Spain and Croatia, European champion and runner-up, face each other in a decisive match in the 2nd EHF Euro Cup, which is played as a small league in which the finalists of the last European Championship and the organisers of the European Championship 2022, Slovakia and Hungary, all play against each other.  Date: 9 January at the WiZink Center with a maximum permitted capacity of 3,000 spectators.

Jordi Ribera’s Spanish side will play against Croatia, led by Lino Červar, in this important match of the 2nd EHF Euro Cup, which is a repeat of the final of the last European Championship, in which the Spanish side took away its second European title.

Madrid is the city chosen to host this top level handball match, after having hosted the King’s Cup 2020 in March 2020, which was held at the Madrid Caja Mágica. 

The Spanish side has only played one match in this competition (losing 32-39 against Hungary on Hungarian soil), as the match scheduled for 7 November in Liíria (Valencia) against Slovakia had to be cancelled as it was  impossible for the Central European country to travel due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Therefore, Spain must win to continue bidding for the title (on 6 January, it plays away against Croatia, on 28 April at home against Hungary and finishes the competition on 1 May in Slovakia).  The match is also a trial run for the team before travelling to Egypt to participate in the World Championship 2021, where it will play in Group B along with Tunisia, Brazil and Poland.