Overview
- Germany took a 12:8 halftime lead over Austria in Herning, driven by goalkeeper Andreas Wolff’s roughly 42% save rate.
- Austria briefly turned to the seven-on-six attack after falling behind, a tactic Wolff had labeled “anti-handball” and that coach Alfred Gíslason had anticipated.
- Spain edged Serbia 29:27 in Group A’s first game, setting up Spain–Austria on Jan. 17 before Germany faces Serbia later that evening.
- Titleholder France opened Group C with a 42:28 rout of the Czech Republic, featuring balanced scoring and a dominant defense.
- In Germany, ARD and ZDF share free-to-air coverage, Dyn streams all matches, and ARD has Alexander Schlüter moderating the first two Germany games in place of Alexander Bommes.