The quarterfinals finish up on Tuesday with 2nd leg matches. Below are the times for those matches along with the 1st leg scores. Remember, the aggregate score for both matches determine who advances. If the aggregate is zero, the next tiebreaker is away goals. And, the next tiebreaker is a penalty shootout to take place immediately after the match. (And, yes that has happened before: Link)
One thing I find interesting about this competition is that is often a good test as to whether the Germany HBL is indeed the best league in the world. Three German sides entered the competition, three German teams remain and are favored to advance to the Final Four. If indeed that happens it’s pretty much impossible to argue against the HBL not being the best league.
Cisne’s win over Guadalajara has moved them out of last place, but Friday night they face the ultimate test, taking on the best team in the world, Barcelona in the Palau Blaugrana.
5th place Dormagen got a 25-20 road win last week vs 17th place HSG Konstanz. This week they host 9th place Aue in Dormagen
Pro Ligue (France)
Angers vs Dijon (-5) (Friday, 2030 CET): Video Link
Abou Fofana plays left back and defense for Angers
14th place Angers takes on 6th place Dijon. The season is getting short so Angers needs to pick up points anywhere they can find them to avoid relegation.
World Championship Qualification (Europe)
Slovenia (-6.5) vs Iceland (Saturday, 1730 CET) ehfTV
Lovisa Thompson plays left back for Iceland. Although she has no plans to play for the U.S. this is an excellent opportunity to check out the skills of this dual citizen in a big match.
K&H League (Hungary)
Gyöngyös (-4.5) vs Dabasi (Saturday, 1800 CET): Video Link
7th place Harrislee has lost 4 in a row and takes on 8th place Waiblingen which is just 3 points ahead of them in the standings.
Liga ASOBAL (Spain)
Anaitasuna vs Leon (-0.5) (Saturday, 2030 CET): Video Link
Drew Donlin plays defense and circle runner for Leon.
Leon was eliminated by Kristianstad in the EHF European League, but thanks to their Copa Del Rey 2nd place showing they know they’ll have a return ticket to Europe next year. The focus now is building for next year as they continue play in the Liga ASOBAL. Currently in 7th place they take on 9th place Anaitasuna.
Eredivisie (Netherlands)
HV Hurry-Up vs KRAS/Volendam (Sunday, 1430 CET): Video Link
Mark Ortega is Volendam’s coach and Alex Binderis (#4) plays circle runner for Volendam
Volendam is in 4th place and Hurry-Up is in 5th place in the 5 team league. I’m thinking Hurry-Up is one of the strangest if not the strangest club name I’ve ever seen.
The quarterfinals start on Tuesday and these teams will be playing 2 matches with the aggregate score for both matches deciding who will advance. These 1st leg matches today are being played at the lower ranked seeds home court so those teams will be looking to try and get a win by as many goals as possible to improve their chances in the 2nd leg next Tuesday.
One thing I find interesting about this competition is that is often a good test as to whether the Germany HBL is indeed the best league in the world. Three German sides entered the competition, three German teams remain and are favored to advance to the Final Four. If indeed that happens it’s pretty much impossible to argue against the HBL not being the best league.
Who’s the top handball athlete playing for a North American & Caribbean nation today? Arguably, it’s this guy: Cuba’s Reinier Taboada. Watch him play for his club team, Dunkerque on LNH TV this Tuesday at 2000 CET / 1400 US ET
For regular updates on when and where handball matches can be streamed online follow Team Handball News on social media: TwitterFacebookInstagram
All times are CET which is 6 hours ahead of US ET. Odds courtesy of Bet MGM and/or OddsPortal.
American Athletes in Action
K&H League (Hungary)
Gyöngyös vs Grundfos Tatabánya KC (-3.5) (Wednesday, 1800 CET): Video Link
8th place Gyöngyös takes on 7th place Tatabanya. However, it’s a bit misleading as Tatabanya has played 7 fewer matches and they are often seen as the 3rd best club in Hungary after Veszprem and Szeged.
