January 28, 2020 - The European Handball Championship may be over, but because it is an Olympic year, we won’t have to wait long to see the Croatia handball team in action again.

Namely, two tournaments of paramount importance have already been secured for the Croatia handball team over the next 365 days, and if all goes well, there will be a third.

Gol.hr reports that the Cowboys will now return to their clubs after a few days of rest, then reunite in April ahead of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, which will take place from April 17 to 19 in Paris. The qualifiers will be attended by 12 teams divided into three groups of four, and the first two teams from each group will be issued a visa for the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Croatia will play in perhaps the toughest group, along with France, Portugal, and Tunisia. 

Despite its failure at the Euros, France is still a handball force, Portugal was one of the most pleasant surprises at the recent European Championship, while Tunisia is the African finalist.

If all goes to plan, and Croatia finishes either first or second in their group, then in the middle of the summer, we will follow the Cowboys on their way to a new Olympic medal.

The Tokyo Olympics take place from July 24 to August 9, and the handball tournament will be in the same format: a total of 12 teams will be split into two groups of six each, with the first four from each group winning a spot in the quarterfinal.

Handball at the Tokyo Olympics begins on July 25, and all matches will be played every two days. The quarterfinals are in the program from Tuesday, August 4, the semifinal games on Thursday, August 6, and the bronze-medal match and final on Saturday, August 8.

When the Olympic Games come to an end, the players will return to their clubs to begin a new season  -  though it won't be long before another major challenge. The World Handball Championship will be held in Egypt from January 14 to January 31, 2021.

Since Croatia won second place in the 2020 European Championship, they will not have play qualifications for the World Championship next year.

Otherwise, the 2021 World Championship in Egypt will be the first in an expanded edition and will feature as many as 32 national teams. With the expansion, the International Handball Federation (IHF) wants to popularize handball in a number of countries, and as part of this initiative, teams such as Cape Verde, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uruguay will participate. 

It will be a busy year for the Croatia handball team; be sure to follow TCN for the latest.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

January 27, 2020 - Thousands of handball fans and Croatian citizens gathered at Ban Jelacic Square in Zagreb on Monday to welcome the Croatia handball team after taking the silver medal at the 2020 European Championship.

After a surprise welcome at Zagreb Airport, where 500 fans gathered to greet the team at 1 am, the party continued to the capital’s central square on Monday, where a reception was held for the Croatia handball team to congratulate them on a job well done at the 2020 European Championship.

Just after 12:30 pm, the team was announced on stage, followed by the coach and crucial members of the staff and federation.

Coach Lino Cervar was the first to address the crowd. 

"Dear citizens of Zagreb, I am proud to have led our team with passion and immense love. I am grateful to all the generations and this team that has shown incredible unity. I look forward to seeing many children and many young people here. That's why I say, parents guide your children and help them when it is difficult for them. And I also ask the children for their endless gratitude to their parents so that you can say thank you to them. No one will take away our family, as the family is the cradle of life. And these guys showed how to fight when it's the hardest.

I wanted to say something else.

We have fewer and fewer children in our country. That is why we need communion, every day. To go into the future, universal values must be respected, namely truth, righteousness and love."

Igor Karacic, a member of the All-star team at the Euro, was the next to take the microphone.

“This is beautiful. I think that in these 20 days we delighted our people, and it was wonderful to be a Croat in those moments. It’s a shame that we just missed it, but when we see these people, we are happy and we can move forward. The worse team didn’t lose, but that’s sport. We were all together, as one, and the team breathed like a family,” said Karacic.

"I'm not a talker like Lino, but I’m sorry that we made you guys so nervous. Thank you on behalf of the whole team. We hope this is not the last reception,” the MVP of the European Championship and Croatia captain Domagoj Duvnjak concluded.

You can watch the reception in its entirety below.

Source: HRT

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

The Croatia handball team ended their Euro 2020 qualifiers on Sunday against Belgium in Poreč, though the game meant little as Croatia already secured first place in their group. Thus, coach Lino Červar was able to give the young players in his squad a chance, reports Gol.hr on June 16, 2019. 

“The young players who play less have shown strong will, vigor and determination. Of course, I am happy, and I have to congratulate them, they have done their best so that we have endured this difficult cycle,” said the Croatia handball team coach Lino Červar after defeating Belgium (28:19) in the final qualifying round for the 2020 European Championship. Recall, the 2020 Euros will be held in Austria, Sweden, and Norway in January next year.

Croatia also secured the first place in the group and a place in the European Championship in the second to last round against Switzerland. 

Thanks to that result, Červar allowed the younger players to show what they are worth against Belgium. Fortunately, their power wasn’t questioned at any moment - Croatia was already up six goals at half-time and ended the game +9. 

The most effective players for Croatia were David Mandić and Luka Mrakovčić who scored five goals, Josip Bozic-Pavletić who scored four, and Ivan Sršen and Tin Kontrec who scored three goals, while Filip Ivić had 11 saves.

“For the end of the season, we all got a good chance. We played well in difficult conditions. We have given our best and deserved the victory for Croatia,” said Mandić. 

Mrakovčić added: “I think we used the opportunity well. We were well prepared for this encounter, we had a tight defense and worked well in the attack and that was our recipe. I think that we showed a real game and that we did what we came to Poreč to do, and that was a victory.” 

"We have given our maximum and we did not underestimate Belgium. For the national team, you always push and give one hundred percent. I congratulate everyone, thank you to the wonderful audience that cheered for us from the first to the last minute," said Ivić.

Thus, for the second time, Croatia has completed a qualifying round. without a defeat. This has so far only been achieved by Slavko Goluža who finished the qualifying round for the 2012 Euros with all six wins.

Lino Červar recorded a draw against Serbia.

Croatia will play in its 14th European Championship next year. The ‘Cowboys' are the only national team, along with France and Spain, that has not missed any European Championship.

So far, Croatia has won five medalsat the European Championships - two silver (2010, 2008) and three bronze (2016, 2012, 1994).

The European Championship draw will be held on June 28 in Vienna, and the Croatian national team will be one of the top seeds in the draw.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

January 14, 2019 - The Croatia handball team met Macedonia in the World Championship on Monday. 

Croatia handball is getting ready for the World Cup!

Croatia and Tunisia will play in the final of the Mediterranean Games on Sunday, July 1. 

The draw for the World Handball Championship, which will be played for the first time in two countries, was held today in Copenhagen. 

The Croatian national handball team has made sure that qualifying for the World Championship is just a formality with their incredible triumph over Montenegro in Osijek on Saturday. 

The Croatia men's handball team, led by Lino Červar, gathered in Zagreb on Monday. 

The Croatia men’s handball team defeated the Czech Republic to win fifth place at the European Championship.