Heister can count on a young squad making visible progress. Heister was satisfied with the draw and his confidence suggests that Slovakia have chance to make it against Ukraine.

The encounter of former Yugoslavian teams will bring a lot of excitement. Slovenia finished second at the 2004 European Championship as organisers. The last two major events they were not so successful (8th and 10th), but with their greatest star Rutenka they will be a very difficult team to beat for Macedonia.

The Fyro Macedonians played their only European Championship in 1998, Italy. Nevertheless, they are in great form at the moment finishing second in qualification Group 2 with equal points to Serbia. A lot will depend on the form of Kiril Lazarov, one of the best right backs in the World at the moment.

Latvia are aiming to debut at the European Championship. They finished second in qualification Group 3 after beating Bulgaria and Georgia twice. Though their performance was convincing, they can’t be calm against the Czech Republic.

The Czechs showed in Germany that they are equal opponents against the best teams of the World. They played great games against Denmark and Croatia, while their left back, Filip Jicha, has become a most wanted player by the greatest clubs.

The Qualification Group 1 was organised in Brest, Belarus, and the hosts triumphed. Their most difficult match was against Slovakia (two-goal victory), but Switzerland will definitely be a tougher opponent if they try to qualify for their first Euro since 1994.

Switzerland organised Euro 2006, but they failed to proceed from the group matches. This time they played the qualification round and they performed very well. The Swiss team won all their matches and went on to play for the Euro. 

1994, 1998, 2000 and 2002: Sweden won gold medal at the European Championship – no other country can boast of such a good record. However, Sweden did not qualify for the last Euro in Switzerland and for the World Championship in Germany. The Swedes are now building a young team with experienced players such as Pelle Linders and Kim Andersson.

Romania played at a Euro event in 1996 for the last time. After winning Qualification Group 3 easily – without losing a single point, scoring more than 200 goals – their attention will turn towards the play-offs.

The national team of Portugal qualified for the play-offs after a huge battle in Qualification Group 6. The better goal difference at the direct encounters proved to be decisive against Greece. As a result, the organisers of the 1st European Championship still have the chance to qualify for their fifth Euro event in a row since 2000.

Montenegro have played the last two Euros as part of Serbia & Montenegro. They come from Qualification Group 4 that they won comfortably with only one lost point. The play-off match will be a very important event for the handball of the country and the Montenegrins promise difficult minutes in front of a full arena for Portugal.

The Serbian team had some difficulties at the initial stage of Qualification Group 2. They lost in Israel and even the play-off was at risk. At the end the Serbian team proved that they are up to the traditions: Serbia won the group scoring 220(!) goals in 6 matches. The big question for the Serbian team is goalkeeping. As the most experienced goalkeepers left the squad, the important is to find their good replacement.

The best players of Icelandic coach Alfred Gislason play in top leagues: the German Bundesliga and the Spanish Asobal. With players such as Sigurdsson and Gudjonsson, Iceland are not easy to beat for anyone. At the World Championship quarterfinal Iceland lost only after extra time against Denmark to finish 8th. They definitely wish to try again in Norway.