The Last 16 playoffs finish up on Wednesday and Thursday with 2nd leg matches. Below are the times for those matches along with the 1st leg scores. Remember, the aggregate score for both matches determine who advances. If the aggregate is zero, the next tiebreaker is away goals. And, the next tiebreaker is a penalty shootout to take place immediately after the match. (And, yes that has happened before: Link)
Flensburg (-13.5) vs Zagreb (Wednesday, 1845) ** Cancelled**
Due to Zagreb’s positive COVID tests the EHF determined that it was not possible for Zagreb to form a competitive team. Therefore, Flensburg advances to the quarterfinals where they will play the winner of Aalborg-Porto.
Aalborg (-2.5) vs Porto (Wednesday, 1845 CET) Video Link
Abou Fofana and his club, Angers, face Besançon Friday in a relegation battle at 2000 CET / 1400 US ET
For regular updates on when and where handball matches can be streamed online follow Team Handball News on social media: TwitterFacebookInstagram
All times are CET which is 6 hours ahead of US ET. Odds courtesy of Bet MGM and/or OddsPortal.
American Athletes in Action
Pro Ligue (France)
Besançon (-1) vs Angers (Friday, 2000 CET): Video Link
Abou Fofana plays left back and defense for Angers
It’s a big match for Angers as they are in the relegation zone (13th place) and Besancon is right above them in 12th place. With a win they gain 2 points on Besancon, but if they lose they fall 2 points further behind.
D2F (France)
As Cannes Mandelieu vs Le Pouzin HB 07 (Saturday, 1800 CET): Video Link
Cisne is currently in last place and they had a bad loss, a 33-21 defeat to Logrono earlier in the week. Nava is much closer to them in the standing and presents a good bounce back opportunity.
Kristianstad (-3.5) vs Leon (Monday, 2045 CET) **Kristianstad won 34-27**
Kristianstad (-2.5) vs Leon (Tuesday, 1845 CET)
Drew Donlin plays defense and circle runner for Leon.
Leon had 5 members of its staff (players and coaches) test positive for COVID-19 and the 1st leg match in Leon had to be postponed. As a consequence, Leon and Kristianstad will play back to back matches on Monday and Tuesday in Kristianstad with the aggregate score deciding who will advance to the quarterfinals.
Leon faces a big challenge. It’s tough enough that both matches have to be played on the road, but it also likely that Leon hasn’t been able to fully practice for the last 10 days or so.
UPDATE: Kristianstad won the first leg 34-27. This means Leon has the difficult task of making up 7 goals in the 2nd leg.
Liga ASOBAL (Spain)
Cisne vs Cangas (-0.5) (Wednesday, 1900 CET): Video Link
The Last 16 playoffs finish up on Tuesday with 2nd leg matches. Below are the times for those matches along with the 1st leg scores. Remember, the aggregate score for both matches determine who advances. If the aggregate is zero, the next tiebreaker is away goals. And, the next tiebreaker is a penalty shootout to take place immediately after the match. (And, yes that has happened before: Link)
Pal Merkovszki and his club Gyongyos play Friday at 1600 CET / 1100 US ET.
Would you like to know when and where handball matches can be streamed online? If yes, follow Team Handball News on social media for regular updates: TwitterFacebookInstagram
While the U.S. and Canada have started Daylight Saving Time, Europe doesn’t start it until this Sunday, March 28. Because of this CET will be just hours 5 ahead of US ET on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday it will be back to the usual 6 hours difference. Odds courtesy of Bet MGM and/or OddsPortal.
American Athletes in Action
K&H League (Hungary)
Budakalász (-0.5) vs Gyöngyös (Friday, 1600 CET): Video Link
Gyöngyös got a much needed win last week vs Oroshazi. Now in 8th place in the league they will take on 9th place Budakalasz.
Pro Ligue (France)
Angers (-0.5) vs Sarrebourg (Friday, 2030 CET): Video Link
Abou Fofana plays left back and defense for Angers
Angers and Sarrebourg are tied for last place in the league and a win here is important in order to climb out of the relegation zone.
