Overview
- Germany faces Austria at 20:30 CET in the Jyske Bank Boxen, with live coverage on ARD and free streams via ARD-Mediathek/Joyn; Dyn is streaming all tournament games.
- The championship runs from 15 January to 1 February across Denmark, Sweden and Norway, with the final scheduled in Herning.
- The DHB named an 18-player squad; Lichtlein misses the opener after a left forefoot injury, and Uščins is available despite a recent ankle issue, according to the federation.
- Coach Alfred Gíslason sets a semifinal target and calls this his best German team, following encouraging wins over Croatia in preparation.
- Denmark enters as the clear pre-tournament favorite, France are the reigning European champions, and the format advances the top two from each group into a main round carrying forward results.