EHF EURO 2018: Tickets go on sale this Wednesday!

428 days before the opening match of the Women's EHF EURO 2018, this Wednesday, 27 September, marks the opening of official ticket sales for the EHF EURO 2018.

Tickets can be bought from 10:00 hrs on www.ehf-euro.com.

The first phase, until May 2018, includes packs with 3 or 5 matches to be played in Brest, Montbéliard, Nantes and Nancy (where the French national team will play during the first round), as well as a semi-finals pack and a final phase pack at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris.

The second phase will start in May 2018 with the opening of individual ticket sales.

Two major innovations were proposed to the European Handball Federation and confirmed:

• The competition will begin with a dedicated event opening match on 29 November 2018 in Nancy, with the French national team at the top of the bill. A great way to start!
• One session = one match: the objective is to maximise the attendances in five venues accommodating the EHF EURO 2018.

The organisers, with their ambitious objective of 165,000 seats sold, also wished to implement a pricing policy that’s easy to understand and accessible to all:

• Seats starting at 5 euro
• 65% of the matches under 8 euro
• 20% discount for the handball family from the 1st day of ticket sales to the last
• The final from 25 to 150 euro
• 4 ticket categories in all venues

 A “Handballissime” EHF EURO 2018!

27 September is also the starting date of the second qualification phase for the EHF EURO 2018 that will end on 3 June 2018, just before the final tournament group.

The final tournament of the EHF EURO 2018 will take place in the following manner:

• The 16 qualified nations will be divided into four groups of four teams for the preliminary round of the EHF EURO 2018, in Nancy (group with the French National Team), Brest, Montbéliard and Nantes.
• The main round (two groups of six) will be held in Nantes (with France, if qualified) and Nancy.
• The final weekend (semi-finals, final, matches for 3rd and 5th places) will be played at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris, where the new European champion will be crowned on 16 December 2018 - and  automatically qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.

The aim of the organisers is for the EHF EURO 2018 to be a “Handballissime” event that will celebrate handball, a spectacular and high-flying sport, and women’s sports in general, all in a festive spirit.

Almost two years after the 2017 Men’s World Handball Championship, France will have another opportunity to demonstrate its know-how with regard to the organisation of major sports events, with the Paris 2024 Olympic Games fewer than six years away.

Everyone behind the EHF EURO 2018:

Laura Flessel, Minister of Sports: “I’m thrilled that our country will be hosting the Women’s European Championship in just over a year, which will once again show that France is the world champion when it comes to organising major sports events. After the great thrill of the Men’s World Championship in 2017, we have an opportunity to revive the magic of handball by welcoming the Women’s EURO to our country. This European championship won’t be limited to the period from 29 November to 16 December 2018: starting today, I want to use this prospect to create as much momentum as possible around women’s sports. The French Handball Federation currently has 37% female members, but we want to do more. This European championship will cast a wonderful spotlight on women’s handball and will be a great opportunity to encourage the interest of young girls. To this end, we certainly need a strong French team, so I say to the players: let’s go les Bleues! Make us dream, and have a great time!”

Valérie Pécresse, President of the Ile-de-France region: “This Women’s European Championship in France is firstly an opportunity to give a little cock-a-doodle-doo to the French women’s team, of whom I am extremely proud. It is also very important for the Ile-de-France Region to demonstrate its ability to accommodate major world-class sporting events. And as a woman, the prospect of welcoming this European championship means a great deal to me, since it’s an opportunity to celebrate women’s handball. In the Region, we’re very attentive to the development of women’s sports; we want to see the equality between men and women also reflected in the development of women’s sports. I hope that the EURO will encourage many young girls to take up handball, just as I did when I was a child, and I’ll be very happy to attend the matches as a fan of the French National Team.”

Sylvie Pascal-Lagarrigue, President of the Organising Committee: “The official start of ticket sales is an important moment in the life of a sports event. Our objective is to encourage great popular interest in the 2018 Women’s European Championship amongst all spectators, so that they can be on-hand to share in this great celebration of women’s handball with us. That’s why the ticketing strategy is intended to make the seats as accessible as possible, with great rates that will bring in the greatest number of spectators.”

Allison Pineau, French international: “This is going to be my second opportunity to take part in an international competition in France, since I played in the 2007 world championship that was my first international competition, and I can tell you that I can remember it like it was yesterday. The players on the French National Team are proud to be playing in this European Championship on home soil; it’s also an opportunity to convey our team’s values to the young generations, namely courage, self-sacrifice, and the joy of experiencing strong emotions together; that means a lot to all of us. We know that it’s our duty to do well in this competition, our objective will be to win this European championship and to leave a lasting legacy: our desire is to spark up the flame lit by the boys in 2017, to encourage the participation of young girls and to help them dream.”