Eredivisie (Netherlands)
KRAS/Volendam vs Kembit (Saturday, 1630 CET): Video Link
Mark Ortega is Volendam’s coach and Alex Binderis (#4) plays circle runner for Volendam
The Netherlands recently resumed play and will be playing an abbreviated NL only season. (Normally their top league is combined with Belgium.) Volendam is currently in 3rd place and Kembit is in 2nd place in the 5 team league: Link
Liga ASOBAL (Spain)
Cisne vs Logrono (-6.5) (Saturday, 1700 CET): Video Link
This is a test match as Krefeld has just resumed competition. They will be playing in an abbreviated competition for 3rd division clubs seeking promotion to the HBL 2
Other Matches this Weekend
Super Liga (N Macedonia)
Vardar vs Eurofarm Pelister (Saturday, 1700 CET) Video Link
Totally Bewildering: ESPN promotes handball to new fans… but, does so only after the World Championships on ESPN+ are over.
In Part 1, I documented how ESPN’s broadcast of the 2021 Men’s Handball World Championship was a disappointment in terms of viewership and buzz. In Part 2, I look at some of the reasons why it came up so short of my expectations.
So, why weren’t handball broadcasts on ESPN+ a major game changer like I predicted? Here are some reasons that I’ve come up with:
Reason #1) ESPN+ Viewership is Nowhere Near Traditional ESPN’s… Yet
It’s hard to predict the future, but there are a lot of signs that streaming or Over the Top (OTT) video is the future. More and more content is being placed on streaming platforms, be it Netflix, ESPN+, NBC Peacock or Paramount+. But, the future is not the present and in the present world we live in regular TV is still king, especially for sports.
A recent NY Times article on the NFL’s new TV rights deal highlights that money is the primary reason this is the case:
“Streaming is the present of movies and TV series and the future of sports, and growth in that sector is what is currently rewarded by Wall Street. But the number of people who pay to stream sports, and the amounts they pay, are dwarfed by the tens of millions of American households that still spend $50, $100 or even $150 each month for a television package.”
The number of Cable/satellite subscribers has been steadily decreasing. At one point the traditional (or linear) ESPN channel had over 100M subscribers, but it’s now closer to 80M. But, while that number has been dropping, it’s still far more than the number of ESPN+ subscribers, which just passed 12M. Don’t get me wrong, 12M is still a lot of people, but it’s not as many we’d like and it’s on a streaming platform that’s just starting to get traction.
Reason #2) ESPN+ “Discovery Opportunities” Were Very Limited
When it comes to marketing team handball in the U.S. the sport has a huge awareness problem in that the vast majority of Americans are not even aware that the sport exists. Over the years, TV broadcasts, particularly in the Olympics have been the single biggest way to dampen that awareness problem as it exposes millions of people to the sport.
I had hoped that placing handball on ESPN+ would have a similar, albeit smaller, effect. Unfortunately, this failed for a couple of reasons. First, I suspect that many ESPN+ subscribers are not in the habit yet of wandering around looking for something to watch the same way many of us are now when it comes to finding something to watch on Netflix. That’s somewhat to be expected and I would bet that changes over time.
What was really disappointing, though, was how hard ESPN made it to find handball on ESPN+. During, the World Championships I fielded dozens of messages from worried handball fans wondering where the next handball match was on ESPN+. Heck, I myself, was worried a couple of times as I scrolled all over the place trying to find a match that was scheduled to start in 15 minutes or so. However, as I came to learn, ESPN typically did not post the icon for upcoming matches until 5 minutes before they started. Worse, even though it was a live event it was often nowhere to be seen on the main page and only viewable after scrolling past several basketball games that were scheduled to be played later.
And, we can forget about the possibility of “forever content” that I was hoping for as there is no handball icon next to the rugby or cricket icon for potential new fans to discover handball. Just a few weeks after the World Championships, all handball match replays have already disappeared so, for sure, no one poking around ESPN+ is going to stumble upon handball.
Reason #3) ESPN’s Promotion of Handball on ESPN+ was Very, Very Limited
But, the most disappointing, frustrating and at times bewildering reason for ESPN+ having little if any impact was ESPN’s lack of promotion on their TV, radio and social media platforms.
In fact, over the course of the tournament, to the best of my knowledge there were zero handball mentions on radio and zero social media posts about handball. And, the only TV mention I’m aware of was Swedish GK Andreas Palicka’s great save against France making Sports Center’s Top 10. That was nice… But why couldn’t ESPN have turned that great play into an Instagram post with a USA Team Handball tag and a reminder to their 22M followers to head over to to ESPN+ to watch more handball?
That would have been such an incredibly simple and smart thing for ESPN to do… But, instead we got nothing… nada… zero… zilcho. It was almost as if ESPN was purposely hiding its handball content.
What really has me shaking my head, is that in the past ESPN had been responsible for some of the greatest handball promotion ever in the U.S. Yes, the 2 most viral handball related social media post are still 2 old ESPN SportsCenter Instagram posts: Sigurdsson’s penalty rebound goal with 2.2M views in January, 2018 and Diego Simonet’s nifty behind the back goal with 1.2M views in September, 2017. Each of those posts also have thousands of comments along the lines of, “What a cool sport!”; “That looks like fun.”; and “Where can I play this?” And, these videos were posted when handball broadcasts actually were on another TV network. Yes, ESPN was inadvertently advertising for beIN Sports.
So, why on earth couldn’t we even get one (just one) handball shout out when handball was actually having 2 matches broadcasted daily on a ESPN platform?
You would think that would be a no brainer, but, we couldn’t any love, until, get this: ESPN randomly posted some top plays from the EHF Champions League a couple of weeks ago with the words, “Handball looks too fun”. This timing is just so puzzling. It’s as if someone is mocking me, but the reality is probably simpler. The right hand doesn’t talk to the left hand at ESPN or they just don’t really care much about promoting their own content on ESPN+. Regardless, sometimes I just don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Reason #4) Team USA did not Participate in the World Championships
Finally, there’s also an underlying reason that perhaps more than anything resulted in less buzz overall and promotion at ESPN. And, that reason is that due to multiple positive COVID test results the U.S. had to withdraw from the World Championships. We don’t know how well the U.S. would have done, but, Team USA participating for the first time in 20 years would have drawn more interest in the halls of ESPN and I’d like to think better promotion across the board. More mentions and some highlights on SportsCenter. Some handball talk on ESPN radio. Maybe even an interview or two with the U.S. coach and some players. Instagram posts, Tweets, etc., etc., etc.,
At least that’s what I like to think would have happened. Alas, with the U.S. dropping out we’ll never know if it would indeed have been significantly different. Or, as I had hoped an epic game changer.
But, hopefully there will be more chances for handball to make some TV waves in the not too distant future. In Part 3, I’ll take a final look at the ESPN experiment and explore some other possibilities coming up in the not too distant future.
Abou Fofana faces his former teammates tonight in Nancy
Would you like to know when and where handball matches can be streamed online? If yes, follow Team Handball News on social media for regular updates: TwitterFacebookInstagram
While the U.S. and Canada have started Daylight Saving Time, Europe doesn’t start it until March 28. Because of this CET is currently just 5 hours ahead of US ET. Odds courtesy of Bet MGM and/or OddsPortal.
American Athletes in Action
Pro Ligue (France)
Nancy (-5.5) vs Angers (Tuesday, 2000 CET): Video Link )
Abou Fofana plays left back and middle defense for Angers.
This is the first month in almost a month for Angers as several matches had to be postponed due to positive COVID cases.
Angers is in last place fighting to avoid relegation while Nancy is in 3rd place and seeking promotion to the LIDL Star Ligue.
Fofana is no doubt looking forward to this match as he played for Nancy last season.
EHF European League
Leon vs Kristianstad ***Postponed***
Drew Donlin plays defense and circle runner for Leon.
Leon has had 5 members of its staff (players and coaches) test positive for COVID-19 and the 1st leg match in Leon had to be postponed. A match has been scheduled for next Tuesday in Kristianstad, but it’s not clear whether the match to have been played in Leon will be made up. If it isn’t the playoff will instead be decided by just the 1 match to be played in Sweden.
The Last 16 playoffs start today and these teams will be playing 2 matches with the aggregate score for both matches deciding who will advance. These 1st leg matches today are being played at the lower ranked seeds home court so those teams will be looking to try and get a win by as many goals as possible to improve their chances in the 2nd leg next Tuesday. EHF Preview: Link
Chekovskie (-0.5) vs Nimes (Tuesday, 1700 CET)
Montpellier (-5.5) vs Kadetten Schaffhausen (Tuesday, 1845 CET)
RK Nexe vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen (-5.5) (Tuesday, 1845 CET)
GOG (-2.5) vs HC CSKA (Tuesday, 1845 CET)
Fivers vs Füchse Berlin (-6.5) (Tuesday, 2045 CET)
Sporting vs Plock (-1.5) (Tuesday, 2045 CET)
HC Eurofarm Pelister vs Magdeburg (-4.5) (Tuesday, 2045 CET)
How to watch the Olympic Qualification Tournaments
If you live in a country where there is no TV broadcast the matches should be available on the IHF YouTube Channel. Those matches can be accessed here and I will be posting a daily preview with direct links to each match video (see below).
If you live in a country where there is a TV broadcast you may be geo-blocked out of accessing the IHF YouTube Channel. This is often the case even for matches that are not available on YouTube. It is, however, usually possible to watch matches using VPN. More information on how to use VPN; What I use) (Note: I would encourage handball fans to watch matches on TV when possible as usually get a better picture, but if there isn’t a TV broadcast available where you live… what else are you going to do?)
USA Residents: There is no USA TV broadcast and matches should be available on YouTube
Canadian Residents: The CBC will be live streaming the matches with English commentary: Link
Would you like to know when and where handball matches can be streamed online year round? If yes, follow Team Handball News on social media for regular updates: TwitterFacebookInstagram
While the U.S. and Canada have started Daylight Saving Time, Europe doesn’t start it until March 28. Because of this CET is currently 5 hours ahead of US ET. Odds courtesy of 10 Bet.
Tournament 1 Polideportivo Pla de l’Arc, Llíria, Spain)
Standings after Day 2
Argentina vs Spain (-10.5) (Sunday, 1930 CET / 1430 US ET) Video Link
Sweden beat Argentina by 13 yesterday and has qualified for Tokyo. Spain is also expected to have a big win, but on paper Argentina has a chance. If they can pull off an epic upset and beat Spain they will qualify for the Olympics.
Tournament 2 (Audi Aréna, Győr, Hungary)
Standings after Day 2
Serbia (-13.5) vs Kazakhstan (Sunday, 1730 CET / 1230 US ET) Video Link
This tournament has been decided and this match will simply determine who meaninglessly finishes in 3rd place.
Hungary vs Russia (-1.5) (Sunday, 2030 CET / 1530 US ET) Video Link
Includes English Language commentary with Paul Bray
Hungary and Russia have both qualified for Tokyo, but this match will determine seeding for the Olympic draw.
Montenegro (-0.5) vs Romania (Sunday, 1600 CET / 1100 US ET) Video Link
Includes English Language commentary with Paul Bray
On paper, Romania still has a chance to qualify for Tokyo, but they are in a big goal differential hole behind Montenegro and Norway. To guarantee qualification they have the tall task of beating hosts, Montenegro by 6 goals or more. (See below for scenarios.)
If Romania lose or win by 4 goals or less they will finish 3rd.
A Romania victory by exactly 5 goals could result in some interesting scenarios.
A 30-25 Romania victory would result in Romania and Montenegro qualifying and Norway staying home. (GF would be ROU: 54; MNE: 53; NOR: 52) Wins of 31-26, 32-27, etc. will have the same result.
A 29-24 Romania victory would result in Romania qualifying and Montenegro and Norway drawing lots. GF would be ROU: 53; MNE:52; NOR: 52
A 28-23 Romania victory would result in Romania and Norway qualifying and Montenegro staying home. (GF would be ROU: 52; NOR:52; MNE: 51) Wins of 27-22, 26-21, etc., will have the same result.
How to watch the Olympic Qualification Tournaments
If you live in a country where there is no TV broadcast the matches should be available on the IHF YouTube Channel. Those matches can be accessed here and I will be posting a daily preview with direct links to each match video (see below).
If you live in a country where there is a TV broadcast you may be geo-blocked out of accessing the IHF YouTube Channel. This is often the case even for matches that are not available on YouTube. It is, however, usually possible to watch matches using VPN. More information on how to use VPN; What I use) (Note: I would encourage handball fans to watch matches on TV when possible as usually get a better picture, but if there isn’t a TV broadcast available where you live… what else are you going to do?)
USA Residents: There is no USA TV broadcast and matches should be available on YouTube
Canadian Residents: The CBC will be live streaming the matches with English commentary: Link
Would you like to know when and where handball matches can be streamed online year round? If yes, follow Team Handball News on social media for regular updates: TwitterFacebookInstagram
While the U.S. and Canada have started Daylight Saving Time, Europe doesn’t start it until March 28. Because of this CET is currently just 5 hours ahead of US ET. Odds courtesy of 10 Bet.
Tournament 1 Polideportivo Pla de l’Arc, Llíria, Spain)
Standings after Day 1
Sweden (-8.5) vs Argentina (Saturday, 1815 CET / 1315 US ET) Video Link
Spain and Sweden played to a draw to open this qualifying tournament and now both of those teams will play Argentina and both will be favored to win by a significant margin. Because they tied, 1st and 2nd place will now likely be determined by whoever beats Argentina by more goals.
Tournament 2 (Audi Aréna, Győr, Hungary)
Standings after Day 1
Serbia vs Hungary (-1.5) (Saturday, 1730 CET / 1230 US ET) Video Link
Includes English Language commentary with Paul Bray
With Serbia losing yesterday as expected to Russia 29-24 this match is very likely to settle 2nd place in the tournament. Hungary easily beat Serbia 38-26 just a few months ago at the European Championships and is missing a key player in Andrea Lekic. But, as this IHF article suggests this is a different Serbian team and they know this is a pivotal match.
A Hungarian victory will qualify Hungary for Tokyo.
A Serbian victory will probably qualify Serbia, but it would have to await the outcome of the Hungary-Russia match on Sunday. A victory by Hungary over Russia would set up a 3 way tie that would be settled by goal differential.
Russia (-22.5) vs Kazakhstan (Saturday, 2030 CET / 1530 US ET) Video Link
Based on Hungary’s 27 goal victory over Kazakhstan yesterday, Russia should have no problems today.
Norway (-6.5) vs Romania (Saturday, 1930 CET / 1430 US ET) Video Link
Includes English Language commentary with Paul Bray
This match was supposed to confirm Norway’s status as the winner of the tournament, but thanks to Montenegro’s huge surprise 28-23 victory over Norway this is now the likely battle for 2nd place. Undoubtedly, Romania will be taking notes as to how Montenegro effectively slowed down Norway’s offense and will try to accomplish the same feat.
A Romanian victory will qualify Romania for Tokyo and will eliminate Norway
A Norway win will not guarantee them qualification as a Romanian victory over Montenegro on Sunday would set up a 3 way tie that would be settled by goal differential. Every plus goal improves Norway’s chances and a 6 goal victory would guarantee them qualification for Tokyo. Conversely, a win by just 1-3 goals would likely require a big Romanian victory over Montenegro. (see below for details)
3 Way Tie Scenarios
This chart depicts possible Goal Differential combinations. The first column shows the goal differential standings after yesterday’s game. The 2nd column shows what the standings after today’s Norway-Romania match based on different margins of victory. The 3rd column shows different possibilities after the 3rd and final match between Romania and Montenegro. Green = Qualification; Red = Eliminated and Yellow = Tied (with the next tiebreaker being offensive goals scored)
