(Un)informed Handball Hour

Flensburg retained their European League title over the weekend, thanks in no small part to a dominant performance by Kevin Møller in goal. We look back at the action and where the title was won and lost. Aron Palmarsson has announced his retirement at the age of 34, is this kind of player a dying breed? We discuss this and the postponed European Cup final in Skopje.

It's a massive week in the history of MT Melsungen as they compete for a European League title this weekend in Hamburg, then head to Berlin for a Bundesliga title eliminator on Thursday, so who better to speak about it than their biggest man - Dainis Krištopāns. We speak to Dainis about his unusual journey in handball, from Latvia via Slovakia, his development as an all-round player, the greatest weekend with Vardar in 2019 and why his inner-underdog led him to his current home in Melsungen. We also look forward to the title run-in in Germany and this weekend's EHF Finals, where Melsungen take on Flensburg, Montpellier and Kiel.  

Now that we know the semi-final lineup for the FINAL4, the countdown to Cologne can truly begin. We discuss both those who made it and fell at the final hurdle, plus Chris' own injury that will require no late-season replacements.

Berlin and Barça put one foot on the train to Cologne thanks to world-class performances from their star right backs, while two quarter-final ties remain delicately poised. Danijela Vekic joins us to look back at the midweek matches and ahead to the second leg matches in the Women's Champions League. This is a teaser of the episode with the full show and every Morning Club episode available on patreon.com/handballhour

The Men's Champions League Quarter-finals are upon us and we look forward to them with Marcio Menino, who is in Nantes as Sporting look to make history. Is this finally Veszprém's year? Do Barça have reasons to be nervous? Can Gidsel avoid the fate of Denmark's previous great? These questions and more are pondered in your preview podcast.

Ludwigsburg winger Veronika Malá joins us ahead of a big quarter-final weekend in the Women's Champions League, where her side take on Györ in a repeat of last year's final. As well as looking ahead to the weekend's games, we reflect on Kiel's cup triumph, followed by a loss to Berlin and visit Spain, where Barça have suffered a pair of rare losses, putting their title celebrations on hold.  

The play-off round of the EHF Champions League concludes tonight and with the unusual situation of the round being filled with clubs from Europe's top two leagues, we get some French and German perspectives from Kevin Domas and Sascha Staat to break down what we've seen an look forward to some more tasty encounters to come.

Knockout handball is here! The road to Budapest and the Women's EHF FINAL4 begins with the play-off round this weekend and we chat to Adrian Costeiu with two tight contests and a Romanian derby to look forward to.

The group phase of the Men's Champions League has come to an end, so we rate the competition to date. Handball hipsters gather round for the IHF Emerging Nations, where handball worlds truly collide, plus we give you the five EHF EURO qualifiers you should watch this week.

Just under a year ago, Great Britain's women were thrown into the spotlight with a surprise wildcard into the Olympic Qualification Tournaments. Since then, the team has pressed on behind the scenes and begin their EHF EURO 2026 Qualification campaign this weekend against Bosnia Herzegovina and Estonia. Home-grown talent Heidi Warren and coach Mark Hawkins, 2012 Olympian and one of our very first guests, join us to look back at their journey so far and ahead to the weekend. This morning club episode was originally published on Thursday on patreon.com/handballhour. Join us to enjoy these shows weekly.  

Mathias Gidsel has committed his future to Fuchse Berlin and gets a nice pay rise for his loyalty. Is a residency at Berghain part of the deal for DJ Gidsel and will his star sidekick join him? Sander Sagosen has decided to leave the Kolstad project and return to the scene of his big breakthrough. Can he rediscover his form at Aalborg and where do Kolstad go from here?

  In our final review, we look back at Denmark's dominant final win over Croatia and where that puts them among the sport's top teams of all time. We also hear from Denmark's Lukas Jørgensen and Croatia's Mario Šoštarić on the fiery gold medal clash. Our traditional Alternative Awards are out at the end of the week on Patreon, where the real MVPs are celebrated through the likes of the Swiss Army Knife and Adrian Sipos awards.

Men's World Championship 2025 - 30 January: Tears, drama and buzzer-beaters galore in the Quarter-finals with Danijela Vekic, Thibaut Briet and Marcio Menino

We're into the knockout phase of the World Championship with four tantalising quarter-finals coming our way on Tuesday and Wednesday. Björn Pazen joins us from Croatia to run through the contests and break down the key battles.

Brazil have reached the quarter-finals of the Men's World Championship for the first time and they've done it the hard way, battling through a group with Spain, Sweden and Norway. Brazilian commentator Sergio Arenillas joins us to speak about the surprise breakthrough and what makes this team so special. We also look at Portugal's latest stellar performance, Egypt's nailbiter and Croatia's resurrection to beat Iceland.

